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{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict   = Capture of Jericho
| image      = [[File:Allied commanders breakfast after the capture of Jericho 1918.jpg|300px|alt=Group of officers having a cup of tea with horses and cars in the background]]
| caption    =  Breakfast meeting of Generals Chaytor, Chauvel and Chetwode on the morning of the capture of Jericho, 21 February 1918
| partof     = the [[Middle Eastern theatre of World War I]]
| date       = 19–21 February 1918
| place      = East of [[Jerusalem]] to [[Jericho]] in the [[Jordan Valley (Middle East)|Jordan Valley]]
| type       =
| result     = Egyptian Expeditionary Force victory
| combatant1 = {{flag|British Empire}}
* {{flag|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}
* {{flag|Australia}}
* {{flag|Dominion of New Zealand|name=New Zealand}}
| combatant2 = {{flag|Ottoman Empire}}
| commander1 = {{flagicon|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}} [[Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|Edmund Allenby]]<br />{{flagicon|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}} [[Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode|Philip Chetwode]]<br />{{flagicon|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}} John Shea<br />{{flagicon|Dominion of New Zealand}} [[Edward Chaytor]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon|German Empire}} [[Otto Liman von Sanders]]<br/>{{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} [[Djemal Pasha]]<br />{{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ali Fuat Cebesoy|Ali Fuad Bey]]<br />{{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} [[Refet Bele|Refet Bey]]
| units1     = [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]]<br>[[XX Corps (United Kingdom)|XX Corps]]
*[[60th (London) Division]]
*[[53rd (Welsh) Division]]
and [[Desert Mounted Corps]]'s
*[[1st Light Horse Brigade]]
*[[New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade]]
| strength1 = 6,800{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}{{dubious|a division had around 20,000 menHad you though Jim Sweeney, that not the whole division took part, please read the article |date=December 2012}}
| units2    = [[Yildirim Army Group]]<br>[[Seventh Army (Ottoman Empire)|Seventh Army]]<br>[[XX Corps (Ottoman Empire)|XX Corps]]
*26th Division
*53rd Division
| strength2   = 3,000{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}
| casualties1 = 510
| casualties2 = 144 prisoners, 8 machine guns
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Sinai and Palestine}}
{{Campaignbox World War I}}
}}

The '''Capture of Jericho''' occurred between 19 and 21 February 1918 to the east of [[Jerusalem]] beginning the [[Occupation of the Jordan Valley]] during the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]] of the [[First World War]]. Fighting took place in an area bordered by the [[Bethlehem]]–[[Nablus]] road in the west, the [[Jordan River]] in the east, and north of a line from [[Jerusalem]] to the [[Dead Sea]].<ref>Battles Nomenclature Committee 1922 p. 33</ref> Here a [[British Empire]] force attacked [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] positions, forcing them back to [[Jericho]] and eventually across the [[Jordan River]].

Winter rains put an end to campaigning after the [[Battle of Mughar Ridge|advance]] from the [[Gaza City|Gaza]]–[[Beersheba]] line to the [[Battle of Jerusalem|capture of Jerusalem]] in December 1917. This lull in the fighting offered the opportunity for the captured territories to be consolidated. Extensive developments were also required along the [[lines of communication]] to ensure that [[front-line]] troops were adequately supplied, approximately {{convert|150|mi|km}} from their main bases at Moascar and [[Al Qantarah El Sharqiyya|Kantara]] on the [[Suez Canal]].

General [[Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|Edmund Allenby]]'s initial [[Strategic planning|strategic plans]] focused on his [[Flanking maneuver|open right flank]]. If attacked with sufficiently large forces, he could be outflanked by an attack from the east—unlike his left flank which rested securely on the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the west. His aim was to capture the territory east of Jerusalem stretching to the Dead Sea, where his right flank could be more secure. The area was garrisoned by Ottoman troops entrenched on hill-tops which the British infantry, [[Australian light horse]] and [[New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade]]s attacked. The infantry captured Talat ed Dumm on the main Jerusalem to Jericho road, while the light horse and mounted rifle brigades captured Jericho and the area to the south bordered by the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.

