5 August 1916: Counter-attack
The British counter-offensive began at 4am the following morning, 5 August. The infantry of the 156th Brigade were to retake Wellington Ridge, and then the cavalry of the A&NZ Mounted Division, plus the NZMR and 5th Mounted Brigades, were to swing out to the south-east using the infantry as their pivot. The rest of the 52nd Division would then strike out directly east, while the 42nd Division would pass through the cavalry and keep pushing to the south-east. The plan was to pause in the late morning to let the worst of the heat pass, and then resume in the afternoon with the cavalry harassing the retreating Ottomans while leaving any determined resistance for the infantry to deal with.
This plan fell apart almost immediately, for two reasons. Firstly, after a furious but brief resistance, the Ottoman line crumbled much earlier than expected. Wellington Ridge and Mount Meredith were retaken by 5am with around 2,500 Ottoman prisoners, taking everyone by surprise. The rest of Kress von Kressenstein’s force began a general retreat east towards Katia. The cavalry were not expecting to be needed yet and were still watering their horses. It was not until 6.30am that Chauvel, now commanding all three ALH Brigades, the NZMR Brigade and the 5th Mounted Brigade, was able to start his pursuit. His forces found groups of Ottoman stragglers, in a desperate state from thirty-six hours hard marching and fighting without water, scattered all along the line of retreat.
The second reason was the simple unpreparedness of the British infantry for desert operations. Two Brigades of the 42nd Division had arrived at Pelusium Station after long journeys. They had been given little rest and had experienced problems obtaining enough water. Neither brigade managed to march more than two or three miles before stopping, exhausted. The 127th Brigade alone had lost 800 men fallen out in just that short distance. Both had to halt for the day, while the 52nd Division, although more acclimatised to the desert, fared little better.
The British counter-offensive began at 4am the following morning, 5 August. The infantry of the 156th Brigade were to retake Wellington Ridge, and then the cavalry of the A&NZ Mounted Division, plus the NZMR and 5th Mounted Brigades, were to swing out to the south-east using the infantry as their pivot. The rest of the 52nd Division would then strike out directly east, while the 42nd Division would pass through the cavalry and keep pushing to the south-east. The plan was to pause in the late morning to let the worst of the heat pass, and then resume in the afternoon with the cavalry harassing the retreating Ottomans while leaving any determined resistance for the infantry to deal with.
This plan fell apart almost immediately, for two reasons. Firstly, after a furious but brief resistance, the Ottoman line crumbled much earlier than expected. Wellington Ridge and Mount Meredith were retaken by 5am with around 2,500 Ottoman prisoners, taking everyone by surprise. The rest of Kress von Kressenstein’s force began a general retreat east towards Katia. The cavalry were not expecting to be needed yet and were still watering their horses. It was not until 6.30am that Chauvel, now commanding all three ALH Brigades, the NZMR Brigade and the 5th Mounted Brigade, was able to start his pursuit. His forces found groups of Ottoman stragglers, in a desperate state from thirty-six hours hard marching and fighting without water, scattered all along the line of retreat.
The second reason was the simple unpreparedness of the British infantry for desert operations. Two Brigades of the 42nd Division had arrived at Pelusium Station after long journeys. They had been given little rest and had experienced problems obtaining enough water. Neither brigade managed to march more than two or three miles before stopping, exhausted. The 127th Brigade alone had lost 800 men fallen out in just that short distance. Both had to halt for the day, while the 52nd Division, although more acclimatised to the desert, fared little better.
Camel trains bringing water: in 1916 Ottoman prisoners being rounded up
EEF logistics still struggled in the desert. by British troops.
Between them, these two factors allowed the Ottomans to break contact and fall back largely unmolested. Although the British mounted forces followed them, there was time to establish well-emplaced rear-guards at the various oases through which the Ottomans passed. A frustrating pattern developed of the cavalry finding and being repulsed by an Ottoman rear-guard, falling back to call up infantry and artillery support, and then attacking again only to find that the Ottomans had already pulled back in good order. Although interspersed with occasional successes - at Hamisah the 3rd ALH Brigade managed to capture 400 Ottomans troops and seven machine guns - for the most part the follow-up was slow and unsuccessful. It could also be costly; the failed assault on Bir el Abd cost the Australians more than 70 killed and over 230 wounded.
The chase continued until mid-September, when Kress von Kressenstein finally established a permanent defensive line just south-west of El Arish, and the British, at the end of an over-stretched supply line, called off their pursuit. The Battle of Romani had defeated a major threat to the Suez Canal, that vital cog in Britain’s global war machine. Although the pursuit had failed to decisively cut-off and destroy the Ottoman force, it had pushed them clear across the Sinai Desert, almost to the borders of Palestine. A few scattered Ottoman outposts remained, but the Sinai Desert was now under the secure control of the British.
EEF logistics still struggled in the desert. by British troops.
Between them, these two factors allowed the Ottomans to break contact and fall back largely unmolested. Although the British mounted forces followed them, there was time to establish well-emplaced rear-guards at the various oases through which the Ottomans passed. A frustrating pattern developed of the cavalry finding and being repulsed by an Ottoman rear-guard, falling back to call up infantry and artillery support, and then attacking again only to find that the Ottomans had already pulled back in good order. Although interspersed with occasional successes - at Hamisah the 3rd ALH Brigade managed to capture 400 Ottomans troops and seven machine guns - for the most part the follow-up was slow and unsuccessful. It could also be costly; the failed assault on Bir el Abd cost the Australians more than 70 killed and over 230 wounded.
The chase continued until mid-September, when Kress von Kressenstein finally established a permanent defensive line just south-west of El Arish, and the British, at the end of an over-stretched supply line, called off their pursuit. The Battle of Romani had defeated a major threat to the Suez Canal, that vital cog in Britain’s global war machine. Although the pursuit had failed to decisively cut-off and destroy the Ottoman force, it had pushed them clear across the Sinai Desert, almost to the borders of Palestine. A few scattered Ottoman outposts remained, but the Sinai Desert was now under the secure control of the British.