One Hundred years ago today Ottoman forces in Palestine attacked British forces in control of the Suez Canal. These attacks were the start of series of raids which were intended to disrupt shipping through the canal, which would impact the British economy and take pressure of the Ottoman's German allies.
As the raids continued it was the beginning of a series of battles in the Sinai Peninsula. Both the British and the Ottoman Empires would deploy increasing larger forces to the region in the months and years to come. But much of the fighting would be limited to a small scale when compared to the battles in Europe . The lack of water in the region made it difficult for either side to launch major operations in the Sinai, making the region yet another where armies would become deadlocked. Little would change in 1915 with the Ottomans raiding British forces along the Suez Canal and British Forces sending raids out in to the desert of the Sinai to take control of water sources in an attempt to limit the Ottomans ability to approach the Suez.
Though the Germans were hopeful the Ottomans could significantly slow, or even stop traffic through the Suez the Ottomans would never achieve this. As the war continued, the Ottomans would be forced on the defensive and would never be able to muster sufficient forces to seriously threaten British holdings in Egypt.
No comments:
Post a Comment