Ottoman forces had occupied large defensive positions around Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea, known as the Tel el Sheira Line, stretching 43 km south-east to the strongly fortified town of Beersheba. General Allenby’s Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) which included the Australian and ANZAC Mounted Divisions had launched an unsuccessful attack on Gaza on 26 March. Another, much larger infantry and tank assault was carried out between 17 and 19 April, but the Ottoman defences had been strengthened and this attack was also unsuccessful. A defensive stalemate then occurred between April and October. Allenby then decided to mount a third attempt on Gaza by turning the Ottomans’ left flank by capturing Beersheba which had a garrison of 1,000 men, nine machine-guns and two aircraft. He used 47,500 men of the British 20th Corps and 15,000 troopers of the Desert Mounted Corps, then commanded by Lieutenant General Harry Chauvel who had been promoted to corps command after the earlier victory at Romani. The plan was to assault Beersheba from the south-west with infantry and with mounted troopers from the east. However, the famous charge could not take place until a Turkish strongpoint at Tel el Saba to the north of the assembly area had been captured. This was a fierce all-day fight by the New Zealand Mounted Brigade and success only came late in the afternoon at the cost of 28 dead. The Australian charge in the early evening of 31 October by the 4th (Vic) and 12th (NSW) Light Horse Regiments over six kilometres of open ground is well known. The town was captured and the wells secured, but Australian casualties were 31 killed and 36 wounded, and 70 horses were killed.
