Battle of Arara: Difference between revisions

Battle of Arara
	Part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
Date	19 September 1918
Location	Wadi Ara (near Nablus), Palestine
Result	Franco–British victory
Belligerents
German Empire; Ottoman Empire	France French Armenian Legion; British Empire
Commanders and leaders
Otto Liman von Sanders; Jevad Pasha; Oberst Gustav von Oppen	Edmund Allenby; Colonel Jean Philpin de Piépape; Lieutenant Colonel Louis Romieu; Major General S. W. Hare
Strength
16th and 19th Divisions, Asia Corps, Eighth Army, Yıldırım Army Group	54th (East Anglian) Division; Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie (DFPS) including the French Armenian Legion, XXI Corps Egyptian Expeditionary Force
Casualties and losses
218 Ottoman soldiers including six officers taken prisoner by the DFPS among 700 prisoners	535 including 23 French Armenian Legion dead ; 76 wounded

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The Battle of Arara took place on 19 September 1918 during the Battle of Sharon, which along with the Battle of Nablus formed the set piece Battle of Megiddo fought between 19 and 25 September in the last months of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. During the infantry phase of the Battle of Sharon the British Empire 60th Division, XXI Corps attacked and captured the section of the front line nearest the Mediterranean coast under cover of an intense artillery barrage including a creeping barrage and naval gunfire while the 3rd (Lahore), 7th (Meerut) and 75th Divisions XXI Corps attacked the Tabsor group of trenches. These Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) victories over the entrenched Ottoman Eighth Army, composed of German and Ottoman soldiers, began the Final Offensive, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the equivalent of one Ottoman army, the retreat of what remained of two others, and the capture of many thousands of prisoners and many miles of territory from the Judean Hills to the border of modern-day Turkey. After the end of the battle of Megiddo, the Desert Mounted Corps pursued the retreating soldiers to Damascus, six days later. By the time an Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire five weeks later, Aleppo had been captured.

During the Battle of Arara the Yildirim Army Group of the German and Ottoman Empires was attacked by the 54th (East Anglian) Division and the Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie (DFPS) which included the French Armenian Legion also known as La Légion Arménienne (XXI Corps). This battle on the extreme right of the main attack covered the flank of the attackers pivoting on their positions. The Armenian's' role during this battle was so prominent that their efforts were recognized by the top commanders of the Allied Force.^[4]

Background

In September 1918, on the Palestinian front, the Ottoman army was crumbling before the British expeditionary forces in the Middle East, which contained an Armenian contingent commanded by a French colonel and French officers, as well as Armenian officers. Many of the Armenians were survivors from Musa Dagh, where Armenians had resisted against Turkish massacres during the Armenian genocide.^[5] The legion had landed at Jaffa in the middle of September and was prepared to take part in the final British offensive to evict the Ottomans from Palestine.

Prelude

Deployment of 54th Division and DFPS

The 54th (East Anglian) Division, consisted of the 161st, 162nd and 163rd Brigades of the British Army. Alongside them were most of the Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie (DFPS) commanded by Colonel Gilles de Philpin de Piépape. Whilst its mounted troops served elsewhere in the 5th Light Horse Brigade, the rest of the organisation served alongside the 54th.^[6] ^[7]^[8]

Under cover of a British barrage, the 54th (East Anglian) Division on a frontage between Mejdel Yaba and Rafat, with the Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie (DFPS) on the right, the 163rd Brigade in the centre and the 161st Brigade on the right pivoting on the Rafat salient, were to advance through Crown Hill north east of Kufr Qasim. While the 162nd Brigade on the left would move eastwards on Bidya and capture the crossings of the Wadi Qana south of Kh. Kefir Thilth towards Kefr Kasim before advancing north east.^[9]^[10]

Deployment of Asia Corps

The 16th Division, one of the four front–line Ottoman divisions of the Eighth Army, consisted of the 47th and the 48th Infantry Regiments with the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry and part of the 48th Regiment's machine–gun company, with the divisional assault, engineer, and cavalry companies in reserve. This division held the front line during the night of 18/19 September, expecting an attack from part of the 54th (East Anglian) Division and the DFPS.^[11]

Battle

The 19th Division (von Oppen Group) was attacked by the British 54th (East Anglian) Division which pushed forward as the pivot for the infantry advance across the coastal plain of Sharon. The 19th Division (Asia Corps) was shelled heavily and subjected to infantry assaults which resulted in both of von Oppen's divisions; the 19th and 16th Divisions retreating intact.^[11]

