It
was also too exposed from no less than three sides.
Opposite, across the Wadi Imaish, which ran east and west, roughly
N.N.E. from Foka, was the dominating ridge of Zeitun, some hundreds of
feet higher than Foka and under 1800 yards away; to the N.N.W.,
perhaps 2000 yards off, was the crest of Khirbet Kereina, fully as
high as Foka; and, as if these two dominating positions in front,
giving first-class artillery observation, were not enough, there was
also a hill, subsequently known as Hill A, which was just about the
same height as Foka, was held by some Turks with one or two machine
guns, and fired slap into their right rear from the south-east. This
last was only some 500 or 600 yards away, but was divided from Foka by
a deep ravine, and it was found impossible to send a detachment to
storm it. It was this hill in rear that sealed the doom of the
business. They might have managed to stick it out in spite of the
rifle and artillery fire in front until the Turks got tired of it, but
the fire from the rear limited all movement and all getting up of
bombs and ammunition. Under cover of rifle fire and shrapnel the Turks
stormed up again and again, climbing up the steep face of the Wadi
Imaish where our guns could not have touched them, even if they had
had--which they hadn't--any decent arrangements for observation. Once
up within bombing distance, the Turk had the great advantage of a
large supply of bombs, whereas we had not had time to get up more than
a few which were soon exhausted.
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