TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1916
The siege of Kut Al Amara (7 December 1915 – 29 April 1916), also known as the first battle of Kut, was the besieging of an 8,000-strong British Indian Army garrison in the town of Kut, 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. In 1915, its population was around 6,500. Following the surrender of the garrison on 29 April 1916, the survivors of the siege were marched to imprisonment at Aleppo, during which many died. Historian Christopher Catherwood has called the siege "the worst defeat of the Allies in World War I". Ten months later, the British Indian Army, consisting almost entirely of newly recruited troops from Western India, conquered Kut, Baghdad and other regions in between in the fall of Baghdad.
| Date | 7 December 1915 – 29 April 1916 |
|---|---|
| Location | Kut-al-Amara, Baghdad Vilayet, |
| Result | Ottoman victory |
| Belligerents | United Kingdom | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Charles Townshend H. C. Armstrong | Nureddin Pasha Halil Pasha Kazim Pasha Ali İhsan Pasha C.F. von der Goltz |
| Strength | 25,000–45,000, including 13,000+ besieged in Kut | 25,000–80,000 |
| Casualties | Besieged forces: 13,164 captured including 6 generals Relief operations: 30,000 dead or wounded | 10,000 dead or wounded |
Jan Morris, a British historian, described the loss of Kut as "the most abject capitulation in Britain's military history." After this humiliating loss, General Lake and General Gorringe were removed from command. The new commander was General Maude, who trained and organized his army and then launched a successful campaign. Ten months after the siege of Kut, the British Indian Army conquered the whole region from Kut to Baghdad as part of the fall of Baghdad on 11 March 1917. With Baghdad captured, the British administration undertook vital reconstruction of the war-torn country and Kut was slowly rebuilt.
Took place during the reign of Mehmed V (1909–1918). Mehmed V
Open the reign of Mehmed V on the mapText: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.