Fao Landing

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Fao Landing
Part of the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I
Map showing the initial British attack and capture of Basra, 1914.
Date 6–8 November 1914 Location Al-Faw, Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) 29°55′41″N 48°27′58″E / 29.928041°N 48.466148°E / 29.928041; 48.466148 Result British victory
Belligerents
British Empire  United Kingdom	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Brigadier General W.S. Delamain	Javid Pasha
Units involved
1 Brigade Landing party of Royal Marines	Elements of 38th Division, Iraq Area Command
Casualties and losses
Light, including one officer	300 captured 135 dead

The Fao Landing occurred from 6 November to 8 November 1914 with British forces attacking the Ottoman stronghold of Fao and its fortress. The landing was met with little resistance from the Turkish defenders who fled after intense shelling. It was the first military operation of the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I which was carried out to protect the British Empire's oil supplies in the Persian Gulf.