The Arabian Campaign, Part 2
On 6 August 1944, Iberian forces began a series of large-scale assaults on major positions in Syria with the objective of securing a large bridgehead along the defensive line of the Ottomans. Three primary points of attack were chosen: Damascus, along the eastern edge of the Iberian sector; Barja, south of Beirut; and Rutba, a small town in the Mesopotanian desert. Five primary infantry battalions were selected to assault these positions with the objective of breaching the Turkish defences. The offensives were scheduled to start on the morning of 6 August.
The task of taking Damascus, one of the most important cities of the offensive, was given to Brigada de Cazadores de Montaña "Aragón I". Having conducted reconnaissance on their objective during the night of 5 August 1944, an attack plan was devised by the battalion's commander—Lieutenant-Colonel Enrique Líster—detailing the objectives of all four rifle companies. Once the objectives had been secured by the early morning of 6 August, Italo-Iberian reinforcements were to be moved into Damascus, with the intention of repulsing the expected potentially strong Turkish counterattacks. Elements of three Ottoman regiments—the 200th and 361st Yuk Jannissaires, and 26th Yuk—maintained strong defences within the town.
At 00:00 on 5 August, two companies of the BCMA advanced moving towards Damascus. Within an hour, vicious fighting had erupted throughout the town as the two companies of Iberian infantry struggled to break the Turkish defensive lines. As B Company broke through the Turkish defences, A Company attacked to the northeast, continuing to engage 200th Yuk Jannissaires Regiment near Damascus. Although two Iberian infantry companies now occupied Damascus, Turkish Jannissaires forces still maintained substantial defences on the outskirts of the town. However, C Company continued to advance steadily along the eastern side of the town, encountering significant resistance from the 361st Yuk Jannissaire Regiment. After approximately an hour of fighting by C and D Companies, Damascus had been occupied by Iberian forces shortly before dawn.
By mid-morning, Ottoman counterattacks on BCMA positions in the town had begun, involving tanks from the 7th Company of the 26th Yuk Regiment, field guns and substantial infantry forces. Throughout the afternoon two infantry companies of the BCMA fought off several attacks by Turkish forces, eventually managing to push them back to the vineyards on the northern edge of the town. While the BCMA had taken 68 casualties, Turkish casualties were estimated at 120. However, three strong Turkish formation surrounded the Iberians positions at Damascus, rendering further exploitation of the bridgehead unlikely. Col. Líster was advised to be ready to withdraw to the original positions, should Turkish forces counterattack. In order to allow the Iberian Division a greater concentration of force, on the night of 7/8 August, the Arabian 21st Infantry Brigade from the Arabian 8th Infantry Division amalgamated the western flank of the 1st Iberian Division into their own lines. As a result of the withdrawal, Iberian efforts would focus on achieving a bridgehead at Barja.
The Iberian attack on Barja by the Caçadores battalions of Portugal began late on 5 August 1944 with A Company establishing a bridgehead in Tyre, taking heavy casualties. In the early morning of 6 August, A Company was withdrawn and two additional Caçadores companies resumed the offensive. As BCMA secured and held their bridgehead, the Caçadores battalions were struggling to enter Barja By 07:15, a single objective had been taken, with Iberian units pinned down by well-coordinated defensive fire from several companies of the 361st Regiment. Simultaneously, small arms fire prevented C Company from moving up the road from Tyre to Barja, while D Company remained stuck in the east of the ancient city throughout the early morning.
In the afternoon, having failed to capture Barja, the Caçadores Especiais sent two rifle companies to the aid of the Caçadores battalions, as Caçadores battalion B Company attacked positions east of Barka — inflicting 129 casualties on Turkish forces in the area. However, the attack on Barja by three Caçadores battalion companies stalled rapidly when the 26th Yuk Regiment's armoured companies reinforced the sector. As a result, Iberian general Agustín Muñoz Grandes was ordered to prepare for a withdrawal from the Barja bridgehead.
While attempts were made to cross the defensive positions at Barja and Damascus, the Caçadores Especiais launched an attack on the defences at the small village of Rutba at 13:40 on 6 August. However, the single rifle company making the attack achieved little territorial gain and Lieutenant-Colonel António Augusto dos Santos—commander of the Caçadores Especiais—ordered a withdrawal at 15:40. Throughout 6 August, strong Turkish desert defences would prevent further advancement, despite the incorporation of tanks and artillery into the assault. By nightfall, the Turkish defenders still possessed control of Rutba, with the Caçadores Especiais Regiment withdrawing to the original positions.