==Background==
[[File:1st Australian Light Horse wagons at Esdud 1918 AWM photo B01536.jpg|thumb|Wagons of the 1st Australian Light Horse going through the flood waters at Esdud to collect their rations on 7 January 1918. Photographer Frank Hurley]]
The advance from [[Beersheba]] came to a halt in December.<ref name="Bou185">Bou 2009, p. 185</ref><ref>Powles 1922, pp. 172–3</ref> On 14 December Allenby reported to the [[War Cabinet]] that the rainy season would prevent any further operations, after [[Battle of Jerusalem (1917)|Jerusalem]] was secured, for at least two months.<ref>Grainger 2006, p. 218</ref> At this time, the [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]] was paralysed by a breakdown in [[logistics]] forcing Allenby to send the [[Anzac Mounted Division|Anzac]] and the [[Australian Mounted Division]]s, along with the [[Imperial Camel Corps Brigade]] south of [[Gaza City|Gaza]] to shorten their lines of communication. He wrote: "I can't feed them, with certainty, and even now, a fortnight's heavy rain would bring me near starvation."<ref>Allenby to Robertson 25 January 1918 quoted in Woodward 2006, p. 160</ref> On 1 January, the [[5th Mounted Brigade]] began moving back through the rain and slush followed by the [[4th Light Horse Brigade]]s [[Field Ambulance]], beginning the Australian Mounted Division's journey back to [[Deir al-Balah|Deir el Belah]] south of Gaza.<ref>Hamilton 1996, p. 99</ref> The Anzac Mounted Division did not move back quite so far; the [[1st Light Horse Brigade|1st]] and possibly [[2nd Light Horse Brigade]]s moved back to [[Isdud|Esdud]] while the [[New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade]] bivouacked [[Battle of Mughar Ridge#Action of Ayun Kara, 14 November|near Ayun Kara]] (also known as [[Rishon LeZion]]) not far from [[Jaffa]].<ref>Powles 1922, p. 171</ref><ref>Hurley, O'Keefe 1986, p. 112</ref>

Allenby wrote on 25 January: "I want to extend my right, to include Jericho and the N[orth] of the [[Dead Sea]]."<ref>Allenby to Robertson 25 January 1918 in Hughes 2004, p. 127</ref> This advance would remove the more serious threat to his right by pushing all the enemy across the Jordan River and securing the Jordan River crossings. It would also prevent raids into the country to the west of the Dead Sea and provide a narrow starting point for operations against the [[Hedjaz Railway]].<ref name="Falls303">Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 303</ref>

General [[Jan Christiaan Smuts]], a member of the [[Imperial War Cabinet]], was sent to confer with Allenby regarding the implementation of a French qualification to the [[War Office]]'s Joint Note No. 12—that no troops from France could be redeployed to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Smuts was on his way back to London in February when the first step was taken to accomplish his suggestion of crossing the Jordan River and capturing the Hedjaz Railway, and the front line was extended eastwards with the successful capture of Jericho.<ref>Woodward 2006, pp. 161–2</ref><ref>Wavell 1968, pp. 176–7</ref>

==Prelude==
[[File:IWM Q12824BtwJerusalem&Jordan.jpeg|thumb|left|Blue Mountains between Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley]]

The country on the eastern side of the [[Judean Hills]] falls into the Jordan Valley in a confused mass of rocky ridges and deep narrow valleys.<ref name="Wavell_177–8">Wavell 1968 pp. 177–8</ref> All the main wadis run from west to east; often with steep high banks, while the tributaries joined from all directions, breaking up the ridges making the hills, almost impossible to cross. Most tracks ran along the narrow beds of ravines where progress had to be made in single file. Further north at Jebel Kuruntul (also known as Jebel Quruntul, the [[Mount of Temptation]] and Mount Quarantania) the mountains end abruptly in a 1,000-foot (300 m) cliff.<ref name="Blenkinsop223">Blenkinsop 1925, p. 223</ref><ref name="Cutlack103">Cutlack 1941, p. 103</ref> Sometimes the attacking parties had to haul themselves and each other over abrupt cliffs to be in a position to fight at close quarters at the top.<ref name="Cutlack102–3">Cutlack 1941, pp. 102–3</ref> Yet, in early Spring, the area was covered by wild flowers including cyclamen, anemones, poppies and tulips.<ref name="Falls305">Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 305</ref>

