The End of the Es Salt Raid May 1918
Es Salt, a village some 14 miles west of Amman, was the scene of heavy fighting between 30 April and 3 May 1918. The fighting occurred as part of a raid mounted east of the River Jordan by ANZAC and British forces. The aim was to secure a launching point for operations against the key railway junction at Deraa. The operation progressed well initially with Es Salt being seized by the evening of 30 April.
But increasingly determined Turkish resistance, including counter-attacks that threatened the flanks and rear of the advanced elements of the raiding force, eventually forced a withdrawal back to the Jordan on 3 May. The raid failed in its objectives but did serve a purpose in that it encouraged Turkish commanders to believe Allenby's next major effort would be launched across the Jordan, when in fact it would be launched along the coastal plain.
The Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade was given the task of helping to guard the left flank as the raid took place. This scenario recreates the Turkish attack to which the Brigade was subjected.
During the attack all the guns of ‘A’ Battery, HAC, Notts Battery and one gun of ‘B’ Battery, HAC were captured by the Turks. These were the only guns lost to the Turks during the entire Palestine campaign. Additionally, with the exception of the guns abandoned at Gallipoli, they were also the only guns covered by Australian troops to be lost in the whole war.
The table area for this scenario has been scaled down from the size of the historical area represented on the map where the engagement took place. The table size is approx 7’ x 6’ and the scenario length is 16 turns.
Victory is determined by Victory Points,
- 5 points Hold the Northern Hills, free of enemy stands, at the end of the scenario.
- 10 points Hold Red Hill, free of any enemy stands, at the end of the scenario.
- 10 points Hold the Southern Hills, free of enemy stands, at the end of the scenario.
- +1 point To Turks for each British artillery battery captured*.
- +1 point To Turks for each Turkish stand on or south of the Umm esh Shert to Es Salt trail at the end of the scenario.
* Artillery batteries are captured by defeating them in close combat. Once captured they are removed from play. Historically the gunners managed to remove their guns breech blocks and sights prior to capture so that they could not be used by the Turks against their former owners.
Difference between Victory Points
- 0-5 Points Draw
- 6-10 Points Minor Victory
- 11-15 Points Major Victory
- 16+ Points Decisive Victory
Both players' forces are deployed according to the instructions given in their OOBs.
The map for this scenario is one adapted from the Australian Official History and shows the position of the Australians once the Turkish attack started in earnest.
Click on the Thumbnail for the full sized map.
- Red Hill can be represented by one hill. The Northern and Southern Hills can be represented by one main hill and two or three smaller hills. These hills count as rough ground and are impassable to camels and vehicles.
- Crossing Wad es Sidr imposes a 2” movement penalty.
- The remaining terrain is generally flat but should include a few small hills, rocks and areas of vegetation that provide cover and block line of sight.
- The River Jordan can be crossed by the pontoon bridge or ford at normal movement rates, both crossings are one stand wide. Otherwise it takes two complete turns to cross the river.
The OOBs for each commander can be downloaded as pdf files using the links below. I recommend that the OOBs are downloaded separately, as there are some variations that would best be kept to each player to provide an element of surprise for the opponent.