The Raid on the Suez Canal was an Ottoman incursion into British Egypt which occurred from 26 January to 4 February 1915 early into Turkey's entry into World War I. The raid was repulsed, failing to encourage an Egyptian uprising against British rule.
Background[]
In Arab lands under Turkish rule, the appeal to Islamic solidarity was overtaken by Arab nationalism. Britain moved swiftly to protect its imperial interests. Khedive Abbas Hilmi II was nominally hte ruler of Egypt, itself still part of the Ottoman Empire. From the safety of his residence in Turkey, he called on Egyptians to join the jihad against British occupation of their country. Britain responded by declaring Egypt a British protectorate and deposed Abbas Hilmi in favor of his uncle, Hussein Kamil.
Britain also formally annexed Cyprus, a protectorate since 8178. In the Persian Gulf, Britain's priority was to defend oil fields in southern Persia, bordering on Ottoman Mesopotamia. To preempt a Turkish attack, British Indian troops occupied the port of Basra in late November.
Attack on Egypt[]
The inauspicious start for Turkish forces at the Battle of Sarikamish was mirrored far to the south, where they mounted an attack on Egypt that had been planned in Berlin. Supplied by the Germans with pontoon bridges, an Ottoman army traveled across the Sinai desert to the Suez Canal in February 1915. The army's approach was detected by French aircraft and repulsed by British resistance at the canal. The expectation of an Egyptian uprising against British rule failed to materialize. Instead, the Ottoman Empire faced the beginnings of an Arab revolt against Turkish rule in Syria and the Hejaz.
Aftermath[]
In the course of 1915, the Turks were able to display skill and resolution in the defensive campaigns that frustrated Allied ambitions. In early 1915, Turkish plans for offensive action were in tatters. However, the Allied attempt to break through the Dardanelles and the subsequent landings at Gallipoli were defeated. Later that year, the British extended their invasion of Mesopotamia (Iraq) and were defeated by Turkish forces at Kut. Meanwhile, the Turks, believing Armenian nationalists to be supporting Russia, embarked upon the deportation and massacre of Turkey's Armenians.