Turks withdraw from the Suez Canal

On the morning of 4 February 1915 the soldiers defending the central sector of the Suez Canal were preparing for a renewed Turkish attack. When day broke, however, it turned out that the enemy’s main force had vanished. After the failed attempt to cross the previous day, the Ottoman army had withdrawn in the night into the depths of the Sinai desert. Only isolated detachments and snipers remained by the canal.

The decision to retreat

The order to retreat was issued on the evening of 3 February by the Turkish command, headed by Ahmed Djemal Pasha. The crossing had failed, and most of the pontoons had sunk or been abandoned. The defenders had fresh Indian brigades in reserve and the support of warships, while the Turkish troops, tired by the march across the desert, were short of water. The hope with which the Turks and Germans had set out against Egypt had also come to nothing: the appearance of the sultan’s troops had not provoked any rising against the British in the country. According to Turkish accounts the troops withdrew in good order, first to a camp about 10 kilometres east of Ismailia.

Surrender at Serapeum

In the morning two companies of the 92nd Punjabis moved along the eastern bank of the canal north of the Serapeum post to clear the ground as far as Tussum. They ran into a strong Turkish detachment, hidden in hollows in the ground, which for unclear reasons had not left with the rest of the troops. After an exchange of fire, when the Indians were already preparing for a bayonet charge, the Turks surrendered. According to General John Maxwell’s report, 6 officers and 251 men were taken prisoner, and according to the later official history nearly 300 men, together with three machine guns. On the position 59 dead were found, among them the German staff officer who had directed the crossing. In Maxwell’s report he appears as Major von den Hagen, in the official history as Captain von dem Hagen.

No pursuit

The British did not pursue the retreating Turks. The British official history explains this by the lack of cavalry and camel troops, the poor training of some of the troops and the dispersal of the rest along the whole length of the canal. Nor were there enough bridges to move larger forces quickly to the eastern bank. The following days were spent on air reconnaissance and minor raids. On 5 February the airmen reported that the Turks were falling back towards Katia, and by 10 February only small rearguards remained near the canal. The main force returned across the desert to Beersheba.

According to British figures the defenders lost 32 killed and 130 wounded in the fighting on the canal. Among the mortally wounded was the New Zealand private William Ham of the Nelson Company, who died on 5 February. The British estimated Turkish losses at more than 2,000 men. Other estimates, including those based on figures from Djemal himself, speak of about 1,400–1,500 men. More than 700 Turkish soldiers were taken prisoner in the course of the whole operation. The Suez Canal remained in British hands, while Djemal’s army escaped destruction and was able to return to Sinai later.