German General Otto Liman von Sanders commander of the Yildirim Army Group at Nazareth, despatched a battalion of the 125th Regiment to the north of 'Azzun Ibn 'Atme shortly after heaving about the breakthrough. In the afternoon, German Colonel Gustav von Oppen commander of the Asia Corps despatched a German lieutenant with clerks, orderlies and transport men with some machine guns to Kh. Kefar Thilth to rally the retreating 19th Division which had been near Jaljulye.^[9]^[12]

The 162nd Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Division, less the 11th Battalion London Regiment escorting divisional artillery, covered the gap between the division's left and the right of the 3rd (Lahore) Division at Ras el Ain, where they were heavily shelled south west of Kufr Qasim by long range guns. On hearing of the capture of Kufr Qasim at 09:30 they began an advance between Sivri Wood and Crown Hill but was directed to support the 161st Brigade attack at Sivri Wood which was captured. Subsequently, three battalions advanced steadily eastwards to the Wadi Qana where three howitzers were captured. Later in the day Azzun Ibn Atme was captured and during the early morning Kh es Sumra was reached.^[13]

The French fought well, and had some 150 killed and wounded – Armenians and Tirailleurs Algériens.

Allenby; letter to his wife, 24 September 1918.^[14]

The advance of the 161st Brigade on Kufr Qasim was checked but eventually they managed to captured it by 07:00 along with Jevis Tepe to the west. The 6th and 7th Battalions, Essex Regiment then moved up to attack the next line of trenches with their right near Crown Hill, where they encountered obstinate resistance but after another bombardment the whole position was occupied.^[15]

The 163rd Brigade advanced towards the front line trenches and at 04:20 just as the 4th and 5th Battalions, Norfolk Regiment reached these, the British barrage lifted and began to move forward. Their first objective was taken so quickly they had to wait for the barrage's next lift then the 5th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment captured a position north of the Wadi el 'Ayun. A very strong Ottoman counter-attack north of this wadi became critical until units in the Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie (DFPS) appeared on Scurry Hill and opened fire on the Ottoman attackers who were forced to surrender. By 14:00 it was found that Ottoman defences to the north had been captured and a move towards Mesha, Bidya and Kh. Sirisia began. This fighting continued on into the night and by 03:00 20 September Mesha had been occupied and Bidya entered.^[16]

On the right of the 54th (East Anglian) Division's 163rd Brigade, the DFPS fought against the German Pasha 11 Group which held a ridge opposite the Rafat salient captured and held by the British since April 1918.^[10]^[17]^[18] Here, the DFPS attacked the col west of Rafat and the sites known as Three Bushes and Scurry Hills; these last two being quickly captured at 05:10 and 05:45 respectively. Although Kh. Deir el Qassis east of Scurry Hill was occupied soon after it had to be abandoned due to heavy artillery beyond the reach of the French artillery. During the night of 19 September the DFPS occupied Arara north east of Rafat having captured almost all their objectives and 212 prisoners.^[9]

The DFPS and the 54th (East Anglian) Division eventually captured their objectives and established a secure pivot on the ridge for the XXI Corps' line of attack which stretched across five divisions to the Mediterranean Sea. In the process they captured about 700 prisoners, nine guns and 20 machine guns suffering 535 casualties.^[10]^[17]^[18]^[19]

Aftermath

The Seventh Army, commanded by Mustafa Kemal Pasa, reported it had repelled virtually all attacks on its front but was about to withdraw to its second line of defences between Kefar Haris and Iskaka, to conform with Oppen's retirement. Liman ordered the 110th Regiment at Nablus and any other troops the commander of the Seventh Army could spare to defend the Tul Karm to Nablus road at 'Anebta, at 12:30 ordering the occupation of the mouth of the Musmus Pass at El Lajjun by six companies and 12 machine guns.^[20]

At the end of the day, the front of the British Empire's XXI Corps ran just west of the 54th Division at Bidya, Kh. Kefar Thilth and Azzun through Jiyus west of the 3rd (Lahore) Division at Felamiye through 7th (Meerut) Division at Et Taiyibe, Irta and 60th (2/2nd London) Division at Tul Karm; the heads of the corps' columns describing a virtual straight line from the DFPS at Rafat to Tul Karm.^[21]^[22]^[23]

Commendation

General Edmund Allenby commended Armenian forces in his official dispatch to the Allied High Command, "On the right flank, on the coastal hills, the units of the Armenian Legion d'Orient fought with great valour. Despite the difficulty of the terrain and the strength of the enemy defensive lines, at an early hour, they took the hill of Dir el Kassis."^[2] Allenby remarked, "I am proud to have had an Armenian contingent under my command. They have fought very brilliantly and have played a great part in the victory."^[24]

A monument for the Armenian troops killed during the battle was moved from its original location on the battlefield to Mount Zion in October 1925.^[2]

