Battle of Buqqar Ridge

Battle of El Buqqar Ridge
Part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
El Buqqar Ridge.
Date 27 October 1917 Location El Buqqar (Zeelim), Ottoman Palestine Result British victory
Belligerents
British Empire	Ottoman Empire  German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Philip Chetwode Henry Chauvel	İsmet Bey Erich von Falkenhayn
Units involved
Egyptian Expeditionary Force 8th Mounted Brigade 3rd Light Horse Brigade one infantry brigade (53rd (Welsh) Division)	Yildirim Army Group 125th Regiment (16th Division) Troops (3rd Cavalry Division)
Strength
3 infantry brigades 2 mounted brigades	2 infantry regiments 1 mounted division
Casualties and losses
24 killed 53 wounded 10 missing	10 killed 40 wounded

The Battle of el Buqqar Ridge took place on 27 October 1917, when one infantry regiment and cavalry troops of the Yildirim Army Group, attacked the 8th Mounted Brigade of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) in the last days of the stalemate in Southern Palestine during the Sinai and Palestine campaign of World War I.

The commander of the Yildirim Army Group ordered the reconnaissance in force, which greatly outnumbered the Yeomanry in the mounted brigade, holding the outpost line. Despite a large number of casualties, one group made a slight withdrawal to subsequently hold their ground, until reinforcements arrived and the attackers withdrew. However another group of Yeomanry was overwhelmed and killed.

Four days later, two infantry and two mounted divisions launched the EEF's Southern Palestine Offensive, with the Battle of Beersheba on 31 October 1917.