Map of the Eastern Front 1917-8. The first battle of Gaza, 26-27 March 1917, was an unsuccessful British attack on Gaza, designed to clear the way for an invasion of Palestine later in 1917. The Second Battle of Gaza was fought between 17 to 19 April 1917, following the defeat of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) at the First Battle of Gaza in March, during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War.Gaza was defended by the strongly entrenched Ottoman Army garrison, which had been reinforced after the first battle by substantial forces. The British Empire forces under the command of General Edmund Allenby successfully broke the Ottoman defensive Gaza-Beersheba line. Winning battles at Magdhaba and Rafa, they were ultimately stopped by the Turks at the First Battle of Gaza in March 1917 . The first battle of Gaza took place on 26 March 1917. In the aftermath of their two unsuccessful attempts to capture Gaza in the spring of 1917, the British War Cabinet decided to reinforce the army in Egypt, replace its commander and renew the invasion of Palestine. The new commander, General Sir Edmund Allenby, arrived in Egypt on 27 June. Three major battles were launched in 1917 by British and dominion forces to capture Gaza - only the third succeeded in this object. Going over the offensive, the British pushed across Sinai, building a railroad and water pipeline as they went. During 1916 the British had steadily advanced across the Sinai desert from Egypt, building a railway as they went. Map of the Romanian Campaign - Sep 19-Oct 25, 1916. Other articles where Battle of Gaza is discussed: Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby: …victory over the Turks at Gaza (November 1917), which led to the capture of Jerusalem (Dec. 9, 1917). Map of the Romanian Campaign - Aug 27-Sep 18, 1916. Map of the First Battle of Gaza - March 26, 1917. The coastal city of Gaza was the heart of the main Turkish defensive position in southern Palestine. An Ottoman machine gun corps defending the Gaza line during the Second Battle of Gaza, April 1917. The plan was not originally considered feasible, but the British military eventually decided the campaign was worth the effort. Battles - The Second Battle of Gaza, 1917 Having failed in his first attempt to capture Gaza on 26-27 March 1917, Sir Archibald Murray, commander of British-led forces in the region, was obliged to contemplate an early renewal of hostilities as a direct consequence of the manner of his report of the initial action to Britain's War Office. The Battle of Jerusalem occurred during the British Empire's "Jerusalem Operations" against the Ottoman Empire, in World War I, when fighting for the city developed from 17 November, continuing after the surrender until 30 December 1917, to secure the final objective of the Southern Palestine Offensive during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. Map of the Romanian Campaign - Nov 26, 1916-Jan 7, 1917. Map of the Baltic Islands - Oct 10-20, 1917 The First Battle of Gaza was a powerful strategic undertaking by the British in the Middle East in 1917. Murray was replaced in June, following the Battle of Arras, by General Edmund Allenby. The Third Battle of Gaza was fought in 1917 in southern Palestine during World War I. The new commander linked up with the Arab insurgents who had conquered Aqaba and were harassing Ottoman troops in the Negev desert. The critical moment of the battle was the capture of the town of Beersheba on the first day by Australian Light Horse units. In the resulting Battle of Romani on August 3-5, the British forced the Turks to retreat.