Success in Egypt and the fall of Kut

The position at Kut at end 1915

While Russian success in Anatolia and Falkenhayn’s actions in withdrawing resources to the west for the Verdun assault were happening, Britain was able to strengthen its position in North Africa. This would provide regional support for the bridgehead in Salonika but, more importantly, could apply counter pressure to Turkish and German aspirations in Mesopotamia. Townshend's forces were under siege at the city of Kut following their retreat from the ill fated assault on Baghdad late in 1915. The relief operations were bound to be difficult, and pressures in the rear from Turkish forces in Palestine pushing towards Suez would not be helpful.

Kitchener was already planning to build up strength at the Palestine border rather than at Suez on the west edge of the Sinai desert. In fact the only threat to the Nile Valley base came from the west in territory that would become famous as the Libyans battleground for Montgomery and Rommel in WW2. Strong tribes of the Senussi, a religious fraternity distinct from the Ottomans, were induced by Germany and Turkey to attack the British at the Egyptian border. 

British under General Peyton capture
fort at Sollum 1916

In a brilliant campaign the British anticipated this, outflanked a force of 5000 tribesmen and captured Sollum on the coast to end the threat. Some of the troops involved were evacuees from Gallipoli. 

This took place in March and secured the British base from the west, but within a month the British were facing an attack from the east across Sinai. German and Austrian troops strengthened a Turkish advance towards Suez. After several days fighting, with heavy casualties on both sides, the Turks began to withdraw. Air forces made a significant contribution to the Allied success; helped the pursuit of the Turks back towards Palestine and kept them fully occupied.

General Sir Charles
Verrers Townshend

With these positive developments elsewhere, the loss of Kut would be a serious setback for the Allies’ Mesopotamia plans. Townshend’s force of approximately 10,000 men had fought their way back to Kut in December following their unsuccessful attack on Baghdad. They had around two months of supplies, during which time they were told to expect reinforcements to fight their way through.

Kut itself is sited in a northwest facing loop of the Tigris river as it makes its tortuous course south from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf. There is a water course, the Shatt-el-Hai, that connects it to the river Euphrates at Nasireyah. It would be difficult for the reinforcements to fight their way through, and the Turks established rings of defences to prevent them from penetrating to Kut, the strongest of which was at Sheikh Saad, approx. 20miles east of Kut.

Initially, the Turks themselves attempted several assaults on the garrison during December. The British defended stoutly and repulsed these, and thereafter the Turks resorted to siege tactics.

 The relieving forces were predominantly Indian, led by Sir John Nixon, but he was forced to resign on health grounds (sic) in December 1915. Sir Percy Lake, Chief of the Indian Staff, took his place. Hampered by poor transport communications, Lake led several brave, costly and unsuccessful attacks on the outer defensive Turkish positions at Sheikh Saad. By mid-January floods from the rains added further chaos and meant that the relieving forces were, literally, bogged down for more than a month. In early March they made an ambitious attempt to outflank the defended areas on the right bank of the Tigris. They advanced some miles, so that the beleaguered garrison at Kut could hear the sounds of their guns in action, but the plan proved beyond them, and petered out due to lack of supplies. A further month’s delay followed, during which time the command was taken over by Gorringe, one of the two original British commanders fighting their way successfully north from the Persian Gulf.  Gorringe launched another attempt in early April and again made some miles of progress through three lines of Turkish defences before being stymied by floods and severe weather.

Indian soldier following
surrender at Kut

By mid April, the garrison was severely weakened by malnutrition and shortage of all sorts. Gorringe made one final effort to force a way through the blockade using a river steamer on 24^th April. The steamer foundered in strong floods four miles short of Kut, and there was no remaining hope for the trapped men. On 29^th April Townshend spiked all his guns, and surrendered his 8000 men (2000 British, 6000 Indian). The siege had lasted 147 days. Initially the captured men were respected and treated well, but eventually more than half died in captivity.

It was another undistinguished chapter of the war for British forces, but its impact at home was overshadowed by the unfolding situation – first reported in the Times on 22^nd February – of the major campaign of Falkenhayn at Verdun.