page_title: Desert Mounted Corps
section_title: Amman
hierarchical_section_title: Desert Mounted Corps / Service history / Amman
caption_attribution_description: English: JERICHO, PALESTINE. 1918. CAMEL CORPS CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN (TO ATTACK AMMAN) NEAR JERICHO ON PONTOON BRIDGE BUILT BY AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS. APRIL 1918.
context_page_description: The Desert Mounted Corps was an army corps of the British Army during the First World War, of three mounted divisions renamed in August 1917 by General Edmund Allenby, from Desert Column. These divisions which served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign had been formed by Australian light horse, British yeomanry, and New Zealand mounted rifles brigades, supported by horse artillery, infantry and support troops. They were later joined by Indian cavalry and a small French cavalry detachment.
  The Desert Mounted Corps comprised the ANZAC Mounted Division, the Australian Mounted Division and the Yeomanry Mounted Division, with infantry formations attached when required, as had Desert Column. In the first month of its existence, the corps continued training and patrolling no man's land preparing for manoeuvre warfare. Their first operations would be the attack, along with the XX Corps of the Battle of Beersheba. Having captured their objective they were involved in a series of battles, before the old Gaza to Beersheba line was finally broken a week later.
context_section_description: January 1918 started with the British holding a line of trenches to the north of Jaffa and Jerusalem. The Desert Mounted Corps was withdrawn to Gaza to rest and refit. In February the ANZ MTD DIV and the 60th (London) Divisions were relocated to Bethlehem and on 18 February were given orders to move into the Jordan Valley and capture Jericho. The advance began the next morning and by nightfall the ANZAC Division had reached El Muntar, only four miles (6.4 km) south of the Jericho. Travelling by narrow tracks the 1st LH Brigade reached the Dead Sea at dusk. By dawn 21 February the New Zealand Brigade reached Nebi Musa without opposition, and the 1st LH Brigade entered a deserted Jericho at 08:00. The divisions patrols located the Turkish forces holding a bridgehead on the west bank of the River Jordan at El Ghoraniyeh, to the east of Jericho, and in a position along the Wadi el Auja to the north of the city.
  The campaign had settled down into static trench warfare in the west, however in the east Allenby decided to raid the Hedjaz Railway at Amman, to destroy the viaduct and railway tunnel. The ANZ MTD DIV, with the Camel Corps Brigade and 60th Division would carry out the raid. The plan was for 60th Division would force a river crossing, then the mounted force would head for Amman blow up the viaduct, tunnel and as much of the rail line as possible then withdraw, the infantry would remain on the east bank holding the bridgehead. On 21 March by 08:00 the infantry had completed a pontoon bridge across the Jordan six miles (9.7 km) south of El Ghoraniyeh and by 12:00 had a brigade on the eastern bank. Attempts to cross at El Ghoraniyeh failed until 23 March when in the early morning a raft crossing was made and by 04:00 part of the New Zealand Brigade was across the river and heading north. Eight hours later they had seized the high ground above El Ghoraniyeh, capturing seventy prisoners and several machine-guns. By that night a second pontoon bridge had been constructed at Hajlah, and three more at Ghoraniyeh. The whole raiding force were across the river before daylight on 24 March. The 1st Light Horse Brigade moved to El Mandesi three miles (4.8 km) to the north, covering the 60th Divisions attack on El Haud and Shunet Nimrin. After heavy fighting El Haud was captured at 15:00, a New Zealand squadron supporting the infantry, then attacked the Turkish right who retired to Es Salt. The 2nd LH and Camel Corps Brigades advanced up the Wadi Kefrein reaching Rujm el Oshh by 15:30. The remainder of the New Zealand Brigade advanced up the Wadi Jofet to El Sir, but the infantry had only advanced four miles (6.4 km) by nightfall. Rain started that night turning what were marked as tracks on their maps into small rivers. Struggling against the weather the 2nd Brigade travelled all night and reached Ain el Hekr by 04:30, only having covered sixteen miles (26 km) in twenty-fours hours. It was even worse for the Camel Corps Brigade following behind their last unit arrived at Ain el Hekr fifteen hours later. The advance continued and although still raining the terrain was easier to cross and the leading troops of the two brigades linked up with the New Zealand Brigade at 05:30 26 March one mile (1.6 km) to the east of El Sir. The three brigades had been marching for three nights and two days and Chaytor decided to rest, for twenty-four hours, instead of pressing on and assaulting Amman. During the rest period a patrol from the 2nd LH Brigade attacked a Turkish position capturing 170 prisoners while another destroyed thirty German trucks and a car that were stuck in mud. That evening the 1st LH Brigade and 60th Division reached a deserted El Salt. The infantry were as exhausted as the mounted troop having fought for three days and nights to reach their present position and they also rested for twenty-four hours. Overnight Chaytor despatched two small patrols to blow up the rail line to the north and south of Amman. The group from the 2nd LH Brigade heading north come upon a large body of Turkish cavalry and were forced to turn back. The
caption: Men and camels of the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade crossing a pontoon bridge over the River Jordan.
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