~1,940 troops New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade The Battle of Ayun Kara (14 November 1917) was an engagement in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign during the First World War.

The battle was fought between the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and a similar-sized rearguard from the Turkish 3rd Infantry Division, which was part of the XXII Corps of the Ottoman Eighth Army under Kress von Kressenstein.

About nine miles (14 km) south of Jaffa around 1,500 Turkish troops from the 3rd Infantry Division, supported by eighteen machine-guns and an artillery battery, had formed a position to cover their withdrawing forces.

They successfully covered the right of the Auckland and Wellington regiments pushing large bodies of Ottoman soldiers back through the orchards of the Wadi Hanein and eventually won the village.

[15] To the west of the Wadi Hanein the Auckland and Wellington Mounted Rifles at first advanced quickly over the more open but hilly country, their left on the edge of the dunes with the Somerset Battery (RHA) supporting them from north of El Kubeibeh.

[13] But they soon encountered a substantial entrenched infantry position of the Ottoman 3rd Division on a high ridge one side of which was a steep face to the orange groves and the other sloped gradually towards the sand dunes.

[15] By noon the situation had developed and Meldrum, commanding the New Zealand Brigade, ordered an attack by the Wellington Mounted Rifles in the centre to gain contact with the main Ottoman entrenched position.

But Red Knoll, located close to the junction with the short leg and practically in front of the dividing line between the two regiments, poured fire directly on them all.

About this time Ottoman defenders were driven back from the third position and the New Zealanders gained practically the whole of the long ridge south of the orange groves of Rishon le Ziyon.

They charged with fixed bayonets approaching in places to within fifteen yards (14 m) throwing their hand grenades or bombs, in a determined effort to turn the New Zealanders' left flank.

[13] A group of Ottoman soldiers reoccupied a small hill on which all New Zealanders had been killed or wounded, firing obliquely on the Auckland Regiment's main position.

[19] The fierce intensity of the fight continued at close quarters for some time with well-sited Ottoman machine-guns handled with skill and boldness enfilading the New Zealanders.

[21] With the capture of the knoll two remaining troops of Herrick's squadron came up and brought to bear heavy fire on the Ottoman soldiers in front of the Auckland Regiment.