The battle of Beersheba, 31 October 1917, was the first part of the wider third battle of Gaza (31 October- 7 November 1917). The British had already launched two unsuccessful attacks on the Turkish position at Gaza (First battle of Gaza, 26-27 March, Second battle of Gaza, 17-19 April), and since then the Turkish defences at Gaza had been greatly strengthened. The new British command in Egypt, General Allenby, adopted a plan that was already in place on his arrival, for an attack beyond the Turkish left, at Beersheba.
The main Turkish defensive line ended at Kauwukah, ten miles to the north west of Beersheba. There was a simple reason for this. The countryside to the west and south of Beersheba was entirely waterless. Any attacking force would have to carry its own water, and be confident that it could capture Beersheba in a single day, for the only water in the area was within the town. The biggest danger was that the Turks might have time to destroy the wells within Beersheba, forcing the attacking force to retreat back towards its water supplies.
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