Battle of Haifa was fought on 23rd September 1918 as part of the Sinai and Palestine campaign of the First World War. It was fought between the British Indian Army and the forces of Ottoman Empire supported by Germans and Austrians. In this battle the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade comprising of Indian Lancers (Horse mounted soldiers with a pole weapon called lance) crushed the Ottoman power and liberated the towns of Haifa and Acre. Battle of Haifa is considered "the last great cavalry campaign in history".
In the final stages of the First World War, the Allied Powers launched a major offensive against the Ottoman Turks along an almost continuous line from the Mediterranean Sea across the Plain of Sharon into the foothills of the Judean Hills. This offensive was called the Battle of Megiddo. Battle of Haifa was part of this campaign.
British Empire had assembled troops from all its colonies including India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The 15th Imperial Service Cavalry brigade was formed from Imperial Service Troops provided by the Indian Princely States of Jodhpur, Mysore, Hyderabad, Mysore, Patiala and Alwar, with each providing a regiment of lancers. A maximum of three regiments served in the brigade at any one time. Hyderabad troops who were mostly muslims were not involved in offensive against the Ottoman Turks, but were detached to escort prisoners and had been replaced by the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry from the divisions 14th Cavalry Brigade.
On 22nd September 1918 an aerial reconnaissance reported that Haifa had been evacuated by the Ottoman army. This was found to be inaccurate when the Haifa Annexation Expedition was stopped by accurate Ottoman artillery and machine gun fire. A reconnaissance by armoured cars encountered an Austrian battery of light field guns supported by German machine gunners which stopped the reconnaissance force.
On 23 September 1918 the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade was ordered to capture Haifa. The area between the Kishon River, and the slopes of Mount Carmel was well defended by enemy guns. The brigade's Jodhpur Lancers were tasked to capture this position, while the Mysore Lancers moved around to attack the town from the east and north. As they closed towards the towering massif of Mount Carmel — a 500-metre-high coastal mountain range barring the way to the city, they began to encounter heavy artillery and small-arms fire.
Indian troops mounted on horses and armed with just swords and lances, charged upon the enemy supported by German and Austrian battery of machine guns. The full frontal attack surprised the defenders and they began to leave their positions. While Jodhpur Lancers continued their charge into the town, the Mysoreans, who had been giving fire support to the attacking regiment, mounted and followed them. Together the two regiments captured 1,350 German and Ottoman prisoners, including two German officers, 35 Ottoman officers, 17 artillery guns including four 4.2 guns, eight 77mm guns and four camel guns as well as a 6-inch naval gun, and 11 machine guns. Their own casualties amounted to eight dead and 34 wounded. 60 horses were killed and another 83 injured.
The Jodhpur Lancers' commander Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat, who was Martyred in the battle, was posthumously awarded the Military Cross while Capt. Amaan Singh Jodha was given the title of 'Sardar Bahadur' and was awarded the 'Indian Order of Merit' and the 'Order of British Empire'. The Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers are now represented by 61st Cavalry Regiment in the Indian Army and still commemorate the battle every year on 23 September as Haifa Day.
The events of September 23, 1918 were possibly the greatest feat of arms by Indian cavalrymen in the last century. At the time when India was still under foreign rule, Indian soldiers displayed unmatched bravery and courage and won praise around the world. The liberation of Haifa from Ottomans played a significant role in the establishment of the State of Israel - the homeland for Jews.
During the centenary celebration held in Haifa in 2018 in the memory of the fallen Indian Soldiers, Mayor of Haifa, Yona Yahav had remarked - "Major Singh and the bold Indian soldiers are very dear to us. Dalpat Singh not only changed the history of my city but the history of the Middle East". History textbooks in Israel from classes 3 to 5 teach about the story of the liberation of Haifa by Indian soldiers.
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