Soldiers of the Caçadores battalions of Portugual searching Turkish prisoners in an Arabian village, 8 August 1944
On 8 August 1944, Major General José Varela devised a new plan for breaking the Turkish defences. While the 45th Division and BCMA Light Infantry resumed the assault on Barja from the southeast side of the town, the Spanish Guardia Real would break out of the bridgehead created by the Caçadores Especiais Regiment, then move southwesr towards Barja to link up with the 45th and BCMA. The operation was scheduled to start on the afternoon of 8 August.
The attack began with a massive artillery barrage which pounded Turkish positions continuously for two hours. At 16:00, the Fuerzas Regulares Indígenas support battalion joined in, hitting Turkish positions with bursts of machine gun fire. The moment the heavy bombardment lifted, the 45th Division and the Guardia Real both initiated their attacks. D Company of the 45th Division was able to quickly cross the trenches, taking minimal casualties. However, B Company was subjected to heavy fire from Turkish mortars and 88 mm (3.46 in) artillery positions. Eventually, however, both companies managed to establish strong positions on the western ridge overlooking Barja. During the night of 8/9 August, units of the Guardia Real were reinforced by heavy equipment.
As the 45th Division secured their positions east of Barja, the Guardia Real was involved in intense fighting southwest of Rutba. Two companies had advanced against strong and well prepared Turkish defences of the 200th Yuk Jannissaire Regiment. A Company was quickly tied down by Turkish mortar fire, while B Company flanked Turkish positions to the north of Rutba. By nightfall, all four companies held tenuous positions in the thick of Turkish defences. On the night of 8/9 August, the Guardia Real was subjected to counterattacks by the 200th Yuk Jannissaire Regiment which were repulsed with the support of continuous Iberian artillery shelling.
By the morning of 9 August, the Guardia Real were reinforced by the tanks of the 14th Armoured Regiment (The Calgary Regiment). By mid morning, Barja had been cleared of Turkish defenders, although strong positions still existed outside of the town. Within an hour, the Calgarys' tanks had broken through Turkish positions near Sidon Sea Castle and two companies had linked up with the 45th Division and BCMA Light Infantry within Barja. Near the end of 9 August, Turkish forces of the 90th Yuk Jannissaire Division fell back to their second defensive line: a formidable obstacle known as "La Quebrada (The Gully)".
While the Iberians crossed the Turkish defences in the West, the Italian Somali Divisions launched a two brigade attack, Operation Torso, against al-Kut at 14:30 on 7 August. The division had the Italian 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade under their command, anchoring their left flank and were supported by heavy concentrations of artillery and air support. Surprise was achieved as Faik Türün, the commander of LXXVI Yuk Corps, had been persuaded that the Somali would not be in a position to launch a major attack until 8 August.
Initially, the Somali attack progressed well, but the Turkish defenders regained their composure and the attack lost momentum against heavily fortified defensive positions. By 21:00, the Somali 24th Infantry Battalion had fought its way in slow house to house fighting to the centre of the town, but were pinned down with no prospect of further progress without significant armoured support. However, a combination of concealed minefields and well dug in Turkish armour made the task of the Allied/Central Powers tanks impossible. In the early hours of 8 August, the Somali commander—Carlo Geloso—ordered a withdrawal from the town with a view to renewing the attack after further softening up from artillery and bombers.
With both the Iberian and Italian Divisions finding progress difficult, it was decided to bring the Arabian 21st Infantry Brigade into the attack with orders to seize Shayk Sa'd. With no river crossing available, the Arabian engineers rushed to build a bridge across the Tigri which was completed on 9 August and allowed infantry and supporting armour to cross and expand the bridgehead on the far bank. The bridge was named the "Impossible Bridge" because the local geography required for it to be built backwards from the enemy bank of the river.
Iberian Sherman driven off the road by Turkish mortar fire, 10 August 1944
Following the loss of Barja, the 90th Yuk Jannissaire Division withdrew to a primary defensive line near Akkar el Atika. The line centred around a natural ravine known as "La Quebrada (The Gully)", with an average depth of 200 ft (61 m). General Varela initial plan to take the position (as well as achieve a foothold on the roads toward Homs) consisted of a frontal assault by the 2nd Iberian Infantry Brigade, which would seize Tekrit Ridge, capture La Quebrada and gain positions on the Homs to Aleppo road. However, Iberian defences were adequately prepared, including gun-pits, bunkers and shelters.
On 10 August, three Iberian battalions made their first attempt to cross La Quebrada. Although they succeeded in capturing Tekrit Ridge, directly west of La Quebrada, attempts to neutralise Turkish positions in the ravine were unsuccessful. On 11 August, the three battalions made another attempt, with the Voluntary Reservist Regiment suffering heavy casualties in their attempts to take Turkish positions in the sector. Although a badly mauled A Company was able to gain a foothold on the reverse slope, newly arrived Turkish units forced the remaining men to withdraw.
