Flip Keegstra arrived in Tripoli escorting two troopships. This brought the Italians needed reinforcements to Tripoli to supplement the naval landing force of 1,200 temporarily holding the city. The following day, the remainder of the Italian invasion force arrived increasing the complement of Italian soldiers in the city to 35,000. At that point, the outnumbered Turks were content to flee the city and take refuge at a number of points surrounding the city including Gharian to the south; Ain Zara, about five miles to the southeast; and at the Zanzur oasis twelve miles to the southwest. The Turkish commander, Colonel Neschat Bey	Battles of Zanzur (1912)
11256542	, began immediately to call upon his Bedouin allies and assemble a larger force. During the month of October by recruiting native volunteers, Colonel Neschat Bey grew his force to an army of 20,000 men. The battle for Tripoli, however, continued till nearly the end of October and included the massacre and slaughter or Italian soldiers by Turkish-Arab forces on 23 October at Shar al-Shatt and the reciprocal massacre and slaughter of Tripolitania civilians by the Italians on 24-26 October at the Mechiya Oasis It was mid-December before the Italians felt secure enough in Tripoli to attempt 	Battles of Zanzur (1912)
11256543	invasions into the interior of Tripolitania to attack the strongholds of the Turkish-Arab forces. The first of those attacks occurred on 4 December when the Italians successfully attacked and captured Ain Zara. After that strike, the Italians turned their attention to Zanzur. Battles. Throughout the winter and spring of 1911-1912, the Italians attempted numerous times to attack and capture the Turkish-Arab stronghold of Zanzur. On 17 December, Italian General Pecori-Giraldi led four battalions of infantry on an attack. The attack was unsuccessful and the Italians suffered casualties of 50 men killed and 100 wounded. It was 	Battles of Zanzur (1912)
11256544	seen as such a failure in the eyes of the Italian Army that General Pecori-Giraldi was relieved of his command. The Italians tried again, once in January and twice in February, but in each case the Italian infantry was repelled by the Turkish-Arab defenders. Meanwhile the Turkish-Arab forces surrounding Tripoli continued to prosecute the war by means of incessantly attacking the perimeter defences that the Italians had established to protect the city. In March, the Italians again made multiple attempts to capture Zanzur, even utilizing dirigible airships to drop hand grenades and bombs upon the defenders. In 	Battles of Zanzur (1912)
11256545	each case, the Turkish-Arab defenders continued to fight off and defeat the Italians. Finally in June, the Italians assembled an attack force three times larger than previously engaged and set out once again to capture Zanzur. On the morning of 8 June, the Italian army commanded by Vittorio Camerana attacked the Turkish-Arab defenders of Zanzur at their position on the heights of Abd-el-Gilil on the east side of the oasis. The Italian attack force included 14 battalions of infantry, one brigade of cavalry, and a mountain battery. After a hard-fought engagement, the Italians secured a 	Battles of Zanzur (1912)
11256546	position on the heights, entrenched a perimeter, and fought off a flank attack by Turkish-Arabs reinforcements from Bu Meliana. Here the battle ended. The Turkish-Arab defenders had given up the heights of Abd-el-Gilil, but remained in possession of the Zanzur oasis. The Italians suffered casualties of 43 killed and 279 wounded while Turkish-Arab casualties were estimated to range from 1,000-1,400 killed. The occupation of the heights of Abd-el-Gilil gave the Italians a measure of control over the Zanzur oasis, however, to further their objectives at Tripoli it was necessary that they take 	Battles of Zanzur (1912)
11256547	possession of the oasis along with the hills to the south, the valley of Hira, and the height of Sidi-Bilal. On 17 September, the Turkish-Arab forces suffered a major defeat at Derna incurring casualties of 2,000 men killed. Although Derna is more than 700 miles east, the loss of men affected the ability of the Turkish-Arab forces to continue the resistance in the vicinity of Tripoli. Taking advantage of the situation, the Italians commanded by Lieutenant General Ragni attacked Zanzur including the height of Sidi-Bilal on 20 September and finally defeated the Turkish-Arab force after 	Battles of Zanzur (1912)
11256548	12 hours of fighting. Aftermath. After the occupation of Zanzur, Tripoli was quiet. By 8 October, the Italians had extended their field railroad from the western perimeter of Tripoli at Gagaresh to Zanzur and opened it for traffic. The Italians then set their sites for addition incursions into the interior. Meanwhile, the Balkan states of Montenegro, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece formed the Balkan League after observing the struggles of the Ottoman Empire in the Italo-Turkish War. In an attempt to reclaim territory in Eastern Europe, Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 8 October. Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece 	Battles of Zanzur (1912)
11256549	followed Montenegro's lead and declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 18 October Given the burden of a pending war in the Balkans, the plenipotentiaries from Italy and Turkey quickly wrapped up the negotiations that had been underway since August and signed a preliminary Treaty of Peace in Lausanne, Switzerland on 15 October. The final draft of the treaty which has come to be known as the Treaty of Ouchy was signed on 18 October 1912 Battles of Zanzur (1912) The Battles of Zanzur or Battles of Janzur, were a series of battles that took place in 1911-1912 	Battles of Zanzur (1912)
11256550	Flip Keegstra Flip Keegstra Philippus Harco Flip" Keegstra (20 June 1914, Amsterdam – 9 May 1991, Amsterdam) was a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his native country as at the 1948 Summer Olympics in Torbay. Keegstra, as crew member on the Dutch Swallow "St. Margrite", took the 11th place with helmsman Wim de Vries Lentsch. In 1952 Keegstra returns to the Olympics, Helsinki, in the 5.5 Metre "De Ruyter". With Helmsman Wim de Vries Lentsch and fellow crew member Piet Jan van der Giessen they took the 13th place. Flip Keegstra Philippus Harco "Flip" Keegstra (20 June 1914, Amsterdam – 9 May 1991