'Critical Study of the Campaign in Mesopotamia up to April 1917: Part I - Report' [‎173r] (350/424)

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13th Division.—Concentrating near tlie Fort 346. Artillery
partly north, partly south, of river.
Cavalry Division.—Bivouacked near the 13th Division.
I Corps—
7th Division.—28th-21st Brigade, Ataba Marsh—Guwam, 19th
Brigade, Nukhailat, 8th Brigade (attached) from Ataba
Marsh to north end of Suwada position.
3rd Division.—(Less 8th Brigade), Guwam—Imam U1 Mansur,
9th Brigade, Pump house—Atab.
During the three days' fighting from February 22nd to 24th losses
liad been heavy on both sides.
The Turks had already lost 2,250 in the Dahra Bend operations
while at Sannaiyat on February 17th he had lost another 400.
Before we crossed the Shumran his estimated strength was down to
9,200 w T hile few reinforcements were likely to arrive.
On February 24th part of the 64th Regiment, leading the 14th Divi
sion, reached Bughaila, but the rest only came up in time to hold the
Diyala.
On our side during the three days the—
I Corps lost .......... 1,350
III Corps lost ......... 1,400
T otal . 2,750
At Sannaiyat the I Corps captured 70 and counted 640 dead.
The enemy must ha ve lost there at least ..... 1,400
The III Corps killed and captured at Shumran .... 1,600
T otal . 3,060
Hence out of the 9,200 of the XVIII Turkish Corps it is unlikely
that more than 6,200 started the retreat to Baghdad.
(1) The outstanding feature of these operations is of course the suc
cessful crossing at Shumran, which is likely to
Comments. , . • , i mi, • • ,
become an historic example, ine mam points
ifco be noted are :—
(^) The site selected, allowing of converging covering fire, and of
rapid extension of a bridge-head with secure flanks. The
defence was in the salient. The point selected was as distant
as possible from the Sannaiyat position to which the enemy
N\ere tied down. The conformation of the ground denied
the enemy effective observation. The site of the bridge
being two miles from the Dahra Ridges.