Notes

^ Walker, Christopher J. (1997). "World War I and the Armenian Genocide" in The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume II: Foreign Dominion to Statehood: The Fifteenth Century to the Twentieth Century. Richard G. Hovannisian (ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press, p. 299. ISBN 0-312-10168-6
^ ^a ^b ^c "Extract from the book Ir Ha-Menuhot" by Meron Benvenisti, Read at the Genocide Memorial evening." Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel Armenian Studies Program Genocide Commemoration 2004. Hebrew University of Jerusalem. April 28, 2004. Accessed May 22, 2009.
^ (in Armenian) Torosyan, Shmavon Արարայի ճակատամարտ 1918 (Ararayi Tchakatamart, 1918, Battle of Arara, 1918). Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. vol. i. Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1974, p. 691.
^ Balakian, Grigoris (2009). Armenian Golgotha. Trans. Peter Balakian and Aris Sevag. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 389–392. ISBN 978-0-307-26288-2.
^ Walker. "World War I and the Armenian Genocide," p. 267.
^ "Les majorations d'ancienneté pour services militaires aux fonctionnaires" (JPG). Journal Officiel du Cameroun. Les fonctionnaires mobilisés se sont trouvés dans la zone du Canal de Suez ou en territoire turc (in French). 16 (263). Ministere Des Colonies: 339. 15 May 1931. Retrieved 30 July 2020. [Liste des] unités qui ont fait partie du détachement français de Palestine au cours des hostilités
^ Falls, Cyril; A. F. Becke (maps) (1930). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 2 Part II. London: HM Stationery Office. OCLC 256950972. pp. 670–2
^ "Détachement Français de Palestine et Syrie Order of Battle, September 1918". Australian Light Horse Studies Centre. 29 June 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Falls, Cyril; A. F. Becke (maps) (1930). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 2 Part II. London: HM Stationery Office. OCLC 256950972. p. 473
^ ^a ^b ^c Wavell, Field Marshal Earl (1968). E.W. Sheppard (ed.). The Palestine Campaigns. A Short History of the British Army (3rd ed.). London: Constable & Co. p. 205
^ ^a ^b Erickson, Edward J. (2007). John Gooch; Brian Holden Reid (eds.). Ottoman Army Effectiveness in World War I: A Comparative Study. No. 26 of Cass series: military history and policy. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-96456-9. p. 149
^ Wavell, Field Marshal Earl (1968). E.W. Sheppard (ed.). The Palestine Campaigns. A Short History of the British Army (3rd ed.). London: Constable & Co. p. 495
^ Falls, Cyril; A. F. Becke (maps) (1930). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 2 Part II. London: HM Stationery Office. OCLC 256950972. pp. 475–6
^ Hughes, Matthew, ed. (2004). Allenby in Palestine: The Middle East Correspondence of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby June 1917 – October 1919. Army Records Society. Vol. 22. Phoenix Mill, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7509-3841-9. pp. 185–6
^ Falls, Cyril; A. F. Becke (maps) (1930). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 2 Part II. London: HM Stationery Office. OCLC 256950972. pp. 474–5
^ Falls, Cyril; A. F. Becke (maps) (1930). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 2 Part II. London: HM Stationery Office. OCLC 256950972. pp. 473–4
^ ^a ^b Keogh, E. G.; Joan Graham (1955). Suez to Aleppo. Melbourne: Directorate of Military Training by Wilkie & Co. OCLC 220029983. p. 247
^ ^a ^b Bruce, Anthony (2002). The Last Crusade: The Palestine Campaign in the First World War. London: John Murray Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7195-5432-2. pp. 224–5
^ Falls, Cyril; A. F. Becke (maps) (1930). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 2 Part II. London: HM Stationery Office. OCLC 256950972. p. 476
^ Falls, Cyril; A. F. Becke (maps) (1930). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 2 Part II. London: HM Stationery Office. OCLC 256950972. p. 495
^ Falls, Cyril; A. F. Becke (maps) (1930). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 2 Part II. London: HM Stationery Office. OCLC 256950972. p. 488
^ Keogh, E. G.; Joan Graham (1955). Suez to Aleppo. Melbourne: Directorate of Military Training by Wilkie & Co. OCLC 220029983. p. 248
^ Bruce, Anthony (2002). The Last Crusade: The Palestine Campaign in the First World War. London: John Murray Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7195-5432-2. p. 227
^ Kerr, Stanley E. (1973) The Lions of Marash: Personal Experiences with American Near East Relief, 1919–1922. New York: State University of New York Press. p. 31 ISBN 0-87395-200-6.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Battle}}
-{{Infobox Military Conflict|
+{{Infobox military conflict
-conflict=Battle of Arara|
+| conflict          = Battle of Arara
-image= |
+| image             =
-caption=|
+| caption           =
-partof=|
+| partof            = the [[Middle Eastern theatre of World War I]]
-date= |
+| date              = 19 September 1918<ref>[[Christopher J. Walker|Walker, Christopher J.]] (1997). "World War I and the Armenian Genocide" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume II: Foreign Dominion to Statehood: The Fifteenth Century to the Twentieth Century.'' [[Richard G. Hovannisian]] (ed.). New York: [[St. Martin's Press]], p. 299. {{ISBN|0-312-10168-6}}</ref>
