The 25th Brigade holds at Jezzine on 17 June 1941

Brigadier Cox, of the 25th Australian Brigade, was determined to hold his ground at Jezzine. The brigade headquarters moved back to Kafr Houn. The brigade needed to be on the defensive, given the situation. The French made a battalion-sized attack on two Australian companies that were on high ground just to the east of the a road. The Australians consisted of Robson's company and Thomson's company. Thomson's company was able to stop the attack with heavy gunfire. The other company moved up to within 75 yards of the French. Two platoons charged with the support of the third and forced the French, actually mostly Senegalese, to surrender. The surviving troops were what surrendered. The Senegalese had been marched for some four days without adequate rest and food. Despite this setback, the French continued to attempt around the east. Another Australian company was sent forward, and with this reinforcement, the French were stopped by around 4pm. The Australians spent the rest of the day searching dead French soldiers for food and sent parties to collect wounded French soldiers and rendered aid. During the night, the French had fired on the Australians. By morning, one Australian company had attacked, but was stopped by heavy machine gun fire. The company commander and five other men were killed. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

The failed attack on Merdjayoun on 16 and 17 June 1941

Brigadier Berryman, in command in the Merdjayoun area, hoped to retake the place on 17 June 1941. The 2/25th Battalion was now in the area. He would have them cross the river and attack from the northwest. One company from the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion would attack from Qleaa. They would have another pioneer company ready to advance if they were successful. The Official History notes that the pioneers were ill-suited to fighting as infantry, as they were poorly equipped with infantry weapons. They had only been in North Africa and the Middle East since May and had only been employed doing engineer work. They plan for the attack now seems to be unrealistic for the available forces. The fort at Merdjayoun had walls so thick that 25-pounder shells could not damage them. After the dust settled, the pioneers had lost "27 killed, 46 wounded and 29 prisoners". The pioneers had run into strong opposition, including tanks. The 2/25th Battalion had to stop short of their position and there was no chance of a surprise attack. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

17 and 18 June 1941 in Syria

The Australian 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion was performing important work, helping to hold back the Vichy French counterattack. One company of machine gunners, commanded by Captain Gordon had been sent towards Kuneitra, which had been taken by the French. During the morning of 17 June 1941, Captain Gordon learned that two battalions were on the way to support his company. The first battalion to arrive, the 2/Queen's, arrived by 5pm. The battalion commander was senior and he took command at the position. He planned an attack at 7pm. They attacked Kuneitra and retook the town. The town was littered with knocked out and overturned vehicles. Yet, after all that, the populace was trying to return to normal and there were shops open for business.

Meanwhile, at Sheikh Meskine, the force there was enduring hard fighting. Early on 18 June, a company attacked Ezraa, but the French attacked with tanks and the battalion commander was killed. A notable event happened when Major Hackett, "a young Australian serving in the British regular army" led and attack with a motley force of 100 men in trucks and took the town. They captured 168 prisoners. They also took various weapons. Hackett's men included Senegalese, 12 men from the Royal Fusiliers, several carriers, along with an anti-tank gun (certainly a 2pdr). This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

At Kuneitra again

Early on 17 June 1941, the machine gunners sent a force towards Kuneitra. They had General Wilson's order still in force to try and reinforce Kuneitra. They had a machine gun company, two armored cars from the Palestine police, and two two-pounder anti-tank guns. Kuneitra was some 25 miles away from the machine gