Haifa Day: Israel, India celebrate 103rd anniversary of the Battle of Haifa

• Author: AARON REICH
• Published date: 23 September 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Taking place during the Battle of Megiddo that saw the British try to liberate what would soon become Mandatory Palestine from the Ottomans, the Entente powers realized they needed a port to resupply the Egyptian Expeditionary Force for it to continue its advance. In order to that, they needed to seize a port. Specifically, they needed to seize Haifa.

The troops tasked with taking the vital port were the soldiers of the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, consisting largely of soldiers from Jodhpur, Hyderabad and Mysore. The Mysore Lancers were to attack Haifa from the north, while the Jodhpur Lancers had to take the area between Mount Carmel and the Kishon River. This latter task was especially challenging, however. Ottoman machine-gun encampments and artillery lined the area, and quicksand by the riverbanks posed further difficulties.

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The Jodhpur Lancers were led by Maj. Thakur Dalpat Singh Shekhawat, a soldier born to a Rajput noble family who had already been distinguished with the Military Cross for his actions in battle at Abu Tulul in the Jordan Valley for attacking a machine-gun encampment, scattering its crew and capturing an Ottoman commander in July, as noted by the London Gazette.

He was able to lead the cavalry through difficult terrain and under the fire of Ottoman machine guns and artillery. While Dalpat Singh Shekhawat fell in battle, his charge was successful, capturing prisoners, taking down machine gun encampments and eventually storming into the city itself. The Mysore Lancers soon followed, and ultimately they took the city. The exact casualties vary on accounts, but some place the amount of German and Ottoman prisoners taken at 1,350 German and Ottoman prisoners, 17 artillery and 11 machine guns. The British Indian soldiers suffered just eight dead and 34 wounded.

The battle was fast — by at least one account it lasted just an hour. However, it was an undisputed success, with the port falling into British hands.

But the battle is not only important due to its impact on the war itself. In India, the battle holds significant...