'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎64r] (132/454)

LANDING OF FORCE “ D ”
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three cables ahead; but owing to the numerous dhows coming
down on the ebb-tide progress was slow. No signs of the
enemy on shore were observed till just after 10 a.m., when
some guns near the fort opened fire. The Odin replied, opening
at 5,500 yards range and, although some difficulty was at first
experienced in directing the fire owing to the enemy’s well-
concealed position and to the lack of features and colour in
the landscape, the hostile gunfire was silenced by 10.45 a.m.,
after the Odin had closed in to 1,700 yards. The Turkish
guns, consisting of four Krupp field pieces firing from behind
banks about five hundred yards south-east of the fort, had
been well served and had hit the Odin twice ; and as she
approached the shore a heavy rifle fire was opened on her by
about three hundred Turks in trenches on the river-bank.
This, however, ceased on the Odin firing a few shrapnel; and
the enemy were soon observed to be retiring towards Fao
village. At 11 a.m., on the news that the enemy’s guns were
silenced, the transports Varela and Umaria proceeded to
opposite the telegraph station, the two transports and the
Mashona towing the seventeen boats containing troops, and
naval launches towing the detachment of mannes. The
telegraph station was reached at 2 p.m. and the boats cast off,
formed line, and made for the shore. There was no opposition,
and by 3.45 p.m. the covering party and first and second
reinforcements had landed. At 4 p.m., a company* of the
117th Mahrattas landed to form the garrison of Fao and to
protect the rear of Colonel Rosher’s force, which now proceeded
southward to take the fort. This was accomplished without
opposition during the night, the four Turkish field guns, which
it was impracticable to carry away, being dismounted and
thrown into the river ; and the force returned next morning
to the telegraph station.
Early on the 6th, in anticipation of a Turkish attack on
Abadan while the bombardment of Fao was in progress, the
Espiegle, leaving the armed yacht Cornet^ at Mohammerah,
had moved down the river and anchored southward of the
oil-works. She also landed on the Turkish bank of the river
an armed party, which cut the telegraph and telephone cables
* Although some little time elapsed after the outbreak of the Great War
before the British' organisation of companies and platoons was adopted
throughout the Indian infantry, the term “ company ” and not “ double
company ” is used throughout this work to indicate the unit representing
one-quarter of a battalion.
f She had arrived a short time before from Baghdad, where she had been
the official vessel of the Consul-General.