Centenary of the First Battle of Gaza, 26 March 1917

[paulr]

To mark the Centenary of the First Battle of Gaza, 26 March 1917, five of us decided to refight the northern part of the battle. This involved the attack by three brigades of the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division against the dug in and reinforced Ottoman 125^th Infantry Regiment.

We used the Too Fat Lardies "If The Lord Spares Us" rules with Pierre the Shy's Divisional HQ house rules.



The Ottomans are deployed in trenches running from Clay Hill, east of Gaza, around the north of the city. And also in trenches running west from El Meshahera towards the Mediterranean. Two dug in batteries west of Gaza provide artillery support.

22^nd Mounted Brigade, advancing from the east occupied the Wadi el Mukaddeme as ordered. It was not clear if the trenches on Clay Hill were occupied.

The New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade advanced south down the eastern side of the Es Sire Ridge while the Brigade and Divisional HQs deployed to better control the battle.



The 2^nd Australian Light Horse Brigade deployed north of Gaza and El Meshahera between Sheikh Radwan and Jebaliye. 5^th Regiment Light Horse, on the right came under immediate accurate artillery fire. It was not clear if the trenches running west from El Meshahera were occupied.



In the second turn the 1/1^st Lincolnshire Yeomanry of 22^nd Mounted Brigade came under fire from one of the batteries west of Gaza (2/6^th Artillery).

The New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade continued to advance south down the eastern side of the Es Sire Ridge.

Ayrshire Battery, Royal Horse Artillery unlimbered north of Sheikh Radwan and opened fire on the Ottoman battery firing on 5^th Regiment Light Horse. Rifle fire from El Meshahera and the trenches to the west revealed the presence of an Ottoman Battalion (III/125^th) and added to the discomfort of 5^th Regiment Light Horse.



In the third turn the 1/1^st Lincolnshire Yeomanry of 22nd Mounted Brigade continued to be shelled from west of Gaza.

The Auckland and Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiments approached Clay Hill and were meet by heavy fire from Ottoman MG Company 267 and a company of I/125^th. Meanwhile an artillery spotter climbed to the high point of the Es Sire ridge and the Leicester Battery, Royal Horse Artillery deployed.



The MG Squadron of 2^nd Australian Light Horse Brigade, which had deployed unnoticed in the fields south of Sheikh Radwan, opened up at short range on the Ottomans in the trenches west of El Meshahera causing many casualties and forcing many more Ottomans from the trenches. The Ottoman battery that had been shelling 5^th Regiment Light Horse urgently shifted fire onto this new threat.



In the fourth turn the artillery fire that had been falling on the 1/1^st Lincolnshire Yeomanry of 22^nd Mounted Brigade lifted onto the advancing Canterbury Mounted Rifles.



The Canterbury Mounted Rifles moved through the Aucklanders and Wellingtonians but suffered heavily as all four companies of I/125^th combined with MG Company 267 and artillery. The right hand squadron suffered particularly heavy casualties and the attached MG section was destroyed. Supporting fire from the Leicester Battery, Royal Horse Artillery seemed to have limited effect on the Ottoman machine gunners.



Ayrshire Battery, Royal Horse Artillery continued to fire on the Ottomans battery that was now firing on the MG Squadron of 2^nd Australian Light Horse Brigade but was having little effect. The Ottoman gunners were also having little effect on the Australian machine gunners who continued to cause casualties in the trenches west of El Meshahera.

We had managed to develop our plans and complete 4 turns in about three hours so were pleased with our progress. The game will continue next Saturday night and probably the following Saturday as well.

[Techno]

Looks great.

Let us know how it progresses.

Cheers - Phil

[Westmarcher]

Good looking game and easy to follow with the unit names tagged to the photographs. I also like the use of 'blinds' to make your opponent guess what units are real and what are not - the actual blinds are very good, too.   

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Great looking game!

[pierre the shy]

This has been a very interesting game so far.....I am running the "Imperial" Divisional HQ and the NZMB and next turn the assault goes in.......hope my plan works (I'm sure you all know know the saying about plans not surviving contact with the enemy ).

A certain weight of responsibility/expectation on the NZMB to do OK since they are from this part of the world?  

Hopefully the cards allow me to use the Divisional HQ change orders for the 22nd Mounted Brigade to support the NZMB before the second Tea Break card appears.....if not I suppose I will be hoisted by by own petard since I came up with the Divisional command house rules.

The Leicester Battery appears the have been suffering from the same recent slump in form as their Premier League namesakes   ....while the Ottoman artillery has been pounding us quite heavily the Leicester Battery has so far only caused a single surpression. Though its not all one sided since a couple of Ottoman companies have also rolled snake eyes on three firing dice.

Very evenly poised currently, but that's sure not to last. You'll have to wait till next weekend to see what happens next.....same bat time, same bat channel as they used to say.  

