The Egyptian Expeditionary Force and the Battles for Jerusalem: Command and Tactics in the Judaean Hills, November–December 1917

Abstract

The photograph of the Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) General Sir Edmund Allenby entering Jerusalem on 11 December 1917 is one of the most iconic of the First World War and the British effort in the war. The capture of Jerusalem offered the British government and public some relief at a time of setbacks and disappointments on the Western Front. The capture of Jerusalem was a tangible, significant and symbolic gain, and it was a clear sign that the Turkish army was being defeated. This historic moment of British forces entering the Holy City has, however, not been matched by historical interest, and the Palestine Front in general in the First World War has often been described as a ‘forgotten front’.¹ Although interest is picking up, albeit gradually over the past 20 years, and with new works being produced during 2014, the immediate military operations that led to the capture and consolidation of Jerusalem have not received a great deal of scholarly attention.²