ANZAC Mounted Division

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division (Anzac Mounted Division) was a Division Mounted Infantry , during the First World War in 1916 Egypt was set up and the to 1918 Palestine front was used. The title ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) indicated the combined composition of Australian and New Zealand troops. This designation probably served as the first official use of such a large association before the establishment of the other ANZAC divisions and corps began.

List and structure

A lighthorseman, typical member of the division

The division was formed in March 1916 after the debacle of the Battle of Gallipoli from Australian and New Zealand units returned to Egypt . Because of the new terrain in the Middle East on the Sinai Peninsula, the infantry were reorganized into cavalry and deployed immediately. For the remainder of the war that was waged against the Ottoman troops, the cavalry division served in Palestine and Syria .

When it was founded, the division comprised three mounted (light horse) brigades . The 3rd Light Horse Brigade (Brigadier General John MacQuarie Antill) assigned at the first formation (1916) was also part of the division during the fighting in Sinai before it switched to the Imperial Mounted Division , which was then renamed the Australian Mounted Division .

The first division commander General Harry Chauvel

The following three brigades formed the core of the division:

1st Light Horse Brigade (Brigadier General Charles Frederick Cox)

2nd Light Horse Brigade (Brigadier General Granville De Laure Ryrie)

  • 5th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland)
  • 6th Light Horse Regiment (New South Wales)
  • 7th Light Horse Regiment (New South Wales)
  • 2nd Machine-Gun Squadron

New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (Brigadier General W. Meldrum)

  • Mounted Rifles Regiment
  • Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment
  • Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment
  • 1st New Zealand Machine-Gun Squadron

In the spring of 1917, during the First Battle of Gaza , the ANZAC Mounted Division was also assigned to the British 22nd Cavalry Brigade (Brigadier General FAB Fryer).

Butcher

Sinai 1916

Fronts in Sinai

In March 1916, parts of the newly formed division were immediately used to support the Australian 1st Division on the Suez Front. On July 19th the advance guard of the division approached the positions of the Turks. At the beginning of August, at the Battle of Romani at the side of the 52nd Division, a first success was achieved and the coastal front advanced along the sand dunes to Bir al-Abd .

In September 1916, the division took part in a strong reconnaissance operation to Mazar, about 40 miles east of Romani. Following the Al-Arish regime , the division fought successfully in the Battle of Magdhaba (December 23, 1916) and Rafah (January 1917).

Palestine Front

1917

Battle of Beersheba
Major General Sir Edward WC Chaytor

Before the First Battle of Gaza began in February 1917, the British 22nd Mounted Brigade was subordinated to the Corps. The first reconnaissance of the Turkish positions near Gaza was carried out on March 25th by the 3rd Light Horse Brigade. The attack began on March 26, 1917, while the 53rd (Welsh) Division was operating directly against the city, the ANZAC Mounted Division attempted a bypass to the east. The orders of Lieutenant General Dobell contributed significantly to the failure of the Second Battle of Gaza . Even the supporting attack of the Mounted Division could not prevent the loss of 5,900 men and the defeat that occurred by April 19.

After the arrival of the new Commander-in-Chief, General Allenby , the British Palestine Front was reorganized: General Chauvel took over the leadership of the newly created Desert Mounted Corps , the division then passed to General Edward Chaytor , who had previously led the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade. On October 31, 1917, the division took part in the Battle of Beersheba . The 1st Light Horse and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade carried out a combined attack on Tel el Saba, at the same time the 2nd Light Horse Brigade cut off the road from Beersheba to Hebron . This resulted in one of the last "cavalry attacks" of the war against the buried Turkish infantry by the mounted infantry of the Light Horse. In the Third Battle of Gaza , the 1st and 2nd Light Horse Brigades were deployed west of Sheria on November 7, 1917, while the New Zealand Mounted Rifles were temporarily used in the area of ​​the 53rd Division near Khuweilfe.

1918

During the Battle of Megiddo (September 19-21, 1918) deployed on the right wing of Allenby's troops in the area north of Jericho , the division led the advance through the Jordan Valley as the advance guard of the Chaytor cavalry corps (Chaytor's Force) . During the advance towards Amman , 10,300 men of the opposing Ottoman 4th Army were captured by September 25. The ANZAC Mounted Division was disbanded in June 1919.

Commanders

  • March 1916 – June 1917: Major General Harry Chauvel
  • June 1917 – December 1918: Maj . General Edward Chaytor
  • December 1918 – June 1919: Maj. General Granville L. Ryrie

literature

  • C. Guy Powles: The New Zealanders in Sinai and Palestine , Whitcombe and Tombs Limited, Auckland 1922

Web links

Commons : ANZAC Mounted Division  - collection of images, videos and audio files