[paulr]

I suspect the yeoman of 22^nd Mounted Brigade are quite comfortable in the Wadi. Particularly now the artillery has lifted and they can see what the New Zealanders are walking into

Division HQ can take as long as it likes to change their orders

[petercooman]

Looks like a nice table!

[pierre the shy]

another rowdy session last night but with a lot of assaults we only managed 4 turns all evening.

I'll leave it to Paul to report in detail, but the Wellington Mounted Rifles did superbly while the Canterbury Regiment made it into the trenches but were cut up badly by a counterattack by the Ottoman reserves in the town.

the Yeomanry and Aussies are advancing in support so we may conclude the game next week.

The Leicester battery continues to have mixed fortunes, though they did a great job of surpressing a Ottoman MG company that could have made things very nasty for the NZMB.  Gnr Vardy was on target when it really counted 

[paulr]

Part 2

Our second evening of this game saw dramatic developments north and east of Gaza.



The yeomanry of 22^nd Mounted Brigade continued to hold the Wadi el Mukaddeme while the NZ Mounted Rifles Brigade applied pressure on the Ottoman defenders of Clay Hill.



To the north of Gaza the fire from the MG Squadron of 2^nd Australian Light Horse Brigade was getting less effective as the range to occupied trenches near El Meshahera increased and the accuracy of the Ottoman artillery improved causing casualties. The fire was still too much for the company of II/125^th that remained in the trenches and they withdrew towards the second line. The company in El Meshahera joined them.



A rather agitated colonial staff officer arrived at HQ 22^nd Mounted Brigade with a message from HQ ANZ Mounted Division requesting the brigade to attack Gaza in support of NZ Mounted Rifles Brigade. Colonel (temp. Brig.-General) F. A. B. Fryer set the Brigade in motion towards Clay Hill.

On the right the Australians, seeing the Turks withdrawing, moved forward on their own initiative to occupy El Meshahera and the recently vacated trenches. 5^th Regiment Light Horse, on the left of the Brigade took heavy fire from MG Company 125 in the second line trenches and its left most squadron was unable to advance.



On the left the Wellington Mounted Rifles assaulted the Ottoman trenches north of Clay Hill. Two squadrons forced the Ottomans from the trenches with some fleeing into Gaza itself, the third squadron was repulsed.



The 22^nd Mounted Brigade closed up in support of the NZ Mounted Rifles Brigade.

On the right the 5^th Regiment Light Horse neared the trenches just west of El Meshahera under heavy fire from MG Company 125 and the survivors of II/125^th. 6^th and 7^th Regiments Light Horse moved up unopposed as the Ottoman artillery continued to fire on the MG Squadron.



On the left the Auckland Mounted Rifles captured the trenches on Clay Hill forcing out two companies of I/125^th Regiment and MG Company 267.

Major Tiller, the German officer in command of the defence of Gaza, committed some of his reserve and I/79^th Regiment advanced from Gaza and attacked the Wellington Mounted Rifles in the recently occupied trenches. The heavily outnumbered Wellingtons were forced back and three companies of I/79^th Regiment reoccupied the trenches.

ANZ Mounted Division is making progress but casualties are mounting, particularly in the NZ Mounted Rifles Brigade. The game will continue next Saturday.

[d_Guy]

It is an interesting game, gentlemen. I have only a vauge idea about the time and place from the movie "the Lighthorsemen" and the great aerial shots of the attack on Aqaba(?) from LofA (which your game reminds me of). I take it that the large flag tokens indicate as yet uncovered units/positions?

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Awesomeness abounds .

[pierre the shy]

It is an interesting game, gentlemen. I have only a vauge idea about the time and place from the movie "the Lighthorsemen" and the great aerial shots of the attack on Aqaba(?) from LofA (which your game reminds me of). I take it that the large flag tokens indicate as yet uncovered units/positions?

The charge shown in "The Lighthorsemen" was at Bersheeba during the 3rd and final Battle of Gaza in late 1917 some miles to the East of Gaza itself. I know those scenes from LofA you mean......just hope our attack is as successful.

Yes the large flag tokens are "blinds" which represent as yet unspotted units. Some of them may be false.

One the Ottoman players reckoned that I sounded exactly like his idea of a typical British staff officer of the period which made me laugh since one of my Grandfathers was commissioned in the Royal Artillery in 1916 and ended up retiring as a Brigadier in the early 50's.


     

[Norm]

Very enjoyable read, I hardly hear of those rules being played, so good to see them here.

[d_Guy]

Pierre,
I have long been impressed with the family histories of many on this board and what additional interest that brings to the battles and campaigns being portrayed. I can say without reservation, however, that none of my forebearers where British officers. 

[Jesus]

uauuuuuuuuuuuu;!!!!!!!!