First Battle of Hanna
Part of theMesopotamian campaign ofWorld War I
A 1924 British map showing the first attack on Hanna.
Date 21 January 1916 Location Hanna defile, present-dayIraq 32°38′45″N46°03′09″E / 32.6458795°N 46.0526276°E /32.6458795; 46.0526276 Result Ottoman victory
Belligerents
British Empire  India  United Kingdom	Ottoman Empire  German Empire(military commanders)
Commanders and leaders
Fenton Aylmer	Halil Pasha Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz
Strength
10,000 men[citation needed] (remnants of 2 divisions)	30,000 men[citation needed]
Casualties and losses
2,741 casualties[1]	503 casualties[1]
class=notpageimage| Location within Iraq

TheFirst Battle of Hanna (Turkish:Felahiye Muharebesi) was aWorld War I battle fought on the Mesopotamian front on 21 January 1916 between theOttoman Army and Anglo-Indian forces.

After the Ottoman Empire's entry into the First World War, Britain dispatchedIndian Expeditionary Force D to seize control of theShatt al Arab and the port ofBasra in order to safeguard British oil interests in the Persian Gulf. Eventually, the Anglo-Indian force's mission evolved into the capture of Baghdad. However, despite victories at Qurna, Nasiryeh, and Es Sinn, the primary offensive component of I.E.F. "D", the6th (Poona) Division withdrew southwards after theBattle of Ctesiphon. The Ottoman forces in the region, reinforced and emboldened by the withdrawal from the gates of Baghdad, pursued the Anglo-Indian force to the town ofKut-al-Amara. Strategically situated at the confluence of theShatt al-Hayy and theTigris River, the commander of the Poona Division decided to defend the town.

On 15 December 1915, Ottoman troops had surrounded the Anglo-Indian force of about 10,000 men at the town of Kut-al-Amara. The British commanderMajor GeneralCharles Townshend called for help, and the commander of the Mesopotamian theatreGeneralSir John Nixon began assembling a force of 19,000 men to relieve the besieged forces. This relief force, designated as the Tigris Corps, initially consisted of 2 divisions:3rd (Lahore) Division and7th (Meerut) Division, as well other units available in the region.^[2]

This relief force, commanded byLieutenant GeneralFenton Aylmer, suffered two setbacks during its initial January 1916 offensive (seethe Battle of Wadi). After these defeats, the relief force (now reduced to around 10,000 men) was ordered once again to attempt to break through the Ottoman lines and continued its movement up the Tigris until it encountered 30,000 men of the Ottoman Sixth Army, under the command ofKhalil Pasha, at the Hanna defile, 30 miles downriver of Kut-al-Amara.^[3]

After a short bombardment on 20 and 21 January 1916, the 7th Division charged the Ottoman lines. In an advance across 600 yards of flooded no-man's land, the British sustained 2,700 casualties. The well-prepared Ottoman positions, notably the well-sited machinegun nests, forced them to abandon the assault and withdraw the relief force to the base ofAli Gharbi.

Medical care was practically nonexistent, and the night after the attack saw freezing temperatures. Many British wounded suffered unnecessarily, and morale plummeted. The besieged garrison in Kut-al-Amara could hear the distant sound of the fighting relief force, and when it remained distant, morale there suffered as well.^[4]

Despite two more relief attempts, the garrison at Kut-al-Amara was forced to surrender to the Ottoman forces on 29 April 1916 (seeSiege of Kut).

• Battles of the Mesopotamian campaign
• Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom
• Battles of World War I involving the Ottoman Empire
• Battles of World War I involving British India

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