ON THE ALEPPO ROAD

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 85, 7 October 1918, Page 7

ON THE ALEPPO ROAD

BRILLIANT PIECE OF FIGHTfNG.

(Received October 7, 8.30 a.m.) LONDON, sth October. Mr. Massey, writing from Damascus on the 2nd inst., states :—"Events move so fast in this oampaign that one can hariy keep abreast of them. The release -of this city after 600 years of Turkish thraldom is so important a world event that if one became a courier by ah' he could not glean all the news from this front. While we watched events of deep import at Damascus there was a brilliant piece of fighting on the Eastern Aleppo road, which added 3000 prisoners to General Allenby's captures. The Australian Light Horse Brigade yesterday morning advanced towards Duma, to which several thousands of the enemy are retreating before them. They got to^a- cultivated area, where the Germans' and Turks' machine-gunners fought a- hard rearguard action to permit the main force reaching a pass twenty miles north-east of Damascus, where the crests were held by machine-guns. The enemy held villages strongly, guns being placed in the houses. By continually outflanking the enemy the cavalry nibbled into the position, increasing their captures every hour, until by dusk eight hundred prisoners and eighty machiue : guns were taken on this road. On the flanks many other prisoners were brought in, but the day was remarkable fox the masterly way in which the machine-gun nests in the olive groves and vineyards were rendered . impotent. A FALSE ALARM. "It was an anxious time for the brigade while the mass of the machinegun opposition was being dealt with. A patrol brought news that a column of three thousand mounted men was advancing from Aleppo to Damascus. 'Quick, and lively with the ' machineguns' was the order, so as to prepare to. deal with the larger body, but the latter proved to be the arrival of a caravan with enormous numbers of camels going from Aleppo to Mecca, escorted by thousands of armed Arabs. .SURRENDER OF A COLUMN. "IWlay jiews reached the brigade that a force was moving from the mass of wooded and cultivated, area, north-west of l Damascus, endeavouring to pass the Aleppo road. Insttatly the order was given to advance, and the brigade trotted and gallopsd six miles to head the enemy off, ITie cavalry could not approach the pass nearer than. 2000 yards because of the machine-guns on the crssis. Riding hard it got over the open to the base of the foothills before the Tnrks and captured an- entire- column of 1400 men, in the nick of time, with only oiio casualty in the brigade. Time was an important factor, as the enemy was preparing to resist. The men of the Light Horso drew their swords, and were ordered to charge. The flashing of the swords in the bright sunlight was immediately followed by the signal to surrender. During the last two days this brigade took 2000 prisoners, and had under twenty casualties. MASTERLY CONDUCT OF OPERATIONS. "The situation south and south-east of tho town at dusk last evening was most interesting. The, cavalry brigade cut in two a column. of Turks which was endeavouring to reach Damascus from Dera. A portion' of the brigade dealt with.the enemy on their Damascus side, and others headed off the .remainder of the column to the westward, where it was caught by anofhtr force. Nine hundred prisoners were taken. Meanwhile the British and Indian cavalry, advancing northwards from Dera with the Hedjait army on the right, drove the remnants, of the stragglers of the Fourth Army into the hands of the troops holding the pass on tlio Hedjaz road between iKisje and Damascus. ' "This morning every exit front the City was closed by our troops. The whole operation was conducted in a masterly manner."