-place=[[Palestine]]|
+| place             = [[Wadi Ara]] (near [[Nablus]]), [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]]
-result=[[Armenian]] victory|
+| result            = Franco–British victory
-combatant1=[[Image:Flag of Turkey.svg|25px]] [[Ottoman Empire]]|
+| combatant1        = {{flag|German Empire}}<br>{{flag|Ottoman Empire}}
-combatant2=[[Image:Flag of Armenia.svg|25px]] [[Armenia]]|
+| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|French Third Republic}}
-commander1=|
+*[[French Armenian Legion]]
-commander2=|
+{{flag|British Empire}}
-strength1=|
+| commander1        = {{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Otto Liman von Sanders]]<br>{{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} [[Cevat Çobanlı|Jevad Pasha]]<br>{{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Oberst]] [[Gustav von Oppen]]
-strength2=|
+| commander2        = {{flagicon|UKGBI}} [[Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|Edmund Allenby]]<br>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Colonel]] Jean Philpin de Piépape<br>{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} [[Lieutenant Colonel]] Louis Romieu<br>{{flagicon|British Empire}} [[Major General]] [[Steuart Hare|S. W. Hare]]
-casualties1=|
+| strength1         = 16th and 19th Divisions, [[Asia Korps|Asia Corps]], [[Eighth Army (Ottoman Empire)|Eighth Army]], [[Yıldırım Army Group]]
-casualties2=|
+| strength2         = [[54th (East Anglian) Division]]<br>Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie (DFPS) including the [[French Armenian Legion]], [[XXI Corps (United Kingdom)|XXI Corps]] [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]]|
+| casualties1       = 218 Ottoman soldiers including six officers taken prisoner by the DFPS among 700 prisoners<ref name="HU">"[http://atar.mscc.huji.ac.il/~armenia/pdf/2004%20HUJI%20Armenian%20Genocide%20Commemoration.pdf Extract from the book Ir Ha-Menuhot" by Meron Benvenisti, Read at the Genocide Memorial evening]." Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel Armenian Studies Program Genocide Commemoration 2004. [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]]. April 28, 2004. Accessed May 22, 2009.</ref>
+| casualties2       = 535 including 23 French Armenian Legion dead <br> 76 wounded<ref name="SAE">{{in lang|hy}} Torosyan, Shmavon ''Արարայի ճակատամարտ 1918'' (''Ararayi Tchakatamart, 1918'', Battle of Arara, 1918). [[Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia]]. vol. i. Yerevan: [[Armenian Academy of Sciences]], 1974, p. 691.</ref>
 }}
+{{Campaignbox Sinai and Palestine}}
+The '''Battle of Arara''' took place on 19 September 1918 during the [[Battle of Sharon]], which along with the [[Battle of Nablus (1918)|Battle of Nablus]] formed the set piece [[Battle of Megiddo (1918)|Battle of Megiddo]] fought between 19 and 25 September in the last months of the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]] of the [[First World War]]. During the infantry phase of the Battle of Sharon the [[British Empire]] [[60th (2/2nd London) Division|60th Division]], [[XXI Corps (United Kingdom)|XXI Corps]] attacked and captured the section of the front line nearest the [[Mediterranean]] coast under cover of an intense artillery barrage including a [[creeping barrage]] and naval gunfire while the [[3rd (Lahore) Division|3rd (Lahore)]], [[7th (Meerut) Division|7th (Meerut)]] and [[75th Division (United Kingdom)|75th Division]]s [[XXI Corps (United Kingdom)|XXI Corps]] attacked the [[Battle of Tabsor|Tabsor]] group of trenches. These [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]] (EEF) victories over the entrenched [[Eighth Army (Ottoman Empire)|Ottoman Eighth Army]], composed of [[German Empire|German]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] soldiers, began the Final Offensive, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the equivalent of one [[Military of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman army]], the retreat of what remained of two others, and the capture of many thousands of prisoners and many miles of territory from the Judean Hills to the border of modern-day [[Turkey]]. After the end of the battle of Megiddo, the [[Desert Mounted Corps]] pursued the retreating soldiers to [[Capture of Damascus (1918)|Damascus]], six days later. By the time an [[Armistice of Mudros]] was signed between the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] and the Ottoman Empire five weeks later, [[Pursuit to Haritan|Aleppo]] had been captured.
-The '''Battle of Arara''' Armenian soldiers distinguished themselves in the battle of Arara on that front, and their bravery was well recognized by the Supreme Commander. <ref>Armenia: the case for a forgotten genocide By Dickran H. Boyajian</ref>
+During the Battle of Arara the [[Yildirim Army Group]] of the [[German Empire|German]] and [[Ottoman Empire]]s was attacked by the [[54th (East Anglian) Division]] and the Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie (DFPS) which included the [[French Armenian Legion]] also known as La Légion Arménienne (XXI Corps). This battle on the extreme right of the main attack covered the flank of the attackers pivoting on their positions. The Armenian's' role during this battle was so prominent that their efforts were recognized by the top commanders of the Allied Force.<ref>{{cite book |last       = Balakian
-In September 1918 [[Turkish]] armies on the Palestine front crumbled before the [[British]] expeditionary forces which contained an American contingent commanded by a French colonel and [[French]] and [[Armenian]] officers.
+ |first      = Grigoris
+ |author-link = Grigoris Balakian
+ |title      = Armenian Golgotha
+ |others     = Trans. [[Peter Balakian]] and Aris Sevag
+ |publisher  = [[Alfred A. Knopf]]
+ |location   = New York
+ |year       = 2009
+ |pages      = [https://archive.org/details/armeniangolgotha00pala/page/389 389–392]
+ |isbn       = 978-0-307-26288-2
+ |url-access = registration
+ |url        = https://archive.org/details/armeniangolgotha00pala/page/389
+}}</ref>
-== References ==
+==Background==
+{{See also|Battle of Tulkarm|Battle of Tabsor|Battle of Nablus (1918)|Action of Tell 'Asur}}
-{{Reflist}}
+In September 1918, on the Palestinian front, the Ottoman army was crumbling before the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] expeditionary forces in the Middle East, which contained an Armenian contingent commanded by a French colonel and French officers, as well as [[Armenia]]n officers. Many of the Armenians were survivors from [[Musa Dagh]], where Armenians had resisted against Turkish massacres during the [[Armenian genocide]].<ref>Walker. "World War I and the Armenian Genocide," p. 267.</ref> The legion had landed at [[Jaffa]] in the middle of September and was prepared to take part in the final British offensive to evict the Ottomans from Palestine.
+==Prelude==
-{{armenia-stub}}
-{{turkey-stub}}
+===Deployment of 54th Division and DFPS===
-{{battle-stub}}
+The [[54th (East Anglian) Division]], consisted of the 161st, 162nd and 163rd Brigades of the British Army. Alongside them were most of the [[Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie]] (DFPS) commanded by Colonel Gilles de Philpin de Piépape. Whilst its mounted troops served elsewhere in the [[5th Light Horse Brigade]], the rest of the organisation served alongside the 54th.<ref name=CompositionDFPS>{{cite journal
+| title =Les majorations d'ancienneté pour services militaires aux fonctionnaires
+ | journal =Journal Officiel du Cameroun
+ | volume =16
+ | issue =263
+ | pages =339
+ | date =15 May 1931
+ | publisher=Ministere Des Colonies
+ | series=Les fonctionnaires mobilisés se sont trouvés dans la zone du Canal de Suez ou en territoire turc
+ | language =fr
+ | url =https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k56651215/f7.item
+ |format=JPG |access-date=30 July 2020 |quote=[Liste des] unités qui ont fait partie du détachement français de Palestine au cours des hostilités}}</ref>
+<ref>{{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |author2=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part II |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=256950972}} pp. 670–2</ref><ref name=DFPS>{{cite web |url=http://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Horse/index.blog?topic_id=1113822 |title=''Détachement Français de Palestine et Syrie'' Order of Battle, September 1918 |date=29 June 2009 |website=Australian Light Horse Studies Centre |access-date=29 July 2020 }}</ref>
+Under cover of a British barrage, the 54th (East Anglian) Division on a frontage between [[Mejdel Yaba]] and [[Rafat, Salfit|Rafat]], with the ''Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie'' (DFPS) on the right, the [[163rd (Norfolk & Suffolk) Brigade|163rd Brigade]] in the centre and the [[161st (Essex) Brigade|161st Brigade]] on the right pivoting on the Rafat salient, were to advance through Crown Hill north east of [[Kufr Qasim]]. While the [[162nd (East Midland) Brigade|162nd Brigade]] on the left would move eastwards on Bidya and capture the crossings of the Wadi Qana south of [[Kh. Kefir Thilth]] towards Kefr Kasim before advancing north east.<ref name="Falls473">{{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |author2=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part II |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=256950972}} p. 473</ref><ref name="Wavell205">{{cite book |title=The Palestine Campaigns |last=Wavell |first=Field Marshal Earl |editor=E.W. Sheppard |edition=3rd |series=A Short History of the British Army |year=1968|publisher=Constable & Co. |location=London}} p. 205</ref>
+===Deployment of Asia Corps===
+The 16th Division, one of the four front–line Ottoman divisions of the [[Eighth Army (Ottoman Empire)|Eighth Army]], consisted of the 47th and the 48th Infantry Regiments with the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry and part of the 48th Regiment's machine–gun company, with the divisional assault, engineer, and cavalry companies in reserve. This division held the front line during the night of 18/19 September, expecting an attack from part of the 54th (East Anglian) Division and the DFPS.<ref name="Erickson 2007">{{cite book |title=Ottoman Army Effectiveness in World War I: A Comparative Study |last=Erickson |first=Edward J. |series=No. 26 of Cass series: military history and policy|editor=John Gooch |editor2=Brian Holden Reid |year=2007 |publisher=Routledge |location=Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon|isbn=978-0-203-96456-9}} p. 149</ref>
+==Battle==
+[[File:Falls skMap30Megiddo.jpeg|thumb|Falls Sketch Map 30 Megiddo Zero Hour 19 September 1918]]
