Kinneret College to commemorate 102 years since the battle of Tzemach
The results of the battle had the potential to shift the power balance in the Middle Eastern theater during World War I.
By DANIEL NISINMAN A monument marking the legacy of the Australian Cavalry in the Kinnert Campus(photo credit: Courtesy)
On September 25, 1918, 102 year ago, an important battle was fought between the Australian light cavalry forces and Imperial Germany's troops along with their Ottoman allies for the control of Samakh (modern day Tzemach), a key strategic point located on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee, just outside Tiberias.The results of the battle had the potential to shift the power balance in the Middle Eastern theater during World War I, since the town of Samakh controlled the most direct route to Damascus, which was part of the Ottoman Empire. Also, a series of railroad lines, which were part of the Ottoman lines of communication, ran through the town.Following a series of unsuccessful battles, the Ottomans were retreating. Samakh was part of an Ottoman rear defense line that was meant to cover the retreat of their armies.On the night of September 24, Australian Light Cavalry forces, who were part of the Australian Mounted Division which fought earlier in Egypt, under the command of Major General Henry West Hodgson, were ordered to capture Samakh.At dawn, the cavalry moved closer to town but was met with heavy resistance. The Australian cavalrymen were fired upon from the town buildings.Without hesitation, the cavalrymen dismounted their horses, and charged the railway station building from where they were fired upon.The battle turned fierce by the minute, as they were fighting in close quarters with bayonets. After some two hours, the local garrison was defeated.The results of the battle helped to push the Ottomans out of the region, paving the way for British dominance which lasted until the inception of the Jewish state in 1948.Kinneret Academic College will commemorate the events of that day later on this month by holding an official ceremony with the anticipated participation of the Australian Defense Attaché, as well as other dignitaries.
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