'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎172r] (348/454)

THE TURKISH POSITION
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feature in the flat and open plain. The Turkish extreme right
flank rested on a large redoubt * The Tigris itself was blocked
close to the Turkish trenches by a boom, constructed of barges
and wire cables and commanded at close range from both
banks of the river by guns and fire trenches. On the left bank
the entrenchments extended for seven miles northwards,
separated into three sections by the Horse Shoe and Suwada
marshes. The defences on the extreme left consisted of a
chain of redoubts, connected by a maze of trenches, and reached
to within two thousand yards of the Ataba marsh.f
The trenches themselves were very well constructed, with a
thorough attention to detail. Well traversed and well con
cealed, they afforded a clear command over the ground in front
of them, which was flat and devoid of cover. The front of the
position was covered J by formidable barbed wire entanglements,
military pits, and land mines, while behind were miles of
communication trenches and underground chambers. Covered
outlets had been made to the river banks, where ramps and
landing stages facilitated the utilisation of river craft; and
pumping engines and water channels carried water from the
river to the trenches. Gun emplacements of brick and mortar
had been constructed, offering alternative positions for batteries
and connected with one another by broad communication
trenches.
A bridge of boats some five miles upstream formed the
only lateral communication between the two portions of the
Turkish force, and its distance so far in rear constituted a
grave defect in the Turkish position. .
This position was believed to be occupied on the right bank
• by the 35th Turkish Division (six battalions) and on the left
bank by the 38th Division (six battalions) ; four battalions
formed a reserve near the Turkish bridge of boats, and
the mounted troops § consisted of two cavalry regiments
and four hundred camelry, supplemented by a large number
of Arab horsemen. It was estimated that the total strengt
of the two divisions did not exceed six thousand infantry, o
whom one quarter were Turks and three quarters Arabs.
* In the operations for the relief of Kut, in March 1916, this was known
It i^probabkthatthe Turkish left rested originally on the marsh which
had. recently receded in its due seasonal course. . , .
J The entrenchments north of the Snwada marsh were not so completely
covered by obstacles as elsewhere in the position. • ,
§ During the battle most of these were absent on a raid against the British
communications near Sannaiyat.