Battle of Dujaila

Battle of Dujaila

Part of: Mesopotamia Front

British infantry

date	March 8, 1916
place	Dujaila , today's Iraq
output	Ottoman victory

Parties to the conflict
United Kingdom	Ottoman Empire
Commander
Fenton Aylmer	Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz Ali İhsan Sâbis
Troop strength
35,000 soldiers 62 cannons	25,000 soldiers
losses
3,500 dead and injured	1,200 dead and injured

The Battle of Dujaila ( Turkish : Sâbis Muharebesi) was fought on March 8, 1916 between British-Indian and Ottoman troops. The battle was a British attempt to relieve the troops trapped in the siege of Kut under Charles Vere Ferrer's Townshend .

prehistory

Fenton Aylmer

After the first attempt to free the troops trapped in Kut had failed, Fenton Aylmer made another attempt to defeat the Ottomans and come to the aid of the besieged troops. Although he was supported by new soldiers who were supposed to strengthen the Western Front , he was still pessimistic about his chances for a successful liberation of Townshend and his men. After the setback at the Battle of Hanna , he took the view that the relief operation should be canceled. However, the high command was determined to free Townshend from the siege.

Aylmer then planned an attack on Dujaila, which was held by 25,000 Ottomans. The plan was for Aylmer and his men to attack the Ottomans from the front, while Townshend was supposed to stab the Turks in the back. The attack was postponed from March 6th to March 8th due to heavy rains.

battle

Aylmer divided his troops. One part was led by Major General George V. Kemball and the other part by Major General Henry D'Urban Keary . The soldiers under Kemball attacked the Turks on March 8 at 10 a.m., but were stopped at noon. The separated part under Keary, which was supposed to act separately, then launched a second attack. But the latter missed a chance for a breakthrough when the Ottoman positions were weakest and was also repulsed. When Townshend heard of the failed attacks, he decided to withdraw his troops and not dare to attack. As a result, Aylmer had to stop his attempt.

consequences

The British lost around 3,500 soldiers without gaining ground, while the Ottomans only suffered around a third of the British casualties.

swell

• http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/dujaila.htm

Coordinates: 32 ° 30 ′ 20 ″  N , 45 ° 49 ′ 29 ″  E