Battle of Basra (1914)
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| Mesopotamian Campaign |
|---|
| Fao Landing – Basra – Qurna – Es Sinn – Ctesiphon – Umm-at-Tubal –1st Kut –Shiekh Sa'ad – Wadi – Hanna – Dujaila – 2nd Kut – Baghdad – Samarrah Offensive – Jebel Hamlin – Istabulat – Ramadi – Sharqat |
The Battle of Basra was a battle of World War I which took place in the city of Basra (modern-day Iraq) between British and Ottoman troops on December 10, 1914. The battle resulted in the British capture of Basra
[edit] Background
The British had captured Fao Landing in November of 1914 and secured the surrounding area, but had not advanced into Mesopotamia. When the Ottomans began massing troops at Basra, the British feared that the Ottomans would attack them at Fao, and decided to strike at Basra first.
[edit] The Battle
On December 7, 1914, British troops began the march from Fao to Basra. The Ottomans sent cavalry to stop the British advance, and there were many battles between the British infantry and the Turkish cavalry between December 7 and 9. Despite this, the British arrived outside Basra on December 10. The Ottomans retreated from Basra, leaving only a few hundred troops to guard the city. The British attacked Basra and within an hour the remaining Turkish troops were defeated and the British occupied Basra.
[edit] Aftermath
Even though the British captured Basra, they did not accomplish their goal of destroying the main Turkish army, which had now retreated to Kut. The failure of the British to win a decisive battle would result in many more campaigns in Mesopotamia.
