The capture of Haifa and Acre by Indian cavalry on 23 September 1918 helped seal the collapse of Ottoman forces in Palestine during the final weeks of World War I.
Key Facts
- Date
- 23 September 1918
- Distance from Sharon
- 40–50 miles (64–80 km)
- Attacking formation
- 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, 5th Cavalry Division
- Towns captured
- Haifa and Acre
- Part of larger battle
- Battle of Megiddo (19–25 September 1918)
- Annual commemoration
- 23 September celebrated as Haifa Day
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Battle of Megiddo began on 19 September 1918 with a broad British Empire infantry assault along the Mediterranean coast through the Plain of Sharon, breaking the Ottoman Eighth Army's front line. Cavalry poured through the gap created, and Ottoman forces were outflanked and forced into retreat. Rearguard positions north-west of the Esdraelon Plain continued to resist further advances toward Haifa and Acre.
On 23 September 1918, the Indian 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, part of the 5th Cavalry Division and Desert Mounted Corps, attacked Ottoman and German rearguard forces holding Haifa and Acre. A Mysore Lancers squadron and Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry first neutralized an Austrian artillery battery, then the Jodhpur Lancers and a light car patrol assaulted the main German position, resulting in the capture of both towns.
The fall of Haifa and Acre eliminated key Ottoman rearguard resistance on the Palestinian coast. By 25 September, one Ottoman army had been destroyed and the remnants of two others were retreating north toward Damascus, effectively ending organized Ottoman resistance in Palestine and accelerating the final collapse of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent