Battle of Sheikh Saad
map
| date | January 6, 1916 to January 9, 1916 |
|---|---|
| place | Sheikh Saad in what is now Iraq |
| output | British tactical victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 19,000 soldiers | 10,500 soldiers |
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Landing at Fao - Basra - al-Qurna - Shaiba - Ktesiphon - Siege of Kut - Sheikh Saad - Wadi - Hanna - Dujaila - Kut II - Baghdad - Samarra - Ramadi - Sharqat
The Battle of Sheikh Saad ( DMG Šaiḫ Saʿd , Turkish Sağ Sahil ) is the name given to the fighting between British-Indian and Ottoman troops during the Mesopotamian campaign on January 6, 1916 . The battle was the first of several attacks aimed at breaking through to the besieged forces under Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend .
prehistory
After the Battle of Ctesiphon , the battered British withdrew to Kut . They were persecuted by the Ottomans, under Halil Kut and Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz , and trapped in the city . At first it was decided against an attempt to break out because they wanted to tie the Turks at Kut. But when Townshend incorrectly heard that the troops only had food for a month, it was deemed necessary to break out. A relief force was then sent to Kut under Fenton Aylmer .
battle
Fenton Aylmer sent a vanguard who tried in vain to end the siege. On January 7th, Aylmer and his entire army attacked the Ottomans. After heavy fighting, the British managed to conquer the trenches on the left bank of the Tigris and capture two cannons. But the right side of the river was held by the Ottoman troops. It was not until January 9 that the British-Indian troops were able to drive the Ottomans out of Sheikh Saad. Aylmer's attempt to pursue these troops failed due to heavy rains that made the roads impassable.
consequences
The Ottomans then withdrew to the wadi 16 km away , where they were able to gain a tactical advantage in the battle of the wadi against the British.
swell