Battle of Istabulat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Istabulat
Part of the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I
Date 21 April 1917 Location Istabulat, Iraq Result British victory
Belligerents
British Empire  India  United Kingdom	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Frederick Stanley Maude	Khalil Pasha
Units involved
7th (Meerut) Division and 8th (Jullundur) Brigade of 3rd (Lahore) Division	6th Army
Strength
45,000 Men (theater)	10,000 Men
Casualties and losses
~ 2,000	~ 2,000

The Battle of Istabulat was an important fight during World War I. It happened on April 21, 1917, in what is now Iraq. This battle was part of a bigger plan called the Samarra offensive. The British Empire wanted to gain more control after they had already captured the city of Baghdad from the Ottoman Empire.

Why the Battle Happened

After the British captured Baghdad, their general, Frederick Stanley Maude, worried about new threats. Ottoman forces led by Khalil Pasha had about 10,000 soldiers north of Baghdad. Another Ottoman group, with 15,000 troops, was coming from Persia.

General Maude wanted to protect Baghdad and the areas the British had taken. So, he started the Samarra Offensive. He had four main goals for this mission:

• Push Khalil Pasha's 6th Army further north.
• Stop or destroy the 8th Corps from joining the 6th Army.
• Capture the train yard at Samarra. This would stop the Ottomans from bringing in more soldiers and supplies.
• Make sure the dams around Baghdad were safe. This would prevent the Ottomans from breaking them and flooding the area.

Getting Ready for Battle

The main British army moved along both sides of the Tigris river. On April 17, the British successfully pushed the Ottomans out of their trenches near the Adhaim river. The British had very few losses, but they captured 1,200 Ottoman soldiers.

On April 18, a group called the Black Watch scouted the Ottoman positions at Istabulat. Another group, the 28th Punjabis, did the same on the other side of the Dujail river. On April 19, the Black Watch pushed back enemy troops with little trouble.

During the night, the British built three strong outposts. Two were on the east side of the Dujail, and one was on the west. The Ottomans knew they had to fight this advance. If the train yard at Samarra was lost, they would not be able to get more soldiers to the area easily.

The Battle of Istabulat

The attack on the Ottoman position at Istabulat began on the morning of April 21. The 92nd Punjabis moved forward towards Istabulat station. They successfully took the station and dug in about half a mile past the main Ottoman trenches.

At 6:30 a.m., the Black Watch and the Gurkhas reached the bottom of a high ridge. The enemy was waiting there for the attack. The Gurkhas and Black Watch reached their targets almost at the same time. The Gurkhas captured nearly 200 prisoners in the north part of the Ottoman defenses. The fighting there was not as strong.

However, in the Dujail Redoubt (a strong fort), the Ottoman resistance was much tougher. The Black Watch cleared this strong point by 6:45 a.m. But the Ottomans quickly regrouped and attacked back. They managed to take back most of the position. The Highlanders pushed them out again by 7:15 a.m., and the fort was firmly back in British hands. The Highlanders had many losses, with 10 officers and 173 soldiers killed or wounded.

The Ottomans launched several counterattacks along the Dujail river. It took two hours of close-quarters fighting for the British to secure the north bank. The 9th Bhopals tried to go around the enemy, but they went too far and came under heavy fire. Two hundred of their soldiers were lost, including many officers.

South of the canal, a company of the 28th Punjabis advanced with the 21st (Bareilly) Brigade. The Seaforths on their left attacked about three hours later and pushed the enemy from their first trench. The British had hoped to push hard on the right first to make the Ottomans retreat to the left. This would distract them from the troops moving over more open ground. But the Ottoman position held strong all day. It was not until early on the morning of April 22 that the Ottomans finally left their positions.

What Happened Next

After the battle, Turkish forces had to give up the Samarra Rail Yard to the British. This meant they lost their chance to get a strong position back in the region.

In the Battle of Istabulat, both sides lost about 2,000 soldiers. The British had around 18,000 soldiers killed or wounded in the entire Samarra offensive. Another 37,000 soldiers were lost due to sickness. The Ottoman Empire lost about 15,000 soldiers in the campaign, which greatly weakened their 6th Army.

Two brave soldiers, John Reginald Graham and Charles Melvin, were given the Victoria Cross for their actions at Istabulat. The Victoria Cross is the highest award for bravery in the British military.