The Battle of Abu Tellul was the last German-Ottoman offensive action against British forces in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I.
Key Facts
- Date
- 14 July 1918
- Campaign
- Sinai and Palestine Campaign, World War I
- Attackers
- German and Ottoman Empire forces
- Defenders
- Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF)
- Key defending unit
- Australian Light Horse (Desert Mounted Corps)
- Ottoman cavalry attack outcome
- Overwhelmed before launching attack
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following British occupation of the Jordan Valley from February 1918 and two EEF raids east of the River Jordan in March and April, the Desert Mounted Corps assumed responsibility for valley defence. German and Ottoman commanders sought to dislodge the British garrison by launching a coordinated assault on its positions.
On 14 July 1918, German and Ottoman forces attacked Australian Light Horse units at Mussallabeh and Abu Tellul and the Wadi Mellaha on the valley's western bank. Simultaneously, the Ottoman Caucasus Cavalry Brigade deployed two regiments on the eastern bank to strike bridgeheads at El Hinu and Makhadet Hijla, but was overwhelmed by combined British and Indian troops before it could attack.
The assault failed across all axes. The Ottoman Caucasus Cavalry Brigade was defeated before it could engage, and the attacks on the western bank were repulsed. These engagements proved to be the final offensive operations conducted by German and Ottoman forces against British troops in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
2 belligerents