===Defending force===
Three Ottoman armies were deployed to defend their front line: the [[Eighth Army (Ottoman Empire)|Eighth Army]] (headquartered at Tul Keram) defended the Mediterranean section, the [[Seventh Army (Ottoman Empire)|Seventh Army]] (headquartered at Nablus) defended the Judean Hills sector, and the [[Fourth Army (Ottoman Empire)|Fourth Army]] (headquartered at Amman) defended the eastern Transjordan section of the line.<ref>Keogh 1955 p. 219</ref><ref>Hughes 1999 p. 73</ref> Between 3,000 and 5,000 Ottoman troops from the 26th and 53rd Infantry Divisions [[XX Corps (Ottoman Empire)|XX Corps]] defended the area on the western edge of the Jordan Valley. They garrisoned a series of hill-tops from Tubk el Kaneiterah, near the Dead Sea, through Talat ed Dumm to the Wadi Fara. Here the XX Corps was entrenched at Ras um Deisis and El Muntar Iraq Ibrahim astride the Jericho road.<ref name="Cutlack102–3"/><ref>Falls 1930 Vol. 2 Parts I II pp. 305, 655</ref><ref name="Erickson193">Erickson 2001 p. 193</ref> There was also at least one regiment in the Jordan Valley near the Wadi el Auja.<ref>Keogh 1955 p. 204</ref>

===Mounted and infantry attacking force===
By February, logistics had sufficiently developed to support the advance towards Jericho, and Allenby ordered Lieutenant General [[Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode|Philip Chetwode]] to capture Jericho as soon as the weather cleared.<ref name="Bou185"/><ref>Kinloch 2007, p. 249</ref> While the remainder of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force held the front line and garrisoned the captured territories in southern Palestine, Chetwode's [[XX Corps (United Kingdom)|XX Corps]] the [[60th (2/2nd London) Division]] was to make the attack towards Jericho, supported by his [[53rd (Welsh) Division]] and one infantry brigade from the [[74th (Yeomanry) Division]] on the left. They were to move towards the Wadi el Auja, which flowed eastwards into the Jordan River (not to be confused with the Wadi el Auja which flowed westwards into the Mediterranean Sea from the same watershed). At the same time, Chauvel's [[Desert Mounted Corps]], mounted force formed by the [[1st Light Horse Brigade]] and the [[New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade]] (both brigades from the Anzac Mounted Division), was to cover the right flank of Chetwode's infantry and advance towards [[Rujm el-Bahr|Rujm el Bahr]] on the Dead Sea.<ref>Falls 1930 Vol. 2 Part II pp. 655, 663</ref><ref name="Cutlack102">Cutlack 1941, p. 102</ref><ref>Brief Record of the Advance of the EEF 1919 pp. 37–79</ref><ref group="Note">The 2nd Light Horse Brigade remained on the maritime plain, near the Mediterranean Sea, holding a portion of the front line. [Powles 1922 p. 173]</ref>
[[File:Falls sketch22(1).jpg|thumb|Falls Sketch Map 22 shows the movements of the infantry from 13 to 21 February 1918 and mounted patrols in the Jordan Valley on 21 February]]

The plan was for the 60th (London) Division to advance to Mukhmas {{convert|8|mi|km|spell=in}} north-north-east of Jerusalem, then advance forward {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} east through El Muntar Iraq Ibrahim and Ras et Tawil. Their left flank was to be covered the 53rd (Welsh) Division, which was to capture the high ground at Rammun {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} north of Mukhmas while their right was covered by the Anzac Mounted Division.<ref name="Falls304">Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 304</ref> The second stage required the 60th (London) Division to advance to a point yet to be decided, in three brigade columns: the right to Jebil Ekteif south of the main Jericho road, the centre to Talat ed Dumm, and the left column moving along the "Ancient Road" running east from Mukhmas. Their final advance would take them to the edge of the ridge overlooking Jericho and the Jordan Valley; there was no plan for them to enter the valley. Each infantry column was to be supported by a 60-pounder or 6-inch artillery battery, a [[Field artillery]] brigade and a field company of [[Royal Engineers]].<ref name="Falls304"/>

