Raid on the Suez Canal

Raid on the Suez Canal
Part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
Ottoman camel corps at Beersheba, 1915
Date 26 January – 4 February 1915 (1 week and 2 days) Location Suez Canal, Egypt Result British victory
Belligerents
British Empire  Egypt  India  United Kingdom	Ottoman Empire  German Empire (military officers)
Commanders and leaders
John Maxwell  Egypt Ahmad Helmy †	Djemal Pasha F. K. von Kressenstein
Strength
30,000	20,000 Other estimates: 11,400 (400 officers and 11,000 soldiers)[1]
Casualties and losses
32 killed, 130 wounded[2]	1,500 casualties (including ~700 prisoners)[3]

The Raid on the Suez Canal, also known as Actions on the Suez Canal, took place between 26 January and 4 February 1915 when a German-led Ottoman Army force advanced from Southern Palestine to attack the British Empire-protected Suez Canal, marking the beginning of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918) of World War I (1914–1918).

Substantial Ottoman forces crossed the Sinai peninsula, a few managed to cross the Canal, but the entire attack failed – mainly because of strongly held defences and alert defenders.