+The 19th Division (von Oppen Group) was attacked by the British 54th (East Anglian) Division which pushed forward as the pivot for the infantry advance across the coastal [[plain of Sharon]]. The 19th Division (Asia Corps) was shelled heavily and subjected to infantry assaults which resulted in both of von Oppen's divisions; the 19th and 16th Divisions retreating intact.<ref name="Erickson 2007"/>
+German General [[Otto Liman von Sanders]] commander of the [[Yildirim Army Group]] at [[Nazareth]], despatched a battalion of the 125th Regiment to the north of [['Azzun Ibn 'Atme]] shortly after heaving about the breakthrough. In the afternoon, German Colonel [[Gustav von Oppen]] commander of the [[Asia Korps|Asia Corps]] despatched a German lieutenant with clerks, orderlies and transport men with some machine guns to [[Kh. Kefar Thilth]] to rally the retreating 19th Division which had been near [[Jaljulia|Jaljulye]].<ref name="Falls473"/><ref name="Wavell495">{{cite book |title=The Palestine Campaigns |last=Wavell |first=Field Marshal Earl |editor=E.W. Sheppard |edition=3rd |series=A Short History of the British Army |year=1968|publisher=Constable & Co. |location=London}} p. 495</ref>
+The 162nd Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Division, less the 11th Battalion [[London Regiment (1908–1938)|London Regiment]] escorting divisional artillery, covered the gap between the division's left and the [[Battle of Tabsor (1918)|right]] of the [[3rd (Lahore) Division]] at Ras el Ain, where they were heavily shelled south west of [[Kafr Qasim|Kufr Qasim]] by long range guns. On hearing of the capture of Kufr Qasim at 09:30 they began an advance between Sivri Wood and Crown Hill but was directed to support the 161st Brigade attack at Sivri Wood which was captured. Subsequently, three battalions advanced steadily eastwards to the Wadi Qana where three howitzers were captured. Later in the day Azzun Ibn Atme was captured and during the early morning Kh es Sumra was reached.<ref>
+{{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |author2=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part II |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=256950972}} pp. 475–6</ref>
+{{Quote box
+|quote = The French fought well, and had some 150 killed and wounded – Armenians and Tirailleurs Algériens.
+|quoted = 1
+|width  = 10%
+|qalign = center
+|halign= top
+|source = Allenby; letter to his wife, 24 September 1918.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Matthew |editor1-last=Hughes |title=Allenby in Palestine: The Middle East Correspondence of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby June 1917&nbsp;– October 1919 |series=Army Records Society|volume=22 |year=2004 |publisher=Sutton Publishing Ltd |location=Phoenix Mill, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire|isbn=978-0-7509-3841-9}} pp. 185–6</ref>}}
+The advance of the 161st Brigade on Kufr Qasim was checked but eventually they managed to captured it by 07:00 along with Jevis Tepe to the west. The 6th and 7th Battalions, [[Essex Regiment]] then moved up to attack the next line of trenches with their right near Crown Hill, where they encountered obstinate resistance but after another bombardment the whole position was occupied.<ref>{{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |author2=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part II |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=256950972}} pp. 474–5</ref>
+The 163rd Brigade advanced towards the front line trenches and at 04:20 just as the 4th and 5th Battalions, [[Norfolk Regiment]] reached these, the British barrage lifted and began to move forward. Their first objective was taken so quickly they had to wait for the barrage's next lift then the 5th Battalion, [[Suffolk Regiment]] captured a position north of the Wadi el 'Ayun. A very strong Ottoman counter-attack north of this wadi became critical until units in the Détachement Français de Palestine et de Syrie (DFPS) appeared on Scurry Hill and opened fire on the Ottoman attackers who were forced to surrender. By 14:00 it was found that Ottoman defences to the north had been captured and a move towards [[Mas-ha|Mesha]], [[Bidya]] and Kh. Sirisia began. This fighting continued on into the night and by 03:00 20 September Mesha had been occupied and Bidya entered.<ref>{{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |author2=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part II |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=256950972}} pp. 473–4</ref>
+[[File:Falls skMap31Megiddo.jpeg|thumb|Falls Map 31 Megiddo Situation at 24:00 19/20 September 1918]]
+On the right of the 54th (East Anglian) Division's 163rd Brigade, the DFPS fought against the German Pasha 11 Group which held a ridge opposite the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Action of Berukin, 9–11 April|Rafat salient]] captured and held by the British since April 1918.<ref name="Wavell205"/><ref name="Keogh247">{{cite book |title=Suez to Aleppo |last=Keogh |first=E. G. |author-link = Eustace Graham Keogh|author2=Joan Graham|year=1955 |publisher=Directorate of Military Training by Wilkie & Co. |location=Melbourne|oclc=220029983}} p. 247</ref><ref name="Bruce224–5">{{cite book |title=The Last Crusade: The Palestine Campaign in the First World War |last=Bruce |first=Anthony |year=2002 |publisher=John Murray Ltd |location=London|isbn=978-0-7195-5432-2}} pp. 224–5</ref> Here, the DFPS attacked the col west of [[Rafat, Salfit|Rafat]] and the sites known as Three Bushes and Scurry Hills; these last two being quickly captured at 05:10 and 05:45 respectively. Although Kh. Deir el Qassis east of Scurry Hill was occupied soon after it had to be abandoned due to heavy artillery beyond the reach of the French artillery. During the night of 19 September the DFPS occupied Arara north east of Rafat having captured almost all their objectives and 212 prisoners.<ref name="Falls473"/>
