Hell in the Holy Land: The First and
Second Battles for Gaza
is a wargame simulation of the first major
offensives by Allied forces in in Palestine
during World War.
Following defeats along the Suez Canal the
Ottoman government forcibly evacuated the
civilians of Gaza and began fortifying the
town and nearlby high ground. The Allied
forces occupied the Sinai but could only
slowly build up forces for a sustained
offensive, and only after extensive work was
completed on rail lines and water pipeline
from Egypt. In the Spring of 1917 this work
was completed and both sides prepared for a
fight. In the meantime the Ottoman Empire
had won significant victories over the
Allies at the Gallipoli peninsula, and in
Iraq where a British and Indian army were
compelled to surrender after a grueling
siege.
The Allies brought to Gaza hundreds of
artillery, the largest concentration of this
weaponry outside of the Western Front,
including gas chemical shells, as well as
tanks. The Ottomans had also rushed
reinforcements, including veterans who were
at Gallipoli, German advisors, and aircraft.