The Battle of the Suez Canal

Egypt, 28 January - 4 February 1915

Contents

Items

Outline

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, January 28 - February 3, 1915 

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, The launching of the boats

 

Australian Official History 

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, THE TURKISH EXPEDITION AGAINST EGYPT

 

British Official History

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 1914, Official British History Account, Pt 1

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, THE CANAL DEFENCES, Official British History Account, Pt 2

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, SYRIA AND SINAI, Official British History Account, Pt 3

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, ADVANCE OF THE TURKS, Official British History Account, Pt 4

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, DISPOSITION OF TROOPS IN THE CANAL DEFENCES, Official British History Account, Pt 5

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, ENGINEER WORK ON THE CANAL DEFENCES, Official British History Account, Pt 6

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, THE EXPEDITION AGAINST THE CANAL, FROM GERMAN AND TURKISH SOURCES, Official British History Account, Pt 6b

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, THE ATTACK, Official British History Account, Pt 7

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, THE DAYS SUCCEEDING THE ATTACK, Official British History Account, Pt 8

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, THE ATTACK, FROM GERMAN AND TURKISH SOURCES, Official British History Account, Pt 9

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, THE SINAI FRONT IN FEBRUARY, Official British History Account, Pt 10

 

New Zealand History

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, Brereton, THE BATTLE OF THE SUEZ CANAL

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt,  Ferguson, REPORT OF FIGHTING ON CANAL

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt,  12/774 Private William David Kemp's Diary

 

Newspaper Accounts

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, Brief outline of the first attacks, The Times, 4 February 1915

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, Tourism Implications, The Times, 4 February 1915, pt 2

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, Outline of the pontoon attack, The Times, 5 February 1915

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, Summary of the follow up Ottoman attcks, The Times, 6 February 1915

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, Full details of the attack from the Ottoman perspective, The Times, 8 February 1915

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, The German Officer's white flag, The Times Account, 8 February 1915

German Sources

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, Hauptmann Wilhelm von dem Hagen

Further Reading:

The Battle of the Suez Canal, Egypt, 28 January - 4 February 1915

The Sinai Campaign, 1915 - 1916

Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920

Citation: The Battle of the Suez Canal, Egypt, 28 January - 4 February 1915, Contents

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EAST

Updated: Friday, 28 January 2011 7:46 AM EAST

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The Battle of the Suez Canal

Egypt, 28 January - 4 February 1915

Outline

[Click on map for larger version.]

Following Egypt's entry into the war in support of the British, considerations had to be made regarding two threats; the anti-British sentiment felt by many Arab citizens of Egypt and the possibility of attack from the Ottoman Army. The former threat was aggravated when the Ottoman empire declared hostility against the United Kingdom and the West, with the intention of stirring up Arab anger in Egypt and causing a revolt. The British countered this by removing the (anti-British) head of state Abbas Il Helmi and replacing him with Sultan Hussein Kamel.

As it happened there was a real military threat - the Fourth Turkish Army was preparing a force of 20,000 men under the command of the Ottoman Minister of the Marine Djemal Pasha to take or destroy the Suez Canal. Djemal Pasha was one of the Three Pashas who effectively controlled the Ottoman government. The attack on the Suez was suggested by Enver Pasha, the main leader of the Ottoman government.

To protect this strategic interest the British had by January 1915 assembled some 70,000 troops in Egypt. Major-General Sir John Maxwell, a veteran of Egypt and Sudan, was commander-in-chief and led mostly Indian divisions, as well as the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division, local formations and the I Anzac Corps. 30,000 of the troops stationed in Egypt manned defences along the Suez Canal. The Turks had only three available routes to reach the Suez Canal through the roadless and waterless Sinai Peninsula:

• a coastal advance that would have water supplies and usable tracks, but would be within range of Royal Navy warships
• a central course from Beersheba to Ismailia
• a southern track between El Kossaima and the Suez Canal

The central route was chosen as it would provide the Turkish soldiers with proper tracks to follow once they crossed the canal.

Two Turkish divisions plus one more in reserve, with camel and horse units, were ready to depart in mid-January. The advance across the Sinai took ten days, tracked all the way by British aircraft, even though German aircraft stationed in Palestine in turn aided the Ottomans and later flew some bombing missions in support of the main attack. The British observers had sighted the large column of troops on January 28 and British and French naval vessels took up positions in the canal and opened fire on the advancing Ottomans. Patrolling troops from each side clashed sporadically on February 2 but major action was prevented by a sandstorm.

The early hours of the following morning saw the main Turkish attack - with inflatable pontoons and rafts, the Turkish made their way to the eastern bank of the canal and into the water, to be met by Anglo-Indian machine gun fire which cut the advancing ranks of boats to ribbons and tore through the massing Turkish troops on the water's edge. Panic soon ensued and many Turkish troops surrendered, dashing any hopes of the attack succeeding.