+The DFPS and the 54th (East Anglian) Division eventually captured their objectives and established a secure pivot on the ridge for the [[XXI Corps (United Kingdom)|XXI Corps]]' line of attack which stretched across five divisions to the Mediterranean Sea. In the process they captured about 700 prisoners, nine guns and 20 machine guns suffering 535 casualties.<ref name="Wavell205"/><ref name="Keogh247"/><ref name="Bruce224–5"/><ref>{{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |author2=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part II |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=256950972}} p. 476</ref>
+==Aftermath==
+[[File:Falls skMap32Megiddo.jpeg|thumb|Falls Map 32 Megiddo Situation at 21:00 20 September 1918]]
+The [[Seventh Army (Ottoman Empire)|Seventh Army]], commanded by [[Mustafa Kemal Pasa]], reported it had repelled virtually all attacks on its front but was about to withdraw to its second line of defences between [[Kefar Haris]] and [[Iskaka]], to conform with Oppen's retirement. Liman ordered the 110th Regiment at Nablus and any other troops the commander of the Seventh Army could spare to defend the [[Tul Karm]] to [[Nablus]] road at [['Anebta]], at 12:30 ordering the occupation of the mouth of the Musmus Pass at El Lajjun by six companies and 12 machine guns.<ref>{{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |author2=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part II |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=256950972}} p. 495</ref>
+At the end of the day, the front of the British Empire's XXI Corps ran just west of the 54th Division at Bidya, Kh. Kefar Thilth and [[Azzun]] through [[Jiyus]] west of the 3rd (Lahore) Division at [[Felamiye]] through [[7th (Meerut) Division]] at Et Taiyibe, [[Irtah|Irta]] and [[60th (2/2nd London) Division]] at Tul Karm; the heads of the corps' columns describing a virtual straight line from the DFPS at Rafat to Tul Karm.<ref>{{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |author2=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part II |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=256950972}} p. 488</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Suez to Aleppo |last=Keogh |first=E. G. |author2=Joan Graham|year=1955 |publisher=Directorate of Military Training by Wilkie & Co. |location=Melbourne|oclc=220029983}} p. 248</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Last Crusade: The Palestine Campaign in the First World War |last=Bruce |first=Anthony |year=2002 |publisher=John Murray Ltd |location=London|isbn=978-0-7195-5432-2}} p. 227</ref>
+==Commendation==
+General [[Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|Edmund Allenby]] commended Armenian forces  in his official dispatch to the Allied High Command, "On the right flank, on the coastal hills, the units of the Armenian Legion d'Orient fought with great valour. Despite the difficulty of the terrain and the strength of the enemy defensive lines, at an early hour, they took the hill of Dir el Kassis."<ref name="HU"/> Allenby remarked, "I am proud to have had an Armenian contingent under my command. They have fought very brilliantly and have played a great part in the victory."<ref>Kerr, Stanley E. (1973) ''The Lions of Marash: Personal Experiences with American Near East Relief, 1919–1922.'' New York: State University of New York Press. p. 31 {{ISBN|0-87395-200-6}}.</ref>
+A monument for the Armenian troops killed during the battle was moved from its original location on the battlefield to [[Mount Zion]] in October 1925.<ref name="HU"/>
+==Notes==
+{{Reflist|2}}
+==Further reading==
+*{{in lang|hy}} Boyajian, Dickran H. ''Հայկական լեգեոնը'' (Haykakan legyonĕ, ''The Armenian Legion''). New York: [[AGBU]] Publishing Press, 1965.
+{{World War I}}
+{{Ottoman battles in the 20th century}}
+{{Authority control}}
+{{Coord|32|29|38.67|N|35|3|16.13|E|display=title|type:adm1st_region:IL}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Arara, Battle Of (1918)}}
+[[Category:Battles in 1918]]
+[[Category:1918 in British-administered Palestine]]
+[[Category:Battles involving Armenia]]
+[[Category:Battles of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign]]
+[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Australia]]
+[[Category:Battles of World War I involving New Zealand]]
+[[Category:Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom]]
+[[Category:Battles of World War I involving the Ottoman Empire]]
+[[Category:1918 in Armenia]]
+[[Category:Battles of World War I involving France]]
+[[Category:Battles of World War I involving British India]]
+[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Germany]]
+[[Category:Aerial operations and battles of World War I]]
+[[Category:History of the Royal Air Force during World War I]]
+[[Category:September 1918 events]]

