5. The Indianization of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force: Palestine 1918

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the Indianization process at lower levels of organization within the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) and found that the 10th Division did not begin its attack on the enemy line until late on 19 September after the 20th Corps had already decimated the Turkish formations to their left on the coastal plain.

Abstract: By the time the campaign ended in Palestine in October 1918, the majority of Britain's imperial army, known as the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), was made up of units drawn from the Indian Army. In order to analyze fully the process of Indianization it is necessary to examine how it operated at lower levels of organization within the EEF. To prevent the Indianization process impacting on the combat effectiveness of the division, the new Indian battalions were slowly integrated into the front line. The ultimate test of the sepoys came in September 1918 when Allenby decided to launch his assault on the Turkish defences. The 10th Division did not begin its attack on the enemy line until late on 19 September, after the 20th Corps had already decimated the Turkish formations to their left on the coastal plain. The initial assault was planned and broke through the first line trenches. Keywords:Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF); Indianization; Palestine; Turkish defences