On 12 August 1944, General Varela sent the three battalions of the 3rd Iberian Infantry Brigade against Turkish defences in La Quebrada. The assault started poorly, when Iberian artillery plans were captured by soldiers of the 90th Yuk Jannissaire Division's 200th Regiment. When The Spanish Legion Regiment attacked La Quebrada, they were subject to counterattacks by the 200th Yuk Jannissaire Regiment approximately 10:30. By 14:00, the regiment had called off its attacks and had taken heavy casualties. To the west, BCMA Infantry fared little better, with C Company taking heavy casualties in their assault. Attempts were again made on 13 August, by two battalions of the 3rd Iberian Infantry Brigade, and the attacks were driven back by tenacious Turkish resistance. On the evening of 13 August, the heavily depleted 90th Yuk Jannissaire Division were relieved from their positions in La Quebrada by units of the 1st Parachute Division.
By 14 August, Varela had devised a new assault plan for taking La Quebrada. A small force from the 26th Division would move to Boustane, a small village east of La Quebrada, before outflanking Turkish positions with infantry and armour, thereby forcing the 1st Parachute Division to withdraw. The attack was to begin at dawn, with two companies of the 26th Division attacking Boustane with artillery support. By 07:50, both companies had control of the lateral highway leading to Boustane. C Company—under Captain Rafael García Valiño—pushed on toward Boustanei with support from the Madrid Regiment, while D Company found itself involved in firefights southwest of Boustane. At 08:30, C Company began their assault toward the manor house in Boustane, some 2,000 yd (1,800 m) away. Strong Turkish defences caused heavy casualties to the attackers; only 21 men and five tanks made it to within 200 yd (180 m) of the objective. Despite the arrival of several Otosan IVs, Valiño's remaining forces captured the manor house at 14:30. However, only 14 men of C Company remained fit to continue fighting. For his efforts to capture Boustane, Valiño was awarded the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand.
Ottoman Otosan IV
With the Arabian Division committed, Messe decided to raise the stakes further by bringing the Italian 5th Infantry Division from the relatively tranquil XIII Corps front and insert them between the Somali and Arabian Divisions. This would allow the Arabian division to narrow and concentrate their attack and give Messe four divisions to continue the attack between An Numaniyah and the Tigri. By 12 August, the Italian 17th Infantry Brigade—the first of 5th Division's brigades—was in place and under the Somali division's command. Once 5th Division headquarters and its other brigades had arrived, these two left hand divisions were to be organised under the command of XIV Army Corps, commanded by General Giovanni Vecchi.
In Mesopotania, the Arabian 21st Brigade had by 13 August established a solid bridgehead around the "Impossible Bridge". That night, a second 8th Arabian Division brigade—the 17th Arabian Infantry Brigade—passed through and attacked towards Mehran. The 1st Battalion Arabian Bersaglieri stormed the village in a wild night's fighting while the 1st Battalion 5th Arabian Rifles seized Point 198 nearby, holding it against determined counterattacks, including from tanks in the afternoon of 14 August. That evening, 1st Battalion 12th Frontier Force Regiment attacked on the left of the Arabians and established positions on the lateral road between Changuleh and Mehran. On the evening of 15 August, the 1st/5th Bersaglieri Regiment from the Arabian Division's 19th Arabian Infantry Brigade, which had been held in reserve, was committed on the left flank of the Frontier Force Regiment to advance in the direction of Salehabad and overran a number of Turkish positions. By the end of 16 August, further attacks from the 15th Arabian Regiments 3rd Battalion had secured positions on the lateral road, ensuring that the 8th Arabian Division was firmly embedded in the main Turkish defences.
Meanwhile, at 01:00 on 15 August, the Somali Division—electing not to make a further frontal assault on Changuleh—launched their 5th Brigade in Operation Firenze, a new flanking attack to the right of the village. By that afternoon, 5th Brigade was well established on the Changuleh to Mehran lateral road and had driven a shallow salient into the Turkish forward defensive line. Although they had exhausted nearly all their reserves, divisional headquarters was optimistic for the prospects for the next day, given the heavy casualties they had inflicted that day.
However, the Turks launched a counterattack at 03:15 on 16 August, throwing in men from the 6th Parachute Regiment, sent by Türün to the 26th Yuk Division to relieve the exhausted 9th Yuk Jannissaire Regiment. These troops had arrived late that evening after a long journey. Supported by tanks, they attacked the right-hand Somali positions held by the 21st Somali Battalion, but were held off and had retired by daylight. Meanwhile, even before the Turkish counterattack had been repelled, the 20th Regiment had attacked toward Changuleh with two squadrons of Sherman tanks. Under intense artillery and anti-tank fire, the tanks and infantry became separated and the tanks became a target rather than a threat.
