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The Battle of Ayun Kara (14 November 1917), was an engagement in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign during the First World War. The battle was fought between the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and a similar sized rearguard from the Turkish 3rd Infantry Division. Following their success in the battles of Beersheba, Gaza, and Mughar Ridge, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force was pursuing the retreating Turkish forces north. The New Zealanders, part of the ANZAC Mounted Division, were on the divisions' left heading towards Rishon LeZion, when south of Jaffa they encountered the Turkish rearguard. Consisting of around 1,500 infantry, supported by machine-guns and artillery on the edge of sand dunes to the west of the villages of Surafend el Harab and Ayun Kara. The battle started in the afternoon with The New Zealanders caught in the open. Surviving Turkish artillery, machine-gun fire and infantry assaults, they gradually fought their way forward. The New Zealanders won the battle, for the cost of forty-four dead and eighty-one wounded. The Turkish casualties were 182 dead and an unknown number of wounded, but it was their last attempt to secure their lines of communications. By that night the Turks were in full retreat and soon after Jerusalem was occupied by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. ==Background== At the end of October 1917, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) began their third assault to capture the port of Gaza on the Palestinian Mediterranean coast. Their first objective was to capture Beersheba on the British right flank, then move west rolling up the Gaza–Beersheba defence line. At the same time leaving some of their mounted forces, positioned on the right to pursue, northwards, the withdrawing Turkish forces.〔Falls 1930 Vol. 2, p.78〕 One of the formations left on the right flank was the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, consisting of the Auckland Mounted Rifles, the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, the Wellington Mounted Rifles and the 1st Machine-Gun Squadron. The brigade was a mounted infantry unit and had an establishment of 1,940 men,〔Kinloch 2005, p.30〕 but more importantly, when dismounted, its rifle strength was only the equivalent of an infantry battalion.〔Kinloch 2005, p.32〕 The New Zealanders remained on the right until the 10 November, when they were ordered to leave Beersheba and rejoin the ANZAC Mounted Division. This entailed a move of across country. The journey took them two days and it was not until, 22:00 on 12 November that they arrived at the division's night time bivouac.〔Wikie 1924, p.167〕 They were then ordered, to pursue the Turkish forces north. During which they were to capture Ramla and Ludd, and interdict the road between Jaffa and Jerusalem.〔Kinloch 2007, p.219〕 Starting out the next afternoon, the brigade moved north and crossed the River Sukerior unopposed, camping that night on the northern bank. They resumed their advance the next morning, now heading towards Ayun Kara.〔Wilkie 1924, p.168〕 Aware they would be pursued the Turkish, made attempts to stop the EEF following them to closely. About south of Jaffa around 1,500 Turkish troops from the 3rd Infantry Division, supported by eighteen machine-guns and an artillery battery, had formed a rearguard position, to cover their withdrawing forces. The position was located on the edge of an area of sand dunes to the north of El Kubeibeh and west of the villages of Surafend el Harab and Ayun Kara.〔Falls 1930, pp.177–8〕〔Grainger 2006, pp.172–3〕〔Moore 1920, pp.88–90〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Ayun Kara」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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