Second Battle of Gaza - Prelude

Prelude

In their communications with the War Office in the United Kingdom, Generals Murray and Dobell, commander of the Eastern Force, had falsely portrayed the first battle of Gaza as a British success and gave every indication that a quick resumption of the offensive would have immediate and positive results. Dobell planned a typical Western Front attack with two days of preliminary bombardment followed by a frontal infantry assault on the enemy trenches. The experienced combat commanders, General Philip Chetwode, commander of the British Desert Column, and General Henry Chauvel, commander of the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division (Anzac Mounted Division), were less optimistic about the chances of breaking the Ottoman line. On the eve of the attack one British commander concluded his briefing thus:

That, gentlemen, is the plan, and I might say frankly that I don't think much of it.

The infantry component of Dobell's Eastern Force had expanded since the first battle to four infantry divisions; the 52nd (Lowland) Division, 53rd (Welsh) Division, the 54th (East Anglian) Division and the recently formed 74th (Yeomanry) Division which was made up of brigades of dismounted yeomanry serving as infantry. The mobile component remained the Desert Column which comprised the Anzac Mounted Division and the Imperial Mounted Division plus the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade. The 74th Division and Anzac Mounted Division would remain in reserve during the battle.

In keeping with the "Western Front" flavour of the battle, the British introduced poison gas and tanks to the middle-eastern battlefield for the first time. Two thousand gas shells and six tanks were available. While the tanks were certain to be deployed, doubts remained about whether to use gas though the concerns were operational rather than humanitarian.

It was estimated that the Ottoman forces occupying the Gaza-Beersheba defences numbered between 20,000 and 25,000. The defences had been strengthened since the first battle. The west flank of the line was defended by the fortress of Gaza. To the east the line was held by a series of redoubts located on ridges, with each redoubt providing support for its neighbours. The low ground between the redoubts was unoccupied or lightly held. From west to east these redoubts were "Tank", Atawineh, Hareira and Sheria. Beyond Sheria the defences were thin as far as the township of Beersheba but the lack of water on the approaches to this region made the Ottomans consider anything other than a cavalry raid unlikely.