Key Facts
- Date
- 20–21 September 1918
- Depth of cavalry advance
- 40–50 miles behind Ottoman front line
- Attacking brigade
- 13th Cavalry Brigade, 5th Cavalry Division
- Target
- Yildirim Army Group General Headquarters
- German commander escaped
- Generalleutnant Otto Liman von Sanders
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 19 September 1918, EEF infantry of XXI Corps attacked along the Plain of Sharon, capturing Tulkarm and breaching Ottoman lines. Desert Mounted Corps cavalry poured through the gap northward. The 5th Cavalry Division was tasked with seizing Nazareth, but the narrow Shushu Pass forced them to detach one brigade and leave artillery behind. The 14th Brigade diverted to Afulah, leaving only two reduced squadrons of the 13th Cavalry Brigade to assault the town on 20 September.
01 / The Origins
The Battle of Nazareth arose from the broader British Egyptian Expeditionary Force offensive against Ottoman forces in Palestine in September 1918. The EEF's plan aimed to shatter Ottoman defensive lines along the coast and in the Judean Hills, then exploit the breakthrough with cavalry to destroy command infrastructure deep behind enemy lines, including the Yildirim Army Group headquarters located at Nazareth on the Esdraelon Plain.
03 / The Outcome
The depleted 13th Cavalry Brigade could not overcome Nazareth's garrison on 20 September, and German commander Liman von Sanders escaped with his senior staff. The following day, 21 September, the Ottoman garrison withdrew and the 13th Cavalry Brigade occupied Nazareth unopposed. The loss of the Yildirim headquarters contributed to the collapse of Ottoman command and control in Palestine.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Otto Liman von Sanders.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.