Battle of Ctesiphon (1915)

Template:Battlebox British Expeditionary Force D, mostly made up of Indians and under the command of Gen. Sir John Nixon, had met with success in Mesopot since landing at Fao upon the Ottoman Declaration of War November 5, 1914. The only real reason for landing in Mesopotamia was to defend the oil refinery at Abadan at the mouth of the Shatt el-Arab. Adopting a forward defence policy and throughout the year, the British Advance parties met with great success under Gen. Sir Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend. Then the advance came to a halt at Ctesiphon.

Battleground

Ctesiphon lies on the left bank of Tigris River in the barren Iraqi desert, about 380 miles upstream from Basra, 40 mi. North of Kut al-Amara, and 16 mi. South-East of Baghdad. It is a great defensive position lieing in a 6 mile long loop in the river. At the town there is a ruined palace, remains of the Imperial Parthian capital. Of the palaces remains, most famous is the Arch of Ctesiphon, dominating the surrounding desert at 85 ft.

The Turks had formed a well camoflaged and formidable line of trenches crossing the river. There were two lines of trenches, the main line was 2 miles east of the arch and the second a mile west. There was also a twenty foot high ancient wall three miles south of the main line used for observation by the Turks.

The Turkish forces consisted of approximately 18,000 rifles and 52 guns. By the time the British attacked they had been reinforced from Baghdad bringing the number of rifles up to 30,000.

The British force consisted of the 6th Poona Division, at a strength of 11,000 men. These figures may vary and many of the men were in occupation duty, with a large garrison at the recently captured and strategic town and river junction of Kut el-Amara, captured seven weeks earlier after meeting the Turks in the Battle of Es Sinn.

Leadup to the Battle

The British advance was delayed by seven weeks. This was as much due to the bad weather and wet ground as Gen. Townshends reluctance to advance in the face of an extended and rather poorly equipped supply line. But the Commander-in-Chief of British forces in the region, Sir John Nixon, wanted to keep the momentum of this successful year long offensive to one of the 4 great cities of Islam, Baghdad, going. Thus, with great trepidation, he commenced his march.

The Turks, after many of the earlier engagements of the war, retreated hundreds of miles away. This is what the British expected to happen after their overrunning of the positions at Es Sinn. But the Turks, instead of retreating into Baghdad as was expected, but merely fell back to the carefully prepared defensive positions at Ctesiphon.

British Attack Plan

Townshend planned, for the attack, to separate his force into four columns. Three, mostly infantry columns, were scheduled for a frontal attack, and designated columns A, B, and C. The other column, referred to as the flying column, was made up of a mix of cavalry and infantry, and supposed to swing around the left flank of the Turkish lines.

Movements and the Clash

Townshend, intending to copy his success at Es Sinn, ordered a night march in the closing hours of November 21, 1915, with the aim of attacking at dawn on the 22nd. The attack happened on schedule but many of the attackers got lost marching at night. His attack, due not only to a shortage of men, but also poor ground conditions on the west bank, just sent forces against the east.

The advance was supposed to be supported by river gunboats, namely the HMS Firefly. Yet there were two things that prevented it from becoming a factor in the battle. First of all, Turkish guns on the west bank, the line not assaulted, rained fire upon her. Secondly, the Turks had a habit of sinking river boats to make a draught far too shallow for men of war. And Ctesiphon, 16 mi. from Baghdad, was certainly going to be defended from such weapons. The Tigris was also extensively mined.

Sources

Baker, C. (2003).The Battle of Ctesiphon: 22 - 24 November 1915. The Long, Long Trail: The Story of the Great War of 1914-1918. Retrieved August 16, 2005 from http://www.1914-1918.net/meso_bat7.htm

Duffy, M. (2002). Battles: The Battle of Ctesiphon, 1915. The First World War. Retrieved August 16, 2005 from http://firstworldwar.com/battles/ctesiphon.htm

22nd-25th November- The Battle of Ctesiphon (n.d.). Retrieved August 16, 2005, from http://www.westernfront.co.uk/thegreatwar/articles/timeline/ctesiphon.htm

Millar, Ronald William. (1970). Death of an Army: The Siege of Kut, 1915- 1916. London: Houghton Mifflin.