Raid on the Beersheba to Hafir el Auja railway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raid on the Beersheba to Hafir el Auja railway
Part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
The main Ottoman desert base at Hafir el Aujah
Date 23 May 1917 Location in southern Palestine, just to the north of, and midway along the Egyptian frontier Result Desert Column demolition of sections of the railway from Beersheba to Hafir el Aujah
Belligerents
British Empire  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland  Australia  New Zealand	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Harry Chauvel
Units involved
Desert Column

The Raid on the Beersheba to Hafir el Auja railway was a military operation during World War I. It happened on May 23, 1917, in southern Palestine. This raid took place between two bigger battles: the Second Battle of Gaza and the Battle of Beersheba.

During the raid, soldiers from the British Empire attacked and destroyed parts of a railway line. This railway belonged to the Ottoman Empire. It ran from Beersheba south to Hafir el Auja. Engineers and soldiers from the Anzac, Imperial Mounted Division, and Imperial Camel Corps Brigade worked together. They blew up bridges and railway tracks. While they did this, other troops created a distraction near Beersheba.

Why the Railway Was Attacked

On the edge of the Eastern Desert

The railway line from Beersheba to Hafir el Auja was very important to the Ottoman army. It could quickly move many soldiers and supplies. This made it a threat to the British Empire's supply lines. These lines stretched all the way from Egypt across the Sinai desert.

Earlier attempts to destroy the railway from the air had failed. Bombs dropped on a bridge in December 1916 did not cause much damage. In May 1917, a small group of camel soldiers attacked the line. They blew up some wells and a stone bridge. They also captured some Ottoman railway workers. These workers said the Ottomans were taking rails from the southern part of the line. They were using them for a new railway closer to the front lines at Gaza. However, the main part of the railway from Hafir el Auja to Beersheba was still working.

Eighteen Arch Ashlar Bridge at Asluj

Hafir el Auja was a large Ottoman base in the desert. It had strong stone buildings, barracks for soldiers, a hospital, and a big water supply. Even though the Ottomans had left it earlier, they could easily use it again. The railway made it possible to bring many troops to this base. From there, they could launch attacks far behind the British lines. Destroying the railway would stop this threat.

Getting Ready for the Raid

Lieutenant General Philip Chetwode was in charge of the British forces. He ordered the railway to be destroyed.

The Attacking Teams

The attacking force was split into two main groups:

• One group, led by Edward Chaytor, included engineers and soldiers from the Anzac Mounted Division and Imperial Mounted Division. They rode from Shellal to Asluj, which is about 12 kilometers south of Beersheba.
• The second group was the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade. They rode from Rafa to Hafir el Auja. They had to travel along a difficult path between sand dunes.

While these groups worked, other British soldiers created a distraction. The Imperial Mounted Division made a show of force southwest of Beersheba. At the same time, British guns fired at the Ottoman defenses in Gaza. This was to keep the Ottoman army busy and unaware of the railway raid.

Distraction Near Beersheba

On May 20, the 3rd Light Horse Brigade was told to "attract the attention of the enemy at Bir Saba." This meant they needed to make the Ottomans think they were going to attack Beersheba. The soldiers marched with their supplies and equipment. They carried enough food and water for a day.

One scout, Harry P. Bostock, described how they found a crossing over a deep valley. They guided the brigade through a misty, foggy night to their attack point. At dawn, they moved towards Beersheba. They met Ottoman cavalry patrols several times but drove them away. This helped keep the Ottoman soldiers focused on them, not the railway.

Demolition Squads

Special teams were trained to help the Royal Engineers destroy the railway. About 100 soldiers from the mounted regiments joined the engineers. They learned how to blow up railway tracks and bridges in just a few days.

The Anzac Demolition Squadron had two main types of teams:

• Teams to destroy rails: Each had an officer and 53 soldiers. They carried explosives on horses and small carts.
• Teams to destroy bridges: Each had two officers and 70 soldiers. They also carried explosives on horses and carts.

Moving Towards the Railway

Both groups of soldiers started their journey on the night of May 22. Chaytor's group left at 7:00 PM. A strong, dusty wind called a khamsin blew in their faces. It made it hard to see and breathe. The air was so full of static electricity that a horse's mane would spark when touched.

Chaytor's group marched through the night. They reached Esani at 6:00 PM and rested. From there, the demolition teams split up. They went with their escorting regiments towards the railway line. The main Anzac Mounted Division arrived near Hill 770, a little off their planned spot, but stayed there for the day.

Other brigades took up positions to protect the demolition teams. They faced east, ready to stop any Ottoman attacks. Only a few armed Bedouin (local people) tried to stop them, but they were quickly captured.

Destroying the Railway

Laying the gun cotton charges on the railway line

At daylight on May 23, the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade was in position. They were north of where the demolitions would happen. They were also in touch with the Imperial Mounted Division, who were distracting the Ottomans near Beersheba. Only a few snipers tried to stop the work.

Chaytor's northern group reached Asluj by 7:00 AM. By 10:00 AM, they had already set and exploded charges. They cut every other rail on both sides of the track for about 7 kilometers. The large 18-arch stone bridge at Asluj was also destroyed. They blew up every second arch of the bridge.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Camel Brigade arrived at Hafir el Auja at 11:45 AM. They started destroying about 13 kilometers of railway line and seven bridges.

Laying the gun cotton charges at the base of a pier of the Asluj bridge

The demolition teams worked quickly. They laid slabs of gun cotton (an explosive) on the rails. One team would place a charge on a rail, then skip the next. A second team would place charges on the rails that the first team skipped. Then, other soldiers would wire the charges, add detonators, and light the fuses. Each team destroyed a section of rail about 12 to 15 centimeters long. In total, about 15 kilometers of railway line were destroyed this way. Bridges were wrecked by placing charges on every other arch and setting them off electrically.

All the demolition work was finished by 1:00 PM. The soldiers then returned to their camps.

Eighteen Arch bridge at Asluj after demolition

The Imperial Camel Brigade destroyed about 7,600 meters of single track. They also completely destroyed a six-span bridge and heavily damaged a twelve-span bridge. They continued working until 5:00 PM before withdrawing.

By noon on May 23, about 13 kilometers of railway line and six bridges had been destroyed. The raid was a complete success. Both groups of soldiers returned to their bases without being attacked. A large stone railway bridge was completely blown up, and many miles of track were destroyed. This made the remaining southern part of the railway useless.

After the Raid

All the demolition work by Chaytor's group was done by 10:20 AM. By 2:20 PM, they were seen heading back north. After they cleared the area, other brigades covered their retreat. They watered their horses at Esani and then marched back to their main camp at Tel el Fara. During their return, soldiers burned about 110 tons of crops. They also captured thirteen Ottoman prisoners.

One soldier, Robert Wilson, wrote about the raid: "We rode out to a Turkish railway just beyond Beersheba, arrived there at dawn and blew about fourteen miles of it all to blazes besides three small bridges. Whether we took them by surprise or whether they were afraid of us I don't know but we met practically no opposition and got back safely the next night with hardly a casualty in the two divisions."