On 14 February, preliminary operations were carried out by the XX Corps; the 60th (London) Division which advanced to Mukhmas {{convert|8|mi|km|spell=in}} north-north-east of Jerusalem, while on their left flank the 53rd (Welsh) Division captured the village of Deir Diwan.<ref name="Falls306">Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 306</ref> At this time the 1st Light Horse and New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigades were at Ayun Kara; they marched out for [[Bethlehem]] arriving there on 17 and 18 February. While the infantry attacks were progressing along the road between Jerusalem and Jericho on 19 February, the two brigades of the Anzac Mounted Division were to move in a flanking movement towards [[Nebi Musa]]. They were to make their way down into the Jordan Valley towards Rujm el Bahr to cut off enemy retreat from Jericho, and drive the remaining Ottoman defenders to the eastern side of the Jordan River.<ref name="Cutlack102"/><ref name="Falls304"/><ref name="Downes679–81">Downes 1938 pp. 679–81</ref>

===Air support===
On 3 January, two Australian aircraft discovered boats carrying corn and hay moving from Ghor el Hadit (behind Point Costigan) and Rujm el Bahr at the northern end of the Dead Sea. These were bombed and sprayed with bullets repeatedly until the boat service stopped.<ref>Cutlack 1941 pp. 99–100</ref>

On 10 January, as part of the preparations for the attack on Jericho, six aircraft dropped 48 bombs on Amman and Kissir, a Hedjaz railway station {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} to the south, resulting in several direct hits on rolling stock, station buildings and troops. Aircraft patrols were then directed to fly over Jericho and Shunet Nimrin on the western and eastern sectors of the Jordan Valley on alternate days. These patrols closely watched and reported tactical details, including the number of tents and camps, the state of supply dumps, the conditions of roads and tracks, and traffic on the railway.<ref>Cutlack 1941 p. 100</ref>

==Battle==
===Infantry attack on 19 February===
The 60th (London) Division advanced with their [[180th (2/5th London) Brigade|180th Brigade]] in the centre, their [[181st (2/6th London) Brigade|181st Brigade]] on the left, and their [[179th (2/4th London) Brigade|179th Brigade]] with the [[Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiment]] covering their right flank. At Ras et Tawil, the 2/23rd Battalion, [[London Regiment (1908–1938)|London Regiment]] (181st Brigade) suffered 50 casualties in attacking some 300 entrenched Ottomans, capturing 25 prisoners and two machine guns; the Ottomans abandoned their position soon after. To the north-east of El Muntar Iraq Ibrahim, during a further advance by the [[20th Battalion, London Regiment (Blackheath and Woolwich)|2/20th Battalion, London Regiment]] along a narrow ridge on the south bank of the Wadi Fara, they captured the high ground suffering 66 casualties. Meanwhile, on the left flank of the 60th (London) Division, the [[160th (Welsh Border) Brigade|160th Brigade]] of the 53rd (Welsh) Division captured Rammun, where the 2/10th Battalion [[Middlesex Regiment]] had some hard fighting, and the heights to the south. The Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment moved from Bethlehem to the Greek monastery of Mar Saba and onto the El Buqeia plateau, where Ottoman forces were entrenched astride the Mar Saba to Jericho road south of Nebi Musa.<ref name="Falls307">Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 307</ref> The remainder of the 1st Light Horse and New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigades moved from Bethlehem towards El Muntar.<ref name="Falls307"/>

Chetwode and Chauvel watched these operations begin from the Mount of Olives more than {{convert|2000|ft|m}} above sea level; by the time the light horse and mounted rifles brigades reached Jericho on 21 February they were nearly {{convert|1200|ft|m}} below sea level.<ref name="Hill_142">Hill 1978, p. 142</ref>

===20 February===
====Infantry attack====
The three infantry columns advanced: the column in the centre, the 180th Brigade, captured their objective of Talat ed Dumm on the main road from Jerusalem to Jericho.<ref name="Cutlack103"/> This infantry brigade moved along the Jerusalem to Jericho road towards Talat ed Dumm; they were supported by the 10th Heavy Battery and one [[BL 6 inch 26 cwt howitzer|6-inch Howitzer]] of the 383rd Siege Battery. The village was captured after an hour's bombardment. On the left, the 181st Brigade was slowed in their advance by small rearguards which showed skills in manoeuvre. The brigade was only able to advance {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} to be about halfway between Ras et Tawil and Jebel Qruntul (also known as Jebel Kuruntul, the Mount of Temptation and Mount Quarantania) by nightfall, with the [[231st Brigade (United Kingdom)|231st Brigade]] of the 74th (Yeomanry) Division forming a reserve.<ref name="Falls307"/>

