The Battle of Kut Al Amara

The Battle of Kut Al Amara, which took place between December 7, 1915, and April 29, 1916, in the Kut region of Iraq, is known as the battle where the Ottoman Empire's army defeated the British army and captured their soldiers during World War I. This battle had two main parts: the Battle of Salman Pak and the Siege of Kut.

In December 1914, the British attached great importance to the Iraq front due to its route to their colonies. The British anticipated that they could easily end the Iraq front with the suicide of Süleyman Askeri Bey, the first Ottoman commander assigned to Iraq in December 1914, and the leader of the Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa established in 1913, after losing the battle of Shuaybe against the British army on April 14, 1915.

The British army, with approximately 30,000 soldiers from the 6th Poona Division, led by Major General Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend, was attempting to advance towards Baghdad during the First British Offensive in the Iraq front. However, on November 22, 1915, in Salman Pak, when they encountered Colonel Nureddin Bey and the Ottoman army, it would mark the beginning of the end for them. The British 6th Poona Division, after encountering the Ottoman army, suffered defeat and sought refuge in the city of Kut, located 160 km south of Baghdad on the banks of the Tigris River. Although Kut city had a population of approximately 6,000, the fortress within it ensured that the British could hold the city.

The newly established 6th Army of the Ottoman Empire, allied with Germany, was led by Marshal Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz. Goltz, who arrived in Baghdad on December 5, 1915, immediately ordered the siege of Kut, where the British division had taken refuge, and the battle of Kut Al Amara began under the command of Colonel Nurettin Bey (Sakalli), the Ottoman commander of the Iraq region.

Despite numerous attempts by the British army to break the siege and rescue the Poona division from Kut, they faced significant losses. The battle of Sheikh Saad on January 6, 1916, resulted in approximately 4,000 British casualties, while the battle on January 21, 1916, involving 20,000 soldiers, led to 2,741 casualties. In the Sabis battle on March 8, 1916, under the command of Colonel Ali İhsan Bey, Ottoman forces caused around 3,500 British losses. Despite these successful defenses, a retreat order was given due to misinformation, but the situation and the siege were reorganized.

Around March, approximately 20,000-30,000 reinforcements of Ottoman soldiers were sent from the Caucasian Front to the Kut front, significantly strengthening the Ottoman forces. Despite General George Frederick Gorringe's powerful attack with 30,000 troops on April 5, 1916, near Felahiye, they suffered approximately 1,200 casualties and had to withdraw.

No matter how hard the British attacked, they couldn't break through the Ottoman army, and the siege of Kut continued. The situation inside Kut city, where General Townsend and his Poona (Indian) army were trapped, was becoming increasingly dire. Despite orders to slaughter horses for food, Muslim Indian soldiers refused. In return, Townsend tried to obtain a fatwa through radio communication to allow the consumption of horse meat, but it was not very effective. Soldiers were dying of hunger, with many Indian Muslim soldiers in the British army defecting to the Ottoman side when they realized they were fighting against fellow Muslims, further worsening Townsend's situation.

At this point, the British army initiated an unprecedented option in military history: aerial resupply. Over a span of 26 days, attempts were made to provide material and ammunition support using three Short 184 type seaplanes from the Ora airbase on the banks of the Tigris River. However, these shipments were largely ineffective due to attacks from Ottoman ground forces and materials falling into the Tigris River. In fact, a rare event in history occurred when an Ottoman soldier shot down a British plane.

On April 19, 1916, German Marshal and commander of the Iraq region (6th Army), Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz, died of typhus in Baghdad. Mirliva Halil Kut was appointed in his place, becoming the sole authority in the Iraq region. Despite the British government's efforts to rescue their trapped army in Kut, they were unsuccessful. It's even claimed that through the intermediary of the famous British spy Lawrence of Arabia, an offer of a bribe four times the amount of the Ottoman treasury at the time (about 2 million pounds) was made to Halil Pasha, which he vehemently rejected, ultimately dismissing Lawrence. The request for assistance from the Russians, who were allies of the British at the time, and the efforts of the Russian army under General Nikolay Baratov in Iran being thwarted by Turkish officers played a decisive role in the victory of Kut Al Amara.

On April 29, 1916, British General Townshend, along with 5 generals, 481 British officers, and approximately 13,300 remaining soldiers, surrendered unconditionally to the Ottoman army by means of a written statement, indicating that they accepted Halil Pasha's terms. General Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend, in his memoirs, mentioned that he surrendered his sword and pistol to Halil Pasha when he surrendered at Kut Al Amara, but Halil Kut responded, "These were yours until now, and they will remain so." Subsequently, the captured soldiers, along with their generals, were sent to Aleppo.

In the Battle of Kut Al Amara, the Ottoman army suffered approximately 10,000 killed and 350 officers, while the losses for the British army were around 30,000. Additionally, about 13,000 British soldiers and officers were taken as prisoners of war.

The Ottoman army, both in terms of equipment and the number of soldiers, demonstrated exceptional heroism against the British army, repelling their attacks from both inside and outside Kut city for an extended period. The victory of Kut Al Amara was also influenced by the enmity of the Kut population towards the British. As is known, not all Arabs sided with Lawrence during World War I. Like the people of Kut, many Arab communities, due to their historical and religious ties, sided with the Ottoman Empire and fought alongside them.

In his quest to make history by capturing Baghdad single-handedly, but ultimately being captured along with his army due to Turkish strength, British General Townshend (although recorded as a captive, he was treated very well; even his beloved dog, which he had left in Kut city, was brought to him from Iraq by special courier) wrote a letter to the authorities after it became clear that the Ottoman Empire had lost the war. In this letter, he expressed his desire to act as a mediator in peace negotiations and assured that he would use his diplomacy and efforts to ensure that the Ottoman Empire suffered minimal losses in the upcoming treaty.

The victory of Kut Al Amara led to significant anxiety and morale decline within the British army, resulting in a series of resignations. The losses of both Çanakkale and Kut Al Amara shattered the belief of the British in their invinc

ibility and their claim to world dominance. The defeats of Kut Al Amara and Çanakkale were pivotal in reshaping British war literature and were seen as turning points in the course of the war. In fact, a slogan that found its way into British war literature, reflecting public sentiment, was "Our lions led by donkey," coined after this battle.

The Battle of Kut Al Amara, one of the most important battles of World War I and a significant tactical victory, caused the Ottoman Empire and the Allies to suffer losses towards the end of 1917. This, coupled with the strengthening of the British due to their increasing power, led to the capture of the region by the British army on February 23, 1917. Although the British army managed to recapture Kut, they could never forget or overcome the significance of April 29, 1916. The Kut Al Amara defeat, according to British accounts, extended World War I by two years. Unfortunately, despite its importance, the victory of Kut Al Amara did not receive the recognition it deserved in our history for many years.

The Kut Festival, celebrated every April 29th within the Turkish army, commemorates the victory of Kut Al Amara. However, in 1952, with Turkey's entry into NATO, under political pressure from Britain, efforts were made to erase the Kut Festival and the victory of Kut Al Amara from history. This is because, according to Britain, in terms of its military history, the loss at Çanakkale was not considered a defeat but a strategic withdrawal. Nevertheless, the Kut Al Amara battle was a clear military defeat in British and world war history. Despite their attempts to consign it to the dusty pages of history, it is evident today that they were not successful in doing so due to the growing awareness of the Turkish society and their historical consciousness.