Battle of al-Musayfirah
| Battle of al-Musayfirah | |
|---|---|
| Part of Mandatory Syria | |
| Result | French victory |
- Army of the Levant
- French Air Force
Gen. Maurice Gamelin Col. Charles Andréa Capt. Landriau Maj. KratzertSheikh Salman Hamza
(Gamelin's troops numbered 8,000 but arrived after the battle)
83 wounded
500 wounded and captured (later executed)
The Battle of al-Musayfirah (also spelled Battle of Messifre or Battle of Moussiefre) was one of the major military engagements between
The battle commenced on 16 September when Druze rebels launched an early morning attack against French positions. Unable to significantly breach French lines, the rebels experienced heavy casualties after sunrise when they were consistently bombarded by French aircraft for three hours. The rebels subsequently withdrew, although a number were captured by French forces prior. Several of al-Musayfirah's residents were also killed before and during the battle. The French victory, the first significant one during the revolt, paved the way for their capture of al-Suwayda on 24 September, although they withdrew two months later due to inhospitable conditions.
Background
After the defeat of the Ottomans and their subsequent withdrawal from Syria, the country was occupied by France in 1918, and later established the
Although the Druze leadership at the time favored autonomous rule from Damascus, tensions developed when the inhabitants viewed the increasing involvement of the French authorities as overriding interference in their affairs and a way of undermining the Jabal's traditional leadership, particularly the
Al-Musayfirah's inhabitants had accepted the rule of the Mandate and conceded to the imposition of taxes by the French authorities, which to the latter, was enough to consider it a "submitted" village, as opposed to a rebellious one. However, during the uprising, the residents of al-Musayfirah hosted the rebels, gaining the ire of the government. The village was now seen as "treasonous" by the authorities and thus liable to the harshest punishment: execution of the majority of male residents and demolition of homes. In general, most villages along the front lines of the Hauran were in an awkward position, having to possibly face retribution from either the authorities for providing safe haven to the rebels or from the rebels themselves for not agreeing to host them. However, executions were rarely administered by the rebels as a punitive measure against uncooperative villages.[5]
Battle
On 15 September al-Musayfirah was occupied by 600–800 French troops,[6] initially coming from the Foreign Legion which was divided into the 5th Battalion of the 4th Foreign Infantry Regiment (4e REI) commanded by Major Kratzert and the 4th Squadron of the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (REC) commanded by Captain Landriau. These troops formed an advance force dispatched by General Gamelin. Upon their arrival, al-Musayfirah's residents were either expelled or killed. The French forces promptly began to establish fortifications in the village, building stone walls, digging trenches and setting up barbed wire and machine gun turrets. A few days before, the rebel leaders had convened in 'Ara to the east and, apparently with prior knowledge of the French attempt to take over al-Musayfirah, planned to attack them there. An informant from the meeting had notified the French authorities, who were now expecting an attack by Druze forces.[6]
Seeking to attack French positions before the bulk of Gamelin's army from Damascus arrived to the village,[6] the rebels made a charge against al-Musayfirah on 16 September.[7] While they were able to consistently charge against French positions for around 10 hours, they were successfully repulsed by French machine gun fire each time.[7][6] The rebels launched a second major assault in the early morning of 17 September, but once more, no significant number of rebels were able to breach French lines.[7][6] However, a number of rebels managed to ambush French legionnaires in al-Musayfirah's narrow streets. This part of the battle was largely marked by hand-to-hand fighting, despite the bulk of the French forces being cavalry-based.[7] After sunrise, French aircraft bombarded rebel forces 27 times within the span of three hours.[6] A French rescue column, consisting of a battalion of the 16th (or the 18th) Tirailleurs under the commanded of Colonel Charles Andréa arrived in the evening hours.[7]
Aftermath
By the end of the battle, several hundred Druze fighters were slain, although the sources vary about the actual figure with Michael Provence stating it was between 300 and 400,
General Gamelin arrived at al-Musayfirah on 19 September via the rail station at
A monument was later erected in al-Musayfirah to honor the rebels' efforts during the battle.[9]
References
- ^ Betts, 2010, pp. 85–86.
- ^ Betts, 2010, p. 86.
- ^ Betts, 2010, p. 87.
- ^ Provence, 2005, p. 91.
- ^ Provence, 2005, p. 92.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Provence, 2005, p. 93.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lepage, 2008, p. 131.
- ^ Provence, 2005, p. 94.
- ^ Abu Nukta, Mutasim. Al-Musayfirah. E-Daraa. E-Syria. 2009-08-07. (in Arabic)
Bibliography
- Betts, Robert Brenton (2010). The Druze. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300048100.
- Lepage, Jean-Denis G. G. (2008). French Foreign Legion: An Illustrated History. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786462537.
- Provence, Michael (2005). The Great Syrian Revolt and the Rise of Arab Nationalism. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292706804.
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