On the right, the 179th Brigade column marched towards Jebel Ekteif (to the south of Talat ed Dumm); their 2/13th Battalion, London Regiment, however, faced a sheer drop of over {{convert|20|ft|m|spell=in}} and had to proceed across intervening ridges into parallel wadis, arriving too late for the attack. Meanwhile, two companies of the 2/16th Battalion, London Regiment from the 179th Brigade, of the 60th (London) Division were ordered to support an attack on Jebel Ekteif by the 2/15th Battalion, London Regiment. By 08:15 they had captured the advanced trenches, three companies, and fought their way up into the firing line on the summit of the hill.<ref name="Falls307"/> At 10:00 the British infantry were reported to have captured this dominating position on the Jerusalem–Jericho road, but a strong counter-attack drove them off. Jebel Ektief was finally captured at about 12:30 when heavy artillery helped the desperate attackers secure their objective.<ref name="Powles178">Powles 1922, p. 178</ref><ref group="Note">Falls states it was captured at 11:25. [Falls 1930 Vol. 2 Part II p. 307]</ref>

====Mounted attack====
[[File:Powles pp.176-7Jericho map.jpg|thumb|Map showing the advance of the Anzac Mounted Division with Ottoman positions indicated in green]]
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (with the Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment which had returned from the 179th Brigade) led the 1st Light Horse Brigade at 03:30 in their advanced on El Muntar.<ref name="Falls308">Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 308</ref> The advance guard formed by the Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment moved from Bethlehem along an ancient road down the Wadi en Nar to the valley near El Muntar hill, followed by their brigade and the 1st Light Horse Brigade. They zig-zagged {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} down to the valley floor while Ottoman soldiers on the height of El Muntar {{convert|1250|ft|m}} above watched their approach. Because of the terrain they moved in single file: the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade was strung out from five to eight miles (8.0–13&nbsp;km), and it was hours before the long column could deploy for the attack.<ref>Powles 1922, pp. 176–7</ref><ref>Moore 1921, p. 98</ref>
[[File:Australian 1st Light Horse Regiment AWM Photo B01468.jpg|thumb|left|Frank Hurley's photograph of the 1st Light Horse Brigade zig-zagging down a barren hillside]]

By 06:00 all the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade was in the valley; the Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment was attacking Hill 306 while the Canterbury and [[Auckland Mounted Rifle Regiment|Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment]]s attacked Hill 288. Shortly after 12:00 a mounted advance by an Auckland squadron took Hill 288, and Hill 306 was captured soon after.<ref name="Powles178"/> They attacked Ottoman positions from Tibq el Quneitra to Jebel el Kahmum astride the Mar Saba–Jericho road. These were both occupied soon after 14:00, forcing the Ottoman defenders to fall back to Nebi Musa. But Nebi Musa was strongly held by entrenched Ottoman soldiers supported by artillery, which made it impossible to move on: the attack was postponed until the next day.<ref name="Falls308"/>
{{quote|Even in daylight I should not have dreamt of riding this track [down the Wadi Qumran to the valley of the Jordan], and yet the whole brigade passed along it without mishap. At 11.00pm we were at the arranged position, and after tethering out the horses rolled ourselves up in our blankets. The night was bitterly cold, and we missed our "bivvies", orders having been given to travel light, so that every man rode with an absolute minimum weight. We are to leave here at 3.30 am to attack Neby Musa.|Frank Hurley, the Official Australian War Photographer, attached to the 1st Light Horse Brigade<ref>Hurley, O'Keefe 1986 p. 108</ref>}}

Meanwhile, at dusk, the 1st Light Horse Brigade began its descent. They moved down the Wadi Qumran to the Jordan Valley, following a goat track which fell {{convert|1300|ft|m}} in {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} to get into position to attack Nebi Musa from the rear. This journey was successfully completed by midnight.<ref name="Powles178"/><ref name="Falls308"/>

===21 February===
Under cover of darkness, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade advanced north along a very rough track and by daylight had reached just east of the Neby Musa position.<ref name="Powles178"/> They made a dismounted attack while British infantry attacked Neby Musa from the rear.<ref name="Moore101">Moore 1921, p. 101</ref> The [[Canterbury Mounted Rifle Regiment|Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment]] occupied Neby Musa at daylight after crossing the gorge on foot to find the Ottoman garrison had withdrawn with their guns.<ref name="Powles179">Powles 1922, p. 179</ref>

