Battle of Shaiba, April 12- 15, 1915

The Battle of Shaiba took pace between April 12- 15 1915, and was the first major Turkish offensive of the Mesopotamia Campaign. The ultimate objective was the re- capture of Basra from the Anglo- Indian Expeditonary Force, but Shaiba Fort and the British positive around it had to be overcome first. The battle last 3 days, resulting in thousands of casulaties on both sides. In the end, after being abandoned by their Arab iregular ‘allies’, the Turkish force was routed and its commander committed suicide. The battle establishing Anglo- Indian control over Southern Mesopotamia, cooled Arab support for the Turks, and made possible the series of stunning British victories that led up to the Battle of Ctesipohon outside Baghdad in November 1915.





The following images were taken by an unknown photographer, though the album came from a family with a relative who served in the Bagdad Military Police during the Great War. Not all of the photographs are of the Battle of Shaiba, with other photographs being taken later in 1915 or possibly even 1916.