Battle of Abu Tellul

Battle of Abu Tellul
Part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
Turkish defences at Abu Tellul
Date 14 July 1918 Location Palestine Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom India  Australia	German Empire  Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
H. J. M. Macandrew Charles Cox Cyril Rodney Harbord
Strength
15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade 1st Light Horse Brigade B Battery, Honourable Artillery Company	Ottoman 24th Division (supported by two German battalions)
Casualties and losses
189 including 23 killed, 46 wounded Australian Light Horsemen	about 1,000; 105 killed, 45 wounded, 425–540 captured

The Battle of Abu Tellul (called the Affair of Abu Tellul by the British Battles Nomenclature Committee) was fought on 14 July 1918 during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I after German and Ottoman Empire forces attacked the British Empire garrison in the Jordan Valley. The valley had been occupied by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) from February 1918 when Jericho was captured. Following two raids east of the River Jordan by the EEF the first in March and second in April the defence of the valley became the responsibility of the Desert Mounted Corps.

A German and Ottoman force attacked the Australian Light Horse units defending the heights at Mussallabeh and Abu Tellul on the edge of the Judean Hills, while a German force attacked those defending the Wadi Mellaha midway between Abu Tellul and the Jordan River. As these attacks were taking place on the western bank of the river, on the eastern side the Ottoman Caucasus Cavalry Brigade deployed two regiments, to attack the bridgeheads at the fords of El Hinu and Makhadet Hijla. However, the Ottoman formation was overwhelmed by a combined force of British and Indian troops before it could launch its attack. These were the last attacks against the British forces in this campaign.

Abu Tellul was a strategically important ridge located near the west bank of the Jordan river which, together with another ridge to the north called Mussallabeh, formed a salient in the British defensive line in the Jordan valley. A number of defensive posts were constructed by the Australian and New Zealand garrison which were often between 400 yards (370 m) and 1,000 yards (910 m) apart, consisting of either dug or built up stone sangars, while the ravines in between were covered with barbed wire. The British artillery batteries were concealed close behind the front line just south of the ridge.

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