Battle of Megiddo (1918)
Vilayet of Beirut
What happened
British General Edmund Allenby led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, with T.E. Lawrence and Arab forces raiding to the east, against the Ottoman army group of Otto Liman von Sanders, including Mustafa Kemal's Seventh Army. In the final Allied campaign in Palestine during World War I, Allenby used tricks such as fake army camps and false signals to make the Ottomans expect an attack in the Jordan Valley. Instead, his infantry broke through the Ottoman lines near the coast, and cavalry rode through the gap to cut off two Ottoman armies. Aircraft bombed Ottoman communications and the retreating columns, and the Ottoman armies were destroyed.
Why it matters
Result: Allied victory. Why it matters: The victory destroyed two Ottoman armies and opened the way to Damascus. It led to the Ottoman Empire leaving the war.
What came next
Damascus fell on 1 October 1918, and fighting with the Ottomans ended with the Armistice of Mudros at the end of October. Allenby was made Viscount Allenby of Megiddo.
Did you know?
The battle was named after the ancient city of Megiddo because of its famous place in the Bible, even though little fighting happened near the ancient site itself.
Timeline
- 19 September 1918Allenby's attack at Megiddo begins.
- 1 October 1918Damascus falls.
- 31 October 1918Hostilities with the Ottomans end under the Armistice of Mudros.