"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. مجلد I" [ظ‎‎١‎٥‎٤] (٤٥٤/٣١٣)

284 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
of the advanced trenches were located. On the left bank, the
narrow belt of date plantation allowed of a closer approach,
but it was not found possible to locate the exact sites of their
advanced trenches or guns in this part of their position. The
enemy continued to work hard at strengthening their defensive
works and their launches made several ineffective attempts to
sink mahailas at the obstruction in the river.
As a result of the reconnaissance, General Gorringe sent the
24th Punjabis and half the 48th Pioneers, on the night of the
7th/8th, to occupy an advanced position along the near bank
of the Umm as Sabiyan creek, in order to prevent further
attempts to block the river and to cover artillery positions
which had been selected for the British guns. This operation
was carried out successfully with but little opposition from the
enemy. By this time all the troops except the 63rd Field
Battery had disembarked from their steamers and encamped
on the south bank of the Euphrates in the Asani bend*
On the 8th, the British artillery opened on the enemy’s
position; but owing to the difficulty of observation its fire
seemed to have little effect. The enemy paid little attention
to it, continuing their work on the trenches, and their guns
did not reply.
General Gorringe’s effective strength was only nineteen
hundred rifles, and owing to the heat many of these were only
fit for light duty. The enemy’s position was a strong one and
was held, it was estimated, by two thousand troops with eight
guns besides a large number of Arabs. General Gorringe
decided, therefore, that he must send back for reinforcements.
The opposition he had encountered had been an unpleasant
surprise, but there was no time to be wasted. All the available
British light draught steamers were with his force and it would
be necessary to send them back to bring up any reinforcements.
The water in the Hammar lake was falling very quickly and,
unless the operations could be brought soon to a successful
conclusion, the water line of communication might become so
low as to prove impassable by the requisite steamers. Also,
General Nixon was very anxious to have the use of these
steamers to complete the withdrawal of troops from Ahwaz,
to meet what appeared to be the commencement of a Turkish
move down the Tigris from Kut al Amara, which was having
a most unsettling effect on the Arabs round Amara.
The Sumana, owing to the damage received in action on the
5th, had also to be sent back to Basra for repairs and she and
* Owing to the great heat, tents had been sent with the force.