Raid on the Suez Canal

Battle context

The raid on the Suez Canal, conducted between late January and early February 1915, marked the opening of the Sinai and Palestine campaign, which would continue until 1918. A German-led Ottoman force of roughly 25,000 advanced from southern Palestine to strike at the British-held canal, one of the most strategically vital waterways of the British Empire. The British garrison, numbering around 30,000 under John Maxwell, defended successfully enough to inflict approximately 1,500 Ottoman casualties. By failing to seize or disrupt the canal, the Ottoman effort under Djemal Pasha and von Kressenstein left British control of the waterway intact, preserving the logistical artery connecting Britain to India and the wider imperial network. The engagement set the terms for a prolonged contest over the Sinai and Palestine theater that would persist for the remainder of the war.