The surrender of Sir Charles Townshend's garrison to Khalil Pasha in late April 1916 led to a reorganization of both Turkish and British forces in the area. This would lead to the Second Battle of Kut in World War 1.
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Prelude
Khalil Pasha took the opportunity to pull back his extended line by 10 miles. He had planned to attack Persia, but this plan was abandoned due to renewed British success along the Tigris River.
Meanwhile, the shock of the loss of the Kut-al-Amara garrison prompted the British government in London to revise its view of the Mesopotamian Front.
The government now saw the front as a more important strategic objective than it had previously, and it committed more resources to the campaign.
Until the fall of Kut, the War Office in London had acquiesced in the Indian administration's management of military affairs in Mesopotamia. However, the Indian administration's policy of an aggressive "forward defense" had caused unease among ministers in London, notably Sir William Robertson.
With Khalil's unequivocal victory and the consequent serious damage to British prestige in the Middle East, London determined to take over the handling of the campaign in the region. This resulted in the recall of the unpopular George Gorringe, who had failed to relieve Townshend.
In his place, the relatively junior Sir Frederick Maude was appointed. Maude eventually came to be recognized as the war's most successful commander operating on the Mesopotamian Front.
Maude was appointed commander of the Tigris Corps in July 1916 and, the following month, of the entire front. He immediately began to reorganize and resupply British and Indian forces in the region.
British strength in the region was reinforced by an influx of Anglo-Indian troops. However, sickness continued to claim a high number of casualties until Maude finally revamped the British system of medical supplies, which had been virtually nonexistent up to that point.
By October 1916, Maude had 150,000 troops under his command, half of which were on the front lines. He was determined to launch a renewed offensive against Kut before the winter floods.
Maude's plans were not unknown to the local Turkish commander, Karabekir Bey. Despite being outnumbered by three to one, he reinforced Turkish trench positions. However, his calls for reinforcements were ignored by Khalil.
Along with improvements to the British system of medical supplies, great progress was made in improving transport mechanisms. Satisfied that British preparations were nearing completion, Maude requested and received permission from London to advance on Baghdad.
The Battle
The British attack was launched on the night of December 13-14, 1916, on both banks of the Tigris River. Approximately 50,000 men, organized in two corps, were involved in the advance.
Progress was slow but steady due to heavy rain and an overriding concern to minimize casualties. It took two months to clear the west bank of resistance below Kut and included the capture of the fortified Khadairi Bend on January 29, 1917.
On February 17, 1917, Maude crossed the Shumran bend to the right of Turkish forces and launched an attack on both flanks. Karabekir Bey, overwhelmed, authorized a skillfully managed retreat from Kut a week later on February 24. He was heavily pursued by a flotilla of naval gunboats, which led to action at Nahr-al-Kalek. However, the British cavalry was unable to provide assistance as they were under fire from well-sited machine guns.
The retreating Turks also faced additional difficulties from repeated attacks by local Marsh Arabs, who attacked both sides at every opportunity.
The success of the British advance (which petered out on February 27, some 100 kilometers beyond Kut at Aziziyeh) persuaded Khalil to postpone and then abandon his plans for a Turkish sweep through Persia. He also recalled a corps fighting against Russian forces in western Persia to boost his own strength.
Buoyed by his success in retaking Kut, Maude barely paused before pushing on with the advance to Baghdad, which fell to the British the following month.