New York Times Current History: The European War, Vol 2, No. 1, April, 1915: April-September, 1915Various
History
New York Times Current History: The European War, Vol 2, No. 1, April, 1915: April-September, 1915
Various
World War, 1914-1918
During the morning the enemy moved toward Ismailia Ferry. The infantry
used the ground well, digging shelter pits as they advanced, and were
covered by a well-served battery. An officer, apparently a German,
exposed himself with the greatest daring, and watchers were interested
to see a yellow "pie dog," which also escaped, running about the
advancing line. Our artillery shot admirably and kept the enemy from
coming within 1,000 yards of the Indian outposts. In the afternoon the
demonstration--for it was no more--ceased but for a few shells fired as
"a nightcap." During the dark night that followed some of the enemy
approached the outpost line of the ferry position with a dog, but
nothing happened, and day found them gone.
At the same time as the fighting ceased at the ferry it died down at El
Kantara. There the Turks, after a plucky night attack, came to grief on
our wire entanglements. Another attempt to advance from the southeast
was forced back by an advance of the Indian troops. The attack, during
which it was necessary to advance on a narrow front over ground often
marshy with recent inundations against our strong position, never had a
chance. Indeed, the enemy was only engaged with our outpost line.
Late in the afternoon of the 3d there was sniping from the east bank
between Tussum and Serapeum and a man was killed in the tops of a
British battleship. Next morning the sniping was renewed, and the Indian
troops, moving out to search the ground, found several hundred of the
enemy in the hollow previously mentioned. During the fighting some of
the enemy, either by accident or design, held up their hands, while
others fired on the Punjabis, who were advancing to take the surrender,
and killed a British officer. A sharp fight with the cold steel
followed, and a British officer killed a Turkish officer with a sword
thrust in single combat. The body of a German officer with a white flag
was afterward found here, but there is no proof that the white flag was
used. Finally all the enemy were killed, captured, or put to flight.
With this the fighting ended, and the subsequent operations were
confined to "rounding up" prisoners and to the capture of a considerable
amount of military material left behind. The Turks who departed with
their guns and baggage during the night of the 3d still seemed to be
moving eastward.
So ended the battle of the Suez Canal. Our losses have been amazingly
small, totaling about 111 killed and wounded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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