ANZAC Mounted Division

ANZAC Mounted Division
Unit name	ANZAC Mounted Division
Dates	March 1916 – July 1919
Country	Australia, New Zealand
Branch	Australian Imperial Force, New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Type	Cavalry
Size	Division
Command structure	Egyptian Expeditionary Force
Notable commanders	Harry Chauvel, Edward Chaytor

ANZAC Mounted Division was a mounted formation raised during World War I from Australian Imperial Force and New Zealand Expeditionary Force mounted troops for operations in the Sinai and Palestine campaign. Formed in 1916, the division served under the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in operations against the Ottoman Empire, taking part in mounted warfare across the Sinai Peninsula, along the Suez Canal, and into Palestine and Syria. It combined Australian light horse regiments and New Zealand mounted rifles with supporting artillery, engineers, and medical services.

Formation and organization

The division was established in March 1916 as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force reorganization following defeats and stalemate after the Battle of Romani and subsequent operations defending the Suez Canal. Its core comprised three mounted brigades drawn from the Australian Light Horse—the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades—and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, integrating with a machine gun squadron, a horse artillery battery from the Royal Horse Artillery, engineers from the Royal Engineers, and medical detachments from the Australian Army Medical Corps and the New Zealand Medical Corps. Command arrangements placed the division initially under Major General Harry Chauvel and later under Major General Edward Chaytor during various phases, with divisional headquarters coordinating reconnaissance, supply, and communications with the Desert Column and corps headquarters of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

Operational history

After formation the division was deployed to secure the southern approaches to the Suez Canal, engaging in patrols, reconnaissance, and mobile defence against Ottoman Empire incursions and Bedouin raids. In 1917 it participated in the offensive push across the Sinai Peninsula and into southern Palestine, operating in concert with infantry formations of the British Expeditionary Force (Middle East) and mounted elements of the Imperial Camel Corps. The division undertook long-range raids, flank screens, and exploitation roles during the First Battle of Gaza aftermath, the Second Battle of Gaza, and the successful Third Battle of Gaza campaign. In 1918 the division continued operations northward, supporting the advance toward Jerusalem and later the march into the Hauran and Jisr ed Damieh sectors, coordinating with the Arab Revolt's irregular forces and the Royal Flying Corps for aerial reconnaissance.

Key battles and engagements

The division was heavily engaged in the 1917 Gaza–Beersheba operations, notably during the Battle of Beersheba where mounted troops executed wide manoeuvres to threaten Ottoman flanks. It provided mobile screening and pursuit at the Capture of Beersheba, contributed to the breakthrough during the Third Battle of Gaza, and participated in the capture and occupation of Jerusalem during the winter offensive. In 1918 it took part in the Battle of Megiddo operations, including the rapid pursuit that helped collapse Ottoman lines in northern Palestine and Syria, and in actions around Es Salt and Amman during raids into Transjordan, where coordination with Anzac Mounted Division-affiliated units and local Arab forces was significant.

Units and commanders

Primary formation units included the Australian 1st Light Horse Brigade, 2nd Light Horse Brigade, 3rd Light Horse Brigade, and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, each composed of regiments such as the 1st Light Horse Regiment (Australia), 2nd Light Horse Regiment (Australia), Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment, Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment and others. Artillery support came from batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery and the Australian Field Artillery. Commanders who influenced operations included Harry Chauvel, who later commanded the Desert Mounted Corps, and Edward Chaytor, who held divisional command during significant phases; brigade commanders included officers such as John Antill and Reginald Miles. Staff officers and attached specialists came from the Australian Army Service Corps, New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, and the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Equipment and tactics

Equipment was typical of mounted formations of the period: troopers rode Waler and other light horses suited to desert conditions, armed with .303 Lee–Enfield rifles, bayonets, and some carried Vickers machine gun sections or Lewis guns within machine gun squadrons. Horse artillery provided mobile fire support with 13-pounder and 18-pounder guns. Logistics relied on water supply planning, remounts, and camel transport from the Imperial Camel Corps and local resources. Tactically the division emphasized mobility, reconnaissance, envelopment and mounted charge actions in open terrain, combined arms cooperation with infantry from the ANZAC Corps and British infantry divisions, and increasingly integrated aerial reconnaissance from the Royal Flying Corps and later the Royal Air Force.

Demobilization and legacy

Following the armistice with the Ottoman Empire and postwar occupations, the division was gradually demobilized between late 1918 and mid-1919, with personnel returning to Australia and New Zealand or transferring to other units. Its operational record influenced postwar doctrine on mounted mobility, contributed to the reputations of units like the Australian Light Horse and New Zealand Mounted Rifles, and entered national commemorations alongside battles such as Beersheba and Jerusalem. Veterans' organizations, memorials, and regimental histories preserved the division’s legacy in both countries, shaping remembrance in institutions like the Australian War Memorial and the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Category:Military units and formations of World War I