Hell in the Holy Land: The First and Second Battles of Gaza, March-April 1917

‘Then from the little hills, the Desert Column called down joyful greetings to this splendid army. What boyish-faced, cheerful lads they are! And so on, right until after the sun dimmed down, tramp, tramp, tramp. It is late now, we feel that Constantinople is ours.” –March 25, 1917 diary entry by Trooper Ion Idriess of the 5th Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC Division.

Hell in the Holy Land: The First and Second Battles for Gaza is a wargame simulation of the first major offensives by Allied forces in in Palestine during World War. Following defeats along the Suez Canal the Ottoman government forcibly evacuated the civilians of Gaza and began fortifying the town and nearlby high ground. The Allied forces occupied the Sinai but could only slowly build up forces for a sustained offensive, and only after extensive work was completed on rail lines and water pipeline from Egypt. In the Spring of 1917 this work was completed and both sides prepared for a fight. In the meantime the Ottoman Empire had won significant victories over the Allies at the Gallipoli peninsula, and in Iraq where a British and Indian army were compelled to surrender after a grueling siege. The Allies brought to Gaza hundreds of artillery, the largest concentration of this weaponry outside of the Western Front, including gas chemical shells, as well as tanks. The Ottomans had also rushed reinforcements, including veterans who were at Gallipoli, German advisors, and aircraft.

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