"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. المجلد IV". [و‎‎٨‎٥] (٥٤٠/١٧٤)

BRITISH PURSUIT
133
At 5.35 a.m., General Brooking telegraphed congratulating
General Cassels and directing him to get back Colonel Tennant,
commanding the Air Force* ; and at 6 a.m. General Brooking
sent a further message to General Cassels saying that a battalion
of the 42nd Infantry Brigade was moving to relieve him of
his prisoners, that he was then to raid Ana and that Hogg's
Group had been ordered to Haditha.
At 6.30 a.m. General Brooking issued his orders for a general
pursuit. Hogg’s Group, with the double-horsed 1072nd
Field Battery and a wireless set carried in Ford vans, was to
seize Haditha, where he was to be joined by the Hertfordshire
Yeomanry and 10th Lancers’ squadrons and from where he was
to send back at least two hundred Ford vans to report to the
Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General by 5 p.m. ; and
the Reserve Group (under Colonel Brodrick), reinforced by a
battery, was to march to the Wadi Haqlan (about four miles
south of Haditha).
By 7 a.m.—when the total British captures amounted to
between 3,000 and 4,000 prisoners, ten guns, many machine
guns and much war material—the situation was briefly as
follows. Six cars of the 13th Light Armoured Motor Battery,
with the remainder of the Light Armoured Motor Brigade
(including the 8 th Battery from Hogg’s Group) preparing to
follow them, were well on their way to Haditha, towards which
place Hogg’s Group was also advancing. The 11th Cavalry
Brigade was concentrating about Alus ; Andrew’s Group had
reached the Wadi Hauran ; Lucas’ Group was within four miles
of it to the southward ; and the Reserve Group had just
started to advance from the vicinity of Khan Baghdadi.
Andrew’s and Lucas’ Group were to clear the battlefield and
the 215th Field Artillery Brigade and the 395th Siege Battery
were to move back to Sahiliya to ease the supply situation.
General Brooking was on his way by motor to see his infantry
brigade commanders and General Cassels.
Capturing a number of Turkish transport wagons with
their escorts en route and also about 100 prisoners after a
short action southward of the town, the 13th Light Armoured
Motor Battery reached Hadithaf without difficulty ; and Hogg’s
Group, following it, arrived there about 10 a.m. Con
tinuing to advance for some miles beyond Haditha, these
* An aeroplane, piloted by Colonel Tennant, and carrying Major Hobart
(Brigade Major, 8th Infantry Brigade) as a passenger, had been shot down
on the 25th March near the Khan Baghdadi position ; and both officers had
been taken prisoner. .
t It was found that the Germans here had burnt their wireless installation.