rger, or
southern--reached the vicinity of the canal, it split and conducted an
independent attack at Suez.

There had been much speculation among military writers all over the
world as to the possibility or probability of the construction by the
Turks of a light railway running a part of the distance across the
Sinai Desert and linking up with the line to Mecca. It was realized
that such a railway would be an enormous help to Djemel Pasha and his
army, especially in the transport of supplies, ammunitions, and
artillery. Indeed, it was held that only by the construction of such a
railway, extending almost to the canal, could the absolutely essential
artillery be brought into action. There was serious doubt of the
ability of the Turks to build such a line. The strength of the German
"stiffening" in the army based upon Damascus was believed to be
slight. Djemel Pasha is said to have seriously opposed any great
number of Teuton officers, especially in the higher commands. Thus the
assistance the Turks could expect from the Germans in the organization
and construction of such a railway would be small. Whether or not the
scheme was feasible at that time it is impossible to say. At any rate
the Turks, for reasons best known to themselves, did not put it to a
test.

The British force in Egypt was well supplied with aeroplanes and kept
the Turkish army under constant observation. With the exception of the
use of the first section of the road, covering a couple of days of
time, there was probably no element of surprise in the Turkish attack
upon the canal. Realizing the limited possibilities of attack from the
east shore, the British, taking their lesson from experience in
France, had constructed an elaborate system of trenches to the east of
the canal at the five points where attacks would possess some
likelihood of successful conclusion.

It was the end of January, 1915, before the Turkish army, marching in
easy stages across the desert reached the vicinity of the canal. Their
German mentors had constructed for them elaborate carriages with the
wheels of enormous width to carry the artillery and the heavy supplies
across the soft sands. Also, in preparation of a crossing of the
canal, the Turks brought a supply of ready-assembled pontoon bridges,
running on wheels and similar to those used by the German army in
Europe, except that they were much lighter.

In the transport of all this material the Turks were dependent upon