Battle of al-Qurna

Battle of al-Qurna

Part of: Mesopotamia Front , World War I

date	4. - 9. December 1914
place	al-Qurna, today's southern Iraq
output	British victory
consequences	British conquer al-Qurna

Parties to the conflict
United Kingdom	Ottoman Empire
Commander
Major General CI Fry	Colonel Subhi Bey
Troop strength
a brigade with about 2100 soldiers and several gunboats	unknown
losses
29 dead approx. 250 wounded	unknown, more than 1000 prisoners of war

The Battle of al-Qurna was fought between British and Ottoman forces during World War I. After the Battle of Basra and the conquest of the city by the British on November 22, 1914, the troops of the Ottoman 38th Division withdrew about 80 kilometers to the city of al-Qurna and built a new defensive position there.

background

After the capture of Basra, the Ottoman commander and former governor of Basra Subhi Bey tried to rally his troops and build a new defensive position to prevent further advance of British troops towards Baghdad . For this he chose the little al-Qurna at the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers , which secured the road to Baghdad. In addition, the waterways, which were endangered by British gunboats, could also be controlled . Around 17,000 Ottoman soldiers were marched from Kut to reinforce them , who were to use al-Qurna as a springboard for a reconquest of Basra, which was defended by only around 6,000 British soldiers.

battle

After a reconnaissance by the Royal Navy, the British commander on the Mesopotamia Front Arthur Barrett gave the 18th Indian Brigade under Major General CI Fry the order to occupy al-Qurna. On the evening of December 3, the vanguard under Lieutenant Colonel Frazer, consisting of two battalions, with two sloops and a gunboat, set out from Basra and took up position on December 4 on the banks of the Tigris, opposite al-Qurna, after they had removed the light Ottoman defenses near the village of Muzereh. On the same day they tried to cross the Tigris for the first time, but failed. They then withdrew to their camp at the landing point a few kilometers downstream.

After other parts of the brigade arrived on the morning of December 6th, the British had around 2,100 soldiers and 16 field guns. With these they drove the Ottomans out of Muzereh and the palm grove behind it on the east bank of the Tigris, where they had established themselves with 1000 to 2000 men and several guns. The Ottoman forces on this side of the river withdrew upstream, leaving the garrison of al-Qurna alone. On the morning of December 8th, two Indian battalions with the support of a pioneer company crossed the Tigris a few kilometers upstream to attack the Ottoman troops in al-Qurna in the rear. On the night of the 9th, Subhi Bey, whose retreat was cut off, sent a delegation of officers to offer surrender. After al-Qurna was surrounded on the morning of the 9th, Subhi Bey was taken prisoner with 45 officers and 989 men.

consequences

The more of a skirmish than a battle still resembling battle for al-Qurna proved important than strategic. The British were able to secure their conquest of Basra and establish an advanced line of defense from which to begin their forward defense tactics .

literature

• The Times documentary history of the war , Vol. IV. The Times Pub. Co., London 1917.

Web links

• The Battle of Al-Qurna on Firstworldwar.com (accessed March 20, 2011)

Coordinates: 31 ° 0 ′ 57 ″  N , 47 ° 25 ′ 50 ″  E