v t e Ottoman battles in the 20th century
Italo-Turkish War (1911–1912)	Preveza Tobruk Benghazi Kunfuda Bay Derna Beirut Rhodes Zanzur
Balkan Wars (1912–1913)	Sarantaporo Yenidje Kırcalı (Kardzhali) Beşpınar (Pente Pigadia) Sorovich Kumanovo Kirk Kilise İşkodra (Scutari) Lüleburgaz 1st Edirne (Adrianople) Prilep Himara Monastir 1st Çatalca Varna (Kaliakra) Merhamli İmroz (Elli) Korytsa Lemnos 2nd Edirne (Adrianople) Bolayır Şarköy Bizani 2nd Çatalca
First World War (1914–1918)	Köprüköy (Bergmann) Sarikamish Ardahan Suez Canal Naval operations Katya Seddülbayır (Cape Helles) Kumkale 1st Arıburnu (Anzac Cove) Baby 700 1st Kirte Battle of Dilman 2nd Arıburnu (2nd Anzac Cove) 2nd Kirte No.3 Post 3rd Arıburnu (3rd Anzac Cove) 3rd Kirte Zığındere Manzikert Kara Killisse Kirte Bağları (Krithia Vineyard) Kanlısırt (Lone Pine) Anafartalar Conkbayır Sarıbayır Kılıçbayır (The Nek) Hill 60 Yusufçuktepe (Scimitar Hill) Selman’ı Pak (Ctesiphon) 1st Kut Sağ Sahil Erzurum offensive Wadi Felahiye (Hanna) Sabis Trebizond Mecca Erzincan Aqaba Bitlis Romani Bir el Abd Yanbu Magdhaba Rafa Nekhl Bir el Hassana 2nd Kut Samarrah Jebel Hamlin 1st Gaza 2nd Gaza Istabulat Aqaba Ramadi Wadi Musa Beersheba Khuweilfe 3rd Gaza Baghdad Hareira and Sheria Wadi el Hesi Huj Mughar Ridge Ayun Kara Jerusalem Jaffa Jericho Tell 'Asur Khan Baghdadi Hijla 1st Amman Berukin and 1st Arara 2nd Transjordan Abaran Sardarabad Karakilisa Goychay Aghsu Kurdamir Binagadi Baku Arsuf German Expedition Abu Tellul 2nd Arara Megiddo Tabsor Tulkarm Afulah and Beisan Nazareth Jenin Haifa Samakh Tiberias Irbid Jisr Benat Yakub Kaukab Damascus Kiswe Jisr ed Damieh Sharqat Aleppo Khan Ayash 2nd Amman Haritan
For the battles before 1900 see List of battles involving the Ottoman Empire