page_title: Battle of Tel el Khuweilfe
section_title: Water, relief and evacuation problems
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Tel el Khuweilfe / Battle / 3 November / Edh Dhahriye / Water, relief and evacuation problems
caption_attribution_description: English: An Australian Army Caterpillar tractor in 1917 in Palestine
context_page_description: The Battle of Tel el Khuweilfe, part of the Southern Palestine Offensive, began on 1 November 1917, the day after the Egyptian Expeditionary Force victory at the Battle of Beersheba during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. After the Stalemate in Southern Palestine a series of coordinated attacks were launched by British Empire units on the Ottoman Empire's German commanded Yildirim Army Group's front line, which stretched from Gaza inland to Beersheba. During fighting for the town, the road from Beersheba to Jerusalem via Hebron, was cut just north of the town in the southern spur of the Judean Hills. Here Ottoman units strongly defended the road and the Seventh Army headquarters at Hebron.
  Over the next week, attacks by the 53rd Division, the Anzac Mounted Division, and the 5th Mounted Brigade attempted to capture the Khuweilfe position. Attacks were launched by the British infantry and Yeomanry cavalry, and Australian and New Zealand mounted brigades.
context_section_description: As there was no water in the Ras en Naqb area, it was necessary to return to water at the Beersheba wells, which had been augmented by thunderstorms two or three days before the town was captured. Although the wells in Beersheba had not been seriously damaged, the pumping engines could not be used and had to be replaced. New pumps were carried in by caterpillar tractors, while the pumping plant at Asluj was dismantled and brought in to Beersheba on 3 November. Several wells were found in gardens on 3 and 4 November, and although the water left after the thunderstorms and the wadies was soon exhausted, by 6 November 390,000 gallons a day were being produced, equaling demand. This was supplemented by 100 motor lorries carrying full 1,800 litres (480 US gal) water tanks that shuttled between Beersheba and Karm 26 kilometres (16 mi) away.
  The divisional supply trains were withdrawn back to Karm, where water was readily available, because 30,000 animals in the Beersheba area needed water. Meanwhile, the horses of the 1st, 2nd Light Horse, 5th Mounted and New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigades, fighting in the Tel el Khuweilfe area, had only one really good drink during the four days they were in the area, even though the 7th Mounted Brigade found enough water on the east of the line for their horses. The 8th Light Horse Regiment, having suffered three killed and 14 wounded on 3 November, retired with the 1st Light Horse Brigade back to Beersheba, where the regiment watered for the first time in 39 hours. The horses of the 1st Light Horse Brigade had, by then, been 30 hours without water.
  In order for the horses to be watered, Chaytor ordered the 5th Mounted Brigade (temporarily attached to the Anzac Mounted Division from the Australian Mounted Division), to relieve the 1st Light Horse Brigade at Ras en Naqb. The Worcestershire Yeomanry (5th Mounted Brigade) had ridden to Abu Jerwan and on to near Ain Kohle, where all packhorses were left at 14:00 before the regiment rode quickly in column of half squadrons extended to 500 yards (460 m) internals between squadrons, under heavy shrapnel and machine gun fire. Although there was cover behind the hill, the departure and approach of large numbers of horses and troopers were targeted from an Ottoman position on the left as they rode up a valley to within 800 yards (730 m) of their attackers before heading to the right up another valley, to reach Ras en Naqb.
  I shall never forget the sight as line after line of Yeomen swept up the valley at a steady canter under a hail of machine gun and rifle bullets. Whether it was our pace which put the Turkish marksmen off their aim or not I cannot say, but we managed to reach the comparative safety of the second valley with little loss.
  — Major Lord Hampton, a squadron commander in the Worcestershire Yeomanry
  The wounded had to be transported a few miles back from the front line to dressing stations by camels and sand carts. From there, they were taken back to collecting stations in the foothills of the Judean Hills, or along the Jerusalem to Beersheba road, from where they were evacuated to the Anzac and Australian Mounted Divisions receiving stations near Beersheba. Here, they were joined from 6 November, by the Yeomanry Mounted Divisional receiving station. From these divisional receiving stations, and the main infantry dressing stations, the wounded were sent back to Imara.
caption: Caterpillar tractor towing two trailers across the desert
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