When the 1st Light Horse Brigade reached the floor of the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea, {{convert|1300|ft|m}} below sea level, it turned north towards Jericho. A single troop of [[3rd Light Horse Regiment (Australia)|3rd Light Horse Regiment]] entered Jericho at about 08:00 to find the Ottoman garrison had withdrawn.<ref name="Moore101"/><ref name="Powles179"/> The remainder of the brigade advanced up the Jordan Valley as far as the Wadi el Auja, while the Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment (New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade) occupied Rujm el Bahr on the north shore of the Dead Sea.<ref name="Falls308"/><ref>Powles 1922, p. 182</ref> Meanwhile, the 60th (London) Division moved to the top of the cliff overlooking Jericho and the Jordan Valley from Neby Musa to Jebel Qruntul.<ref name="Falls308"/>

Divisional Headquarters Staff set up their report centre about {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} behind Jericho; when they were sitting down to a morning cup of tea, Chetwode and Chauvel joined them. Chaytor was sitting on the step of his car when shells fired from the other side of the Jordan River started to explode. One hit the front of his car and he narrowly escaped injury. This gun continued shelling the area at a range of over {{convert|10000|yd|m}}; the British 13-pounders could get no further than {{convert|6000|yd|m}}.<ref name="Powles179"/> Chetwode's force of infantry and mounted units suffered 510 casualties during these operations.<ref name="Wavell_177–8"/>

===Air support===
During these three days of operations [[No. 1 Squadron RAF|No. 1 Squadron]]'s aircraft completely dominated all enemy aircraft, bombing and machine-gunning Ottoman positions, and reporting to headquarters on progress and estimates of Ottoman dispositions and strength. Messages were also dropped on troops in the front line with urgent news. Considerable Ottoman reinforcements were seen to arrive at Shunet Nimrin on the eastern side of the Jordan River, and an aerial raiding formation from No. 1 Squadron bombed troop tents, marquees and a supply dump in the area.<ref name="Cutlack102–3"/><ref name="Falls309"/>

==Aftermath==
[[File:Turkish trenches at Dead Sea2.jpg|right|thumb|Ottoman trenches on the shore of the [[Dead Sea]]]]

On 22 February the 60th (London) Division withdrew its main line to Jebel Ekteif – Talat ed Dumm – Ras et Tawil, leaving outposts on the cliffs above the Jordan Valley and the Anzac Mounted Division started their journey back to Richon LeZion via Bethlehem. The Anzac Mounted Division left behind in the Jordan Valley the Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment with a subsection of machine guns and an artillery battery (under orders of the 60th Division) in a strong position where the road from Jerusalem falls into the Jordan Valley.<ref name="Falls309"/><ref>Moore 1921, p. 103</ref><ref>Powles 1922 p. 184</ref>

Ottoman troops on the western bank of the Jordan River were holding a strong bridgehead at Ghoraniyeh, protecting the old stone bridge on the main Jerusalem to Es Salt road. There was also a smaller detachment down stream, covering the ford at Makhadet Hijlah (the traditional site of Christ's baptism).<ref name="Falls309">Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 309</ref>

The Auckland Mounted Rifle Regiment patrolled the Jordan River and valley area under enemy observation, attracting artillery shelling from Ottoman field guns.<ref name="Downes679–81"/> The patrols monitored the Ottoman positions at [[Ghoraniyeh]] and Makhadet Hajlah ("Partridge Ford"; cf. [[Deir Hijla]]) until 25 February when all Ottoman troops, guns and a pontoon bridge were found to have been removed to the east bank of the river. At the same time Shunet Nimrin was rapidly entrenched by the Ottoman Seventh Army and was soon held in force.<ref name="Cutlack103"/><ref name="Erickson193"/><ref>Powles 1922, p. 183</ref>
[[File:Allied forces halt in the Jordan Valley after the capture of Jericho.jpeg|thumb|A halt in the Jordan Valley]]

