Battle of Nasiriyah (27 Jun 1915 Jahr – 25 Jul 1915 Jahr)

Beschreibung:

Beginning on 27 June, Gorringe led a reinforced brigade of 5,000 British and Indian troops up the Euphrates River to reach the Ottoman stronghold. The district was covered in wetlands, the product of seasonal flooding, so the troops maneuvered north in small boats through the series of marshes and canals to reach the city. Temperatures soared to above a hundred degrees Fahrenheit and mosquitoes proved burdensome but the men arrived in the vicinity of Nasiriyah in early July. In a day and a half long operation, British engineers destroyed a dam across the Hakika Channel which had been set up by the Turks to impede British movement up the Euphrates. The engineers worked under heavy fire and suffered heavy casualties but ultimately the British and Indian troops pushed forward. Mines did not prove to be an issue because a Turkish prisoner divulged their location beforehand.

The main Turkish defenses were a series of entrenchments located on both sides of the Euphrates with their flanks defended by marshes. Gorringe called for reinforcements and an additional brigade arrived on 13 July. British forces attempted to assault the Turkish defenses through the marshes but were beaten back. The next couple weeks were marked by a stagnation in the fighting and illness and heat stroke running rampant in both armies.[9] On 24 July, using intelligence gained from a British observation aircraft, Gorringe launched an attack on the Turks. A barge was towed to the middle of the river and engineers worked tirelessly under Turkish bullets to construct a bridge to no avail. However the barge managed to shore up the river enough to allow British and Indian troops to wade across where they overran the Turkish positions with gunboat support, routing the defenders entirely.

Nasiriyah fell on 25 July and the remaining Turkish troops retreated to Kut.

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