War by Revolution. Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I

FAILEDEXPECTATIONSONBOTHSIDES 101

part,KressandPruferrefusedtoblametheGermansforwhathad
happened;instead,theyplacedmuchoftheresponsibilityfor the
defeatonotherswhomtheyconsideredinferior.Forexample,Prufer
claimedlatertoOppenheimthattheArab-mostlySyrianandPales-
tinian-unitsintheOttomanVIIICorps"wereofno use.Theold
hostilitytowardtheTurksstirreditselfagainamongtheofficers."
ManyoftheArabshaddesertedduringthefighting."Theholywaris
atragicomedy,"hedeclared."TheEgyptiansare even cowardlyin
desperationandlackanygenuineloveoffatherland.?"
AlthoughtheassaultonEgyptdisappointedtheGermanhighcom-
mand,itsoonconcludedthattheattackhadachievedoneofits origi-
nalobjectives:ithadalarmedBritainsufficientlytoretainlargenum-
bersoftroopsinEgypt,whichremovedsuchforcesfromthewestern
frontinEurope.Forthemoment,theGermanandTurkishcom-
mandsagreednottoresumelarge-scaleoperationsagainstEgypt.
Ontheonehand,theGermanbeliefaboutthevalueoftheat-
temptagainstthecanalwascorrect.BritishanxietiesforEgypt'sse-
curitycontinued,inpartbecausetheTurkishtroopshadreachedall
theway to thecanal;also, thosewhoremainedintheSinaidesert
madesubsequentminorraidsonthecanalandalargeronein Au-
gust1916.Moreover,as early asthreeweeksafterthebattle,on3 Feb-
ruary1915,theBritishlearnedoftheGermanandTurkishstrategyof
attemptingto forceBritainto keeplargenumbersoftroopsinEgypt
andawayfromEurope."Ontheotherhand,thecampaignagainst
thecanalprobablydivertedBritishtroopslessfromEuropethanfrom
thecostlyanddisastrousGallipolicampaign.
On 19 FebruaryBritainbeganitsmilitaryassaultontheDardanelles
andtheGallipoliPeninsula.HenceforthEgyptservedasthemajor
baseforBritain'sMediterraneanExpeditionaryForce(MEF).The
commanderoftheMEF,GeneralSirIanHamilton,learnedwhenhe
arrivedin Egyptofthelargenumberoftroopsstationedthereto
defendthecountry.KitchenerorderedastrengtheningoftheEgyp-
tiangarrisonandtoldMaxwell, itscommander,tosupplyforGallipoli
anytroopsfromEgyptthatcouldbe spared.'>
ButwithquestionsofthesecurityofEgyptandthecanalstillup-
permostin hismind,Maxwellnaturallydelayedrelinquishingany-
thing.Nevertheless,duringMarchandApril asubstantialportionof