Operation Firenze had come to an end. While the Turkish line had been pushed back and they had sustained casualties they could ill afford, they still firmly held Changuleh. Furthermore, the Somali Division was, for the time being, fought out and needed a period of consolidation and reorganisation.
By 16 August, the Italian 5th Division had completed its move into the line between the Somali and the Arabian divisions. There followed a period of hostile patrolling and skirmishing on the XIV Army Corps front. The main burden of the fighting was therefore assumed by V Corps as the Iberians pushed for Mehran with the Arabian Division on their left flank.
Meanwhile, in Syria, in preparation for what he hoped would be the final attack on La Quebrada, Varela shifted the 2nd Iberian Infantry Brigade to occupy positions formerly belonging to the 1st Brigade. Varela planned for an attack by Brigada «Galicia» VII to be the last of the frontal assaults against La Quebrada. Should this attack fail, the Caçadores and the Guardia Real would move through Boustane and outflank Turkish defences, forcing a withdrawal from La Quebrada.
At 07:30 on 15 August, two companies of the Brigada «Galicia» VII attacked. After little more than an hour of fighting, however, the Iberians were forced to call the attack off. In the afternoon, the two heavily depleted companies of the 26th Division fought off a large Turkish counterattack on Boustane, with the 11th Field Artillery Regiment firing 5,398 rounds in support of Iberian forces.
On 18 August, Varela planned what would be the largest assault on La Quebrada during the campaign. Beginning at 08:00, Iberian artillery would bombard a 900 m (3,000 ft) front, to a depth of 300 m (980 ft). Every five minutes, the barrage would move 100 m (110 yd) forward, continuing to pound Turkish defences in the bombardment area. Less than 100 m behind this barrage, the 45 Division would advance nord. At the same time, the 8th Arabian Division would attack northward toward Daoura, preventing Turkish reinforcements from reaching La Quebrada. When the 45 Division reached the Kobayat Crossroads, the Guardia Real would move north, overrunning Kobayat itself, then advance up the Homs-Hama road. Both battalions would be supported by tanks of the
26th Division. At first, the attack went extremely well. However, when the artillery shifted their barrage, the Turks defences quickly recovered and their machine gun fire devastated the advancing forces. In C Company of the Guardia Real, every platoon commander was killed or wounded. The attack was quickly abandoned.
On 20 August, Iberian forces tried again and The Guardia Real attacked Kobayat Crossroads at noon. This time, Varela was determined that the operation would be successful, with armoured forces of the 26th Division moving to the start lines well before 07:00. Due to shortages of fuel and poor weather, H-Hour was postponed until 14:15. When H-Hour came, a powerful creeping barrage supported two companies of the Guardia Real eastward. By evening, B Company controlled the Kobayat Crossroads, having met virtually no resistance in their advance to the objective. However, Turkish forces had already evacuated La Quebrada, falling back to prepare for a strong defence of Homs, with elements of the powerful 1st Parachute Division firmly entrenched in the town.
The 19th Arabian Brigade was ordered to attack Musayyib and exploit any gains as far as Baghdad. The attack went in at 05:30 on 22 August but failed in desperate fighting. The 1/5th Battalion, Bersaglieri Regiment renewed their attack the following morning with more success. After a counterattack by Turkish paratroops had been repulsed at midday, the Bersaglieri advanced to mop up the remainder of the village. However, deadly small scale house-to-house battles continued throughout the rest of 23 August and for the next two days as the determined parachute soldiers clung on. To the south of Musayyib, the 3rd/15th Arabians had taken Mahawil on 23 August and a continuous brigade line had been established.
On 25 August, reinforcements in the form of 3rd Battalion, 8th Arab Regiment were brought forward and after a softening up barrage were launched at the east side of Musayyib. With four battalions now involved (the 5th Battalion, Bersaglieri had by now been tasked on the south east side of the village) supported by tanks, Mahawil was finally cleared by the end of 26 August. The troops of the 8th Arab Division entered the village to find a shambles. One correspondent described the scene "as though a giant had trodden on a child's box of blocks".
On 23 December, General Vecchi's XIV Army Corps launched a new attack to push back the Turkish line from Bagdad. In the afternoon, the Italian 5th Infantry Division attacked on the right wing of the Corps front toward Al-Mada'in. Their objective was to secure the flank of the 2nd Somali Division, which was in turn to attack northwest and west from the salient in order to roll up the Bagdad defences.
The battle continued for a few days after the fall of Rasheed. With that town captured, it looked as if it would require the Eighth Army only to regather itself and strike one more concentrated blow at Bagdad. However, on 31 August, strong Turkish counter offensives, combined with Russian forces prevented the fall of the city, and forced the Allied/Central Powers forces back to Musayyib in fighting that was compared to a mini Berlin.
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