Battle of Haifa (1918)

Battle of Haifa
Part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
Jodhpur lancers marching through Haifa after it was captured
Date 23 September 1918 Location Haifa, Ottoman Empire Result British-Indian Victory Territorial changes Port changed hands enabling the British to land supplies closer to their front line.
Belligerents
India Jodhpur Mysore Hyderabad[1]	Ottoman Empire  German Empire  Austria-Hungary
Commanders and leaders
Cyril Rodney Harbord Dalpat Singh Shekhawat	Jemal Pasha Enver Pasha Erich von Falkenhayn Otto Liman von Sanders Friedrich Kressenstein
Units involved
15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade	Haifa garrison
Casualties and losses
8 Indians killed 34 Indians wounded[2]	Unknown killed and wounded Prisoners 2 German officers 23 Ottoman officers 664 other ranks[2] total: 1,350 prisoners, 2,000 missing

The Battle of Haifa was fought on 23 September 1918 towards the end of the Battle of Sharon which together with the Battle of Nablus formed the set piece Battle of Megiddo fought between 19 and 25 September during the last months of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. During the Battle of Haifa, the Indian 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, 5th Cavalry Division and part of the Desert Mounted Corps attacked rearguard forces of the Ottoman Empire that resulted in the capture of the towns of Haifa and Acre. This attack took place at the north western edge of the Esdraelon Plain (also known as the Jezreel Valley and the plain of Armageddon), 40–50 miles (64–80 km) from Sharon.

The Battle of Megiddo had begun with an attack by British Empire infantry along an almost continuous line from the Mediterranean Sea across the Plain of Sharon into the foothills of the Judean Hills. They attacked the Ottoman front line and captured the headquarters of the Ottoman Eighth Army at Tulkarm, the trenches at Tabsor and pivoted at Arara. The Eighth Army was outflanked on the coast and British Empire cavalry moved north through the gap created. The Desert Mounted Corps almost encircled the infantry in the Judean Hills capturing their main lines of supply, communications and retreat. By 25 September, one Ottoman army had been destroyed, and what remained of two others, were in retreat northwards to Damascus.^{[citation needed]}

The 5th Cavalry Division was assigned the task of capturing Haifa and Acre after several earlier attempts were stopped by strong rearguard positions. A squadron from the Mysore Lancers, and a squadron from the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade formed the initial attack on an Austrian artillery battery before moving forward with the Jodhpur Lancers and a light car patrol, to attack the main German rearguard position and capture the town. This day of 23 September every year is celebrated as Haifa Day.^{[citation needed]}