"دراسة نقدية عن الحملة في ميسوبوتاميا حتى أبريل ١٩١٧: الجزء I - تقرير" [و‎‎١‎٤‎٧] (٤٢٤/٢٩٨)

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♦can be gauged from tlie fact that on this short march of 10 miles, nearly
10 per cent, of the troops were knocked out by heat stroke.
The effect of this advance on our communications, already strain
ing our inadequate transport to the limit, was still further to increase
the difficulties of supply. All second line transport was now pooled.
Divisional Supply Columns were formed, and to supply the forwird
troops a ration convoy left Sheikh Saad for Sinn every fourth day.
The provision of transport and protection for these convoys taxed our
resources to the utmost. Convoys had to move at night on account
of the heat, they were of great length and very vulnerable, moving as
they did in a blinding cloud of dust and offering an irresistible oppor-
• tunity for loot, of which the Arabs constantly took advantage. It
must be remembered that battalions were extremely weak, the effective
strength being sometimes as low as a hundred with only one British
officer, thus making it impossible for a whole battalion or even two
effectively to protect a column of transport in the darkness and dust,
against a determined attack by a small body of Arabs bent on looting
and getting away. The Arabs in fact grew bolder and bolder
throughout the hot weather, being encouraged no doubt by our failure
to relieve Kut, and being well informed as to our weak points and
exhaustion.
An item of some interest was the arrival of a sotnia of Cossacks
who had ridden 200 miles across difficult Persian mountains. After
remaining a fortnight they returned to General Baratoff. This incident
though it had no material results, was not without moral effect.
The front was now organized into three areas. The left bank area
under the 7th Division, right bank forward area under the 3rd Division,
right rear area under the 14th Division. The latter two Divisions changed
places during the summer.
The 13th Division was withdrawn to Sheikh Saad and later to Amara
for the purposes of training, and in order to reduce ration strength at
riverhead. For the latter reason all possible animals also were sent
down stream. The construction of the 2' G' 7 railway from Sheikh Saad
was commenced. This eventually solved the supply question. It reach
ed Twin Canals on the 4th August and Sinn on 3rd September and its
capacity had greatly increased by the end of December. As the railway
grew, a line of blockhouses connected by a barbed wire fence on the
South African pattern was simultaneously constructed immediately
to the south of it, in order to put a stop to the marauding by Arabs.
This it eventually succeeded in doing to a large extent.
Lieutenant General R S. Maude assumed command of the Tigris
Corps on the 11th July and became Commander-in-Chief of Force " D "
on the 28th August when Major-General A. S. Cobbe took over the
Tigris Corps. It is noteworthy that they were the two most junior