"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. المجلد IV". [و‎‎١‎٨‎١] (٥٤٠/٣٦٦)

17th DIVISION PROGRESS 305
sea r c ^ the heights on either side of the road, a lengthy
and difficult operation in the dark. Owing to this and to the
number of deep ravines which could generally only be crossed
with difficulty, progress was slow. At 7.15 a.m., when about
!u Ve ?i^i eS T fr r 0m the enem y’ s position, General Wauchope sent
the ll^th Infantry and the 25th Mountain Battery to move
along the crest of the Jabal Khanuqa with a view to attacking
the enemy's left* It had originally been General Wauchope’s
intention to halt the remainder of his column for an hour at
this stage to give the Mahrattas time to get abreast. But, as
the information that General Cassels was being heavily attacked
made it important to lose no time, the main column, headed by
one squadron 32nd Lancers and the 2nd Royal West Kent
Regiment, continued its advance at once.
By 8 a.m. the 32nd Lancers had gained touch with the
enemy and an airman had reported that some 2,000 Turkish
infantry were holding the trenches to the south of Sharqat.
At this hour General Leslie joined General Wauchope and,
assuming direct command, issued orders that the column was
to push on but that its infantry were not to be committed to
the attack without adequate artillery support.f
At Balalij Colonel Coningham, who had been out of touch
with Divisional headquarters since the previous day, did not
receive his orders to advance till 8.25 a.m. At 9 a.m., as he was
starting, communication (by heliograph) was re-established and
he was told to co-operate on General Wauchope’s left flank.
With Colonel Coningham were two troops 32nd Lancers, head
quarters lOlst Heavy Artillery Brigade with one section each
of the 157th and 246th Batteries, the l/lOth Gurkhas and two
sections 257th Machine Gun Company. The 45th Sikhs with
three sections 258th Machine Gun Company were on the march
from Ain Dibs and passed through Balalij at ll a.m. on their
way to join Colonel Coningham.
The difficult nature of the ground continued to delay the
progress of General Wauchope’s column. Even the infantry
and pack animals experienced difficulty in crossing many of the
numerous deep dry watercourses, and the field artillery only
managed to get along with very great difficulty. In the mean
time the 32nd Lancers, reconnoitring well and boldly, furnished
most accurate reports of the enemy’s position and strength,
a l so k a< ^ orders to get into communication with the 18th Division
on the Tigris left bank.
t The field artillery was even then, apparentlv, some way behind the
infantry, owing to the bad road.
(19465)