page_title: Charge at Irbid
section_title: 4th Cavalry Division
hierarchical_section_title: Charge at Irbid / Background / 4th Cavalry Division
caption_attribution_description: English: Battles of Megiddo. 4th Cavalry Division. Transport crossing the Wadi-el-Bireh near Jisr Mejamie. Some fourteen German lorries trying to escape were bogged and abandoned here (one can be seen). It took two days to get 30 of our lorries across.
context_page_description: The Charge at Irbid occurred on 26 September 1918 as a consequence of the victory at the Battle of Megiddo during the subsequent inland pursuit by Desert Mounted Corps to capture Damascus in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. The charge occurred when the 2nd Lancers of the 10th Cavalry Brigade, 4th Cavalry Division, attacked the Ottoman Army garrison defending the town of Irbid.
  Remnants of the Ottoman Seventh and Eighth Armies were retreating in columns towards Damascus from the Judean Hills via Samakh, Jisr Benat Yakub, Kuneitra and Kaukab, followed by the Australian Mounted and the 5th Cavalry Divisions, while remnants of the Ottoman Fourth Army were retreating in columns towards Damascus along the Pilgrims' Road through Deraa.
  The 4th Cavalry Division at Jisr el Mejamie and Beisan was ordered to march east to intercept this remnant of the Fourth Army. At Irbid the 2nd Lancers charged Ottoman rearguard units but were strongly counter-attacked and defeated. By the next morning the Ottoman force had withdrawn from the town.
context_section_description: During the cavalry phase of the Battle of Sharon the 4th Cavalry Division had captured Afulah and Beisan, closing the last crossing points along the Jordan River between Jisr ed Damieh and Beisan, garrisoning Beisan and the Jisr el Mejamie crossing of the Jordan River north of Beisan.
  On 25 September the Central India Horse, 10th Cavalry Brigade, which had been garrisoning Jisr el Mejamie since 23 September, was joined by the remainder of the 10th Cavalry Brigade. They arrived from Beisan with orders to advance as quickly as possible to Irbid and Deraa, and to contact Feisal's Sherifial Army. The brigade began their advance to Deraa on 26 September, when they left Jisr el Mejamie and crossed the Jordan River, while the remainder of the 4th Cavalry Division followed, leaving Beisan for Jisr el Mejamie. The division's rearguard; the 11th Cavalry Brigade arrived at Jisr el Mejamie at 18:30 on 26 September.
caption: Transport crossing the Wadi el Bireh near Jisr el Mejamie on 27 September – it took two days to get 30 lorries across. Here 14 German lorries were bogged and abandoned.
exif: {}