Battle
Fog had begun to develop and from about 03:50 became very thick. It remained for about four hours, then began to lift. Just before dawn at 05:00 it was so dense that objects could not be seen 20 yards (18 m) away, but by this time most of the infantry had crossed the wadi. However, it made it impossible for Dallas to reconnoitre the proposed battleground and he waited at El Breij for the fog to lift, while his two leading brigades moved slowly forward. Visibility was improving about 07:30. By 07:55 the fog had lifted sufficiently for heliographs to be used to communicate with headquarters. But the fog was so heavy that all aircraft in No. 1 Squadron which had moved forward to a new landing ground at Rafa for the opening attack, had to turn back as nothing of the ground could be seen from the air.
Read more about this topic: First Battle Of Gaza
Famous quotes containing the word battle:
“What a battle a man must fight everywhere to maintain his standing army of thoughts, and march with them in orderly array through the always hostile country! How many enemies there are to sane thinking! Every soldier has succumbed to them before he enlists for those other battles.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“In the domain of Political Economy, free scientific inquiry meets not merely the same enemies as in all other domains. The peculiar nature of the material it deals with, summons as foes into the field of battle the most violent, mean and malignant passions of the human breast, the Furies of private interest.”
—Karl Marx (1818–1883)
“Hell grant soon we hear again the swords clash!
And the shrill neighs of destriers in battle rejoicing,
Spiked breast to spiked breast opposing!”
—Ezra Pound (1885–1972)