At 6a.m. a second attack was launched, this time with diversions being carried out north of the crossing point. The attack was checked by the defending British troops and the gunnery of the British and French ships in the canal. By 3a.m. the Turks attack had petered out and failed and a full withdrawal was effected. The thirsty Turkish troops retreated to Beersheba, free from molestation by British forces.

The attack on the Suez Canal was a failure, taking 1,500 Turkish lives with it and showing that there was apparently little interest in Egypt for an Arab revolt against the British. A larger force with more sufficient supplies would be required for any further Turkish attacks on Egypt (see the Battle of Romani for the details of that attack). The British, although successful, came to the realization that it was too risky to rely on the Canal itself as a defence line.

The German General Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein (Djemal Pasha's Chief of Staff) led a small Turkish force over the rest of the year, conducting raids against the Canal defenders. The idea was to keep British attention on the Ottoman army and try to increase the standing forces in Egypt (and thus decrease available manpower for offensives such as Gallipoli). In this, the Ottoman army achieved its objective because the British did keep far more forces here than they expected at the start of the war.

[From: The Australasian, 13 March 1915, Picture Supplement p. 8.]

Further Reading:

Where Australians Fought, Sinai, 1916-1917

Light Horse Battles

Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920

Citation: The Battle of the Suez Canal, Egypt, 28 January - 4 February 1915, Outline

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EAST

Updated: Friday, 28 January 2011 8:34 AM EAST

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The Battle of the Suez Canal

Egypt, 28 January - 4 February 1915

The launching of the boats

Launching of the pontoon boat attack, 2 - 3 February 1915

[Click on map for larger version.]

Further Reading:

The Battle of the Suez Canal, Egypt, 28 January - 4 February 1915

The Sinai Campaign, 1915 - 1916

Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920

Citation: The Battle of the Suez Canal, Egypt, 28 January - 4 February 1915, The launching of the boats

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EAST

Updated: Friday, 28 January 2011 8:28 AM EAST

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Suez Canal Attack

Egypt, January 28 - February 3, 1915

Hauptmann Wilhelm von dem Hagen

The following is an extract from:

Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein, Mit den Tèurken zum Suezkanal, Berlin, 1938, p. 95.

Chapter VI

Translation:

Ismailia - The Attack on the Suez Canal 

One of the dead, much to our sadness, included Captain von dem Hagen, a young, enthusiastic, efficient and an outstandingly courageous officer. I had assigned him to lead a supporting force on the left flank [1.] of the Canal attack; he fell when hit by a bullet to the head while providing covering fire to the Turkish infantry. [2.] The English buried him on the bank of the channel.

Notes:

1. – Hagen’s position was south on the Canal bank providing cover to the pontoon force.

2. -  This was the force which launched the pontoons into the Canal.

German Officers:

The German officers with the Canal Expeditionary Force were:

Colonel Kress

Colonel Trommer

Major Hunger

Major Laufen

Captain von dem Hagen

Captain Gerlach

Captain Heiben

Rittermeister Welsch. 

Further Reading:

Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, Contents

Where Australians Fought, Sinai, 1916-1917

Light Horse Battles

Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920

Citation: Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, Hauptmann Wilhelm von dem Hagen

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EADT

Updated: Monday, 27 April 2009 10:41 AM EADT

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Suez Canal Attack

Egypt, January 28 - February 3, 1915

The Times Account, 8 February 1915.

The account is transcribed below.

The Times, 8 February 1915, p. 8.

THE GERMAN OFFICER'S WHITE FLAG.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

CAIRO, FEB. 8.

The Turkish retreat from the vicinity of the Canal is diversely interpreted. It is held in some quarters that the enemy has fallen back to the nearest good water supply owing to inability to maintain himself near the east bank of the Canal, where wells are few. Others believe that the failure of the attempt to break through the Canal defences has so dispirited the troops as to render immediate withdrawal, with or without an intention of returning to the charge, inevitable.

The latter theory is, perhaps, supported by the surrender of Turkish deserters, and still more by the curious discovery, of which the official  communique has already spoken, of a white flag I with rings and halyard complete in a special case on the body of a slain German officer. if the flag was to be used only for its legitimate purpose-that of announcing a surrender - its presence betokens a great lack of confidence, to say the least, among the German officers, who have been credited with the entire direction of the Turkish operations.

Further Reading:

Where Australians Fought, Sinai, 1916-1917

Light Horse Battles

Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920

Citation: Suez Canal Attack, Egypt, The Times Account, 8 February 1915

Posted by Project Leader at 12:01 AM EADT

Updated: Friday, 24 April 2009 12:02 AM EADT

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