Battle of Megiddo

The Battle of Megiddo (19-25 September 1918) marked the start of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign's final British-led attack. It was able to defeat the Ottoman Turks and their German allies by successfully combining cavalry, infantry, artillery, armored vehicles, and aircraft. It was the start of a string of significant Allied triumphs that eventually saw the Ottoman Turkish troops crumble and withdraw from the war, and it is also one of the major battles of World War I.

Under the command of British Lieutenant-General Sir Edmund Allenby, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) began an operation against Ottoman soldiers in northern Palestine and the Jordan Valley on September 19. Allenby's strategy was to envelop Ottoman forces reassembling in the Megiddo area and cut off their escape routes. An effective Allied deception effort had persuaded Ottoman soldiers that an Allied onslaught would come from the east, leaving Ottoman positions in coastal Palestine exposed and out manned.

The onslaught began with a powerful but brief artillery barrage. With an advance of over 30 kilometers on the first day, British and Commonwealth forces soon smashed through the damaged Ottoman lines. The Desert Mounted Corps then pushed through holes in the Ottoman fortifications to encircle them. Under the pressure of the Allied offensive, the Ottoman Eighth and Seventh Armies disintegrated, with tens of thousands surrendering.

The victory at Megiddo paved the path for Australian troops to invade Damascus on October 1. Other strategically significant cities were seized by the Allies in the weeks that followed. On October 30, the Ottoman Empire attempted to reach a peace agreement with the Allies, and an armistice was signed in Mudros, with hostilities ending the next day at 12 noon. This was also after the defeat of Turkish forces in Mesopotamia by Britain and her allies.

When: 1918