Timeline of the Battle of Kut

  1. July 28th

    1914

    World War I started.

  2. October 16th

    1914

    6th Indian Division of the British army departed from Bombay.

  3. October 29th

    1914

    Ottoman Empire entered the war.

  4. November 3rd

    1914

    British forces landed on the Abadan coast in Iran.

  5. November 5th

    1914

    British forces took al Faw from the Ottomans.

  6. November 22nd

    1914

    British forces occupied Basra.

  7. November

    1914

    Lieutenant Colonel Süleyman Askeri was appointed to the command of the Ottoman forces.

  8. April 14th

    1915

    Süleyman Askeri committed suicide after he was defeated by the British forces.

  9. April 22nd

    1915

    General Townshend was appointed to the command of the British forces advancing to Baghdad.

  10. May 19th

    1915

    The new commander of Ottoman forces Colonel Nurettin Bey arrived in Baghdad.

  11. June 3rd

    1915

    British forces captured Amara.

  12. July 25th

    1915

    British forces captured Nasiriyah.

  13. September 29th

    1915

    British forces captured Kut al Amara.

  14. October 5th

    1915

    Ottoman forces were gathered under the 6th Army. Field Marshall Colmar von der Goltz was appointed to the command of the Iraq Corps.

  15. October 9th

    1915

    Colonel Khalil Bey, commander of the 3rd Army's Right Wing, which was fighting against the Russians at the time, was sent to the Iraqi Front along with two divisions in his command.

  16. November 15th

    1915

    Khalil Bey came under Nurettin Bey's command with his men.

  17. November 22nd

    1915

    British forces were defeated at Salman Pak.

  18. December 3rd

    1915

    Retreating British forces deployed in Kut al Amara.

  19. December 7th

    1915

    General Goltz reached Baghdad. Nurettin Bey besieged Kut al Amara.

  20. December 14th

    1915

    The British failed to break the siege.

  21. December 17th

    1915

    A second attempt by British forces to break the siege failed.

  22. December 24th

    1915

    Nurettin Bey's offensive failed.

  23. January 7th

    1916

    The British forces failed to rescue the city of Kut during the Battle of Sheikh Saad.

  24. January 13th

    1916

    Battle of Wadi. The second rescue attempt of the British forces failed.

  25. January 16th

    1916

    Nurettin Bey handed over the command to Khalil Bey.

  26. January 21st

    1916

    Battle of Hannah. The third rescue attempt of the British forces failed.

  27. February 8th

    1916

    Battle of Sabis. The fourth rescue attempt of the British forces failed.

  28. March 6-9

    1916

    Two breakout attempts by British forces failed.

  29. March 10th

    1916

    Colonel Khalil Bey called on General Townshend to surrender.

  30. March 11th

    1916

    Another rescue operation by the British forces failed.

  31. April 19th

    1916

    Goltz Pasha died in Baghdad due to typhus.

  32. April 20th

    1916

    Another rescue operation by the British forces failed.

  33. April 22nd

    1916

    Khalil Bey was promoted to the rank of general and became the commander of the Iraq Corps.

  34. April 24th

    1916

    The British attempt to send help to their besieged forces by sea failed. Ottoman soldiers captured the ship named Julnar.

  35. April 26th

    1916

    General Townshend declared that he was ready to surrender.

  36. April 29th

    1916

    British forces surrendered at 13:20.