Ottoman army garrisons continued to hold the Hedjaz railway from [[Deraa]] to [[Medina]] (although the line was harassed and cut by [[Arab Revolt|insurgent Arab]] units) and Cemal's [[VIII Corps (Ottoman Empire)|VIII]] and [[XII Corps (Ottoman Empire)|XII Corps]] guarded the northern [[Levant]]ine coast with four infantry divisions.<ref>Erickson 2001 p. 174</ref> The [[Ottoman Empire]]'s War Minister, [[Enver Pasa]], had lost confidence in the commander of the Ottoman forces in Palestine, German General [[Erich von Falkenhayn|von Falkenhayn]], and on 1 March 1918 replaced him with General [[Otto Liman von Sanders]].<ref>Erickson 2007, p. 130</ref>

On 6 March the [[War Cabinet]] gave Allenby leave to advance "to the maximum extent possible, consistent with the safety of the force under his orders". He decided to create a third infantry corps called the [[XXII Corps (United Kingdom)|XXII]], commanded by Barrow with [[Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell|Wavell]] as his chief of staff.<ref group="Note">This corps was not formed because the Spring Offensive had drained Allenby's force.</ref> On 21 March an attempt to [[First Transjordan attack on Amman (1918)|cut the Hedjaz railway at Amman]] began; this coincided with the launch of the [[German spring offensive]] by [[Erich Ludendorff|Ludendorff]] against the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] on the [[Western Front (World War One)|Western Front]].<ref>Woodward 2006 p. 162</ref><ref group="Note">Bruce claims that although the occupation of Jericho protected Jerusalem from Ottoman attack from the east, it did not provide the hoped-for secure base to mount operations on the Hedjaz railway. [Bruce 2002, p. 188]</ref>

==Notes==
;Footnotes
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

;Citations
{{Reflist|2}}

== References ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|title=The Official Names of the Battles and Other Engagements Fought by the Military Forces of the British Empire during the Great War, 1914–1919, and the Third Afghan War, 1919: Report of the Battles Nomenclature Committee as Approved by The Army Council Presented to Parliament by Command of His Majesty |year=1922| publisher =Government Printer|location=London|oclc=29078007}}
* {{cite book|last=Allenby |first=E. H. H. |author2=H. Pirie-Gordon |author3=Army of Great Britain |author4=Egyptian Expeditionary Force  | title= A Brief Record of the Advance of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force under the command of General Sir Edmund H.H. Allenby, GCB, GCMG July 1917 to October 1918 compiled from Official Sources |year=1919 |edition=2 | publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |location=London |oclc=17017063}}
* {{cite book|title=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents Veterinary Services|editor-last1=Blenkinsop|editor-first1= Layton John|editor-last2=Rainey|editor-first2=John Wakefield|year=1925|publisher=H.M. Stationers|location= London|oclc=460717714}}
* {{cite book |title=Light Horse: A History of Australia's Mounted Arm |last=Bou |first=Jean |series=Australian Army History |year=2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Port Melbourne |isbn=978-0-521-19708-3}}
* {{cite book |title=The Last Crusade: The Palestine Campaign in the First World War |last=Bruce |first=Anthony |year=2002 |publisher=John Murray|location=London|isbn=978-0-7195-5432-2}}
* {{cite book| url =https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1069925/|title=The Australian Flying Corps in the Western and Eastern Theatres of War, 1914–1918|last=Cutlack|first=F.M.|year=1941|edition=11th|series=Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918|volume=VIII|publisher=Australian War Memorial|location=Canberra|oclc=220900299}}
* {{cite book|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1069845/|chapter=The Campaign in Sinai and Palestine|pages=547–780|last=Downes|first=R. M.|editor-last=Butler|editor-first=A.G|year=1938|edition=2nd|title=Gallipoli, Palestine and New Guinea|series=Official History of the Australian Army Medical Services, 1914–1918: Volume 1 Part II |volume=|publisher=Australian War Memorial| location=Canberra|oclc=220879097}}
* {{cite book |title=Ordered to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War. Foreword by General Hüseyiln Kivrikoglu |last=Erickson|first= Edward J.|series= No. 201 Contributions in Military Studies |year=2001| publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport Connecticut|oclc=43481698}}
* {{cite book |title=Ottoman Army Effectiveness in World War I: A Comparative Study |last=Erickson |first=Edward J. |series=No. 26 of Cass series: military history and policy|editor=John Gooch |editor2=Brian Holden Reid |year=2007 |publisher=Routledge |location=Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon|isbn=978-0-203-96456-9}}
* {{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |others=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part I |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=644354483}}
* {{cite book |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |last=Falls |first=Cyril |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |others=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |volume=2 Part II |publisher=HM Stationery Office |location=London|oclc=256950972}}
* {{cite book |title=The Battle for Palestine, 1917 |last=Grainger |first=John D. |year= 2006 |publisher=Boydell Press |location=Woodbridge|isbn=978-1-84383-263-8}}
* {{cite book |title=Australia in Palestine |url=https://archive.org/details/australiainpales00gull |editor=Gullett, Henry S. |editor2=Charles Barnet |editor3=David Baker |year=1919 |publisher=Angus & Robertson|location=Sydney | oclc=224023558}}
* {{cite book |title=Riders of Destiny: The 4th Australian Light Horse Field Ambulance 1917–18: An Autobiography and History |last=Hamilton |first=Patrick M. |year= 1996 |publisher=Mostly Unsung Military History |location=Gardenvale, Melbourne|isbn=978-1-876179-01-4}}
* {{cite book |title=Chauvel of the Light Horse: A Biography of General Sir Harry Chauvel, GCMG, KCB |last=Hill |first=Alec Jeffrey|author-link=Alec Hill|year=1978 |publisher=Melbourne University Press |location=Melbourne |oclc=5003626}}
* {{cite book |title=Allenby and British Strategy in the Middle East 1917–1919 |editor=John Gooch |editor2=Brian Holden Reid |last=Hughes |first=Matthew |year=1999 |series=Military History and Policy | volume=1 |publisher=Frank Cass |location=London |oclc=470338901}}
* {{cite book |editor1-first=Matthew |editor1-last=Hughes |title=Allenby in Palestine: The Middle East Correspondence of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby June 1917&nbsp;– October 1919 |series=Army Records Society|volume=22 |year=2004 |publisher=Sutton Publishing|location=Phoenix Mill, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire|isbn=978-0-7509-3841-9}}
* {{cite book|title=Hurley at War: The Photography and Diaries of Frank Hurley in Two World Wars |last=Hurley| first=Frank |author2=Daniel O'Keefe| year=1986 |publisher=Fairfax Library in association with Daniel O'Keefe |location=Sydney |oclc=16709045}}
* {{cite book |title=Suez to Aleppo |last=Keogh |first=E. G. |author-link = Eustace Graham Keogh|author2=Joan Graham|year=1955 |publisher=Directorate of Military Training by Wilkie & Co |location=Melbourne|oclc=220029983}}
* {{cite book|title=Devils on Horses in the Words of the Anzacs in the Middle East,1916–19 |last=Kinloch |first=Terry |year=2007|publisher=Exisle Publishing|location=Auckland|isbn=978-0-908988-94-5}}
* {{cite book |title=The Mounted Riflemen in Sinai & Palestine: The Story of New Zealand's Crusaders|last=Moore |first=A. Briscoe |year=1920 |publisher=Whitcombe & Tombs|location=Christchurch|oclc=561949575}}
* {{cite book |title=The New Zealanders in Sinai and Palestine |last=Powles |first=C. Guy |author2=A. Wilkie|series=Official History New Zealand's Effort in the Great War|volume=III|year=1922|publisher=Whitcombe & Tombs|location=Auckland|oclc=2959465}}
*{{cite book |chapter=The Palestine Campaigns |last=Wavell |first=Field Marshal Earl|author-link=Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell|editor-last=Sheppard|editor-first=Eric William |edition=4th |title=A Short History of the British Army |year=1968|orig-year=1933|publisher=Constable & Co. |location=London|oclc=35621223}}
* {{cite book |title=Hell in the Holy Land: World War I in the Middle East |last=Woodward |first=David R.  |year=2006 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington |isbn=978-0-8131-2383-7}}
{{refend}}

{{World War I}}
{{Ottoman battles in the 20th century}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jericho, Capture of 1918}}
[[Category:Conflicts in 1918]]
[[Category:1918 in British-administered Palestine]]
[[Category:Battles of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Australia]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving New Zealand]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Germany]]
[[Category:February 1918 events]]
[[Category:History of Jericho]]

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