at five o'clock in
the morning of that day had made an attack against the Turkish
position at Umm-el-Hannah, and had carried the Turkish intrenchments.
Umm-el-Hannah is at a much greater distance from Kut-el-Amara than
Es-Sinn which was reached on March 8, 1916, but from where the relief
force had to withdraw again that same night to a position only a short
distance beyond Umm-el-Hannah. However, it is located on the left bank
of the Tigris, the same as Kut-el-Amara, and the success of taking
this position, small as it was, promised therefore, once more an early
relief of General Townshend.

This successful attack against Umm-el-Hannah on April 5, 1916, was
carried out by the Thirteenth Division, which had previously fought at
the Dardanelles. It now stood under the command of Lieutenant General
Sir G. Gorringe who had succeeded to General Aylmer. The most careful
preparations had been made for it. For many weeks British engineering
troops had pushed forward a complicated series of sap works, covering
some sixteen miles and allowing the British forces to approach to
within 100 yards of the Turkish intrenchments. With the break of dawn
on April 5, 1916, bombing parties were sent forward, whose cheers soon
announced the fact that they had invaded the first line of Turkish
trenches. Already on the previous day the way had been cleared for
them by their artillery, which by means of incessant fire had
destroyed the elaborate wire entanglements which the Turks had
constructed in front of their trenches.

The storming of the first line of trenches was followed quickly by an
equally successful attack on the second line. By 6 a. m., one hour
after the beginning of the attack, the third line had been carried
with the assistance of concentrated machine-gun and artillery fire.
Within another hour the same troops had stormed and occupied the
fourth and fifth lines of the Turks. The latter thereupon were forced
to fall back upon their next line of defensive works at Felahieh and
Sanna-i-Yat, about four and six miles respectively farther up the
river. Reenforcements were quickly brought up from the Turkish main
position at Es-Sinn, some farther ten miles up, and with feverish
haste the intrenchments were made stronger. General Gorringe's
aeroplane scouts promptly observed and reported these operations, and
inasmuch as the ground between these new positions and the positions
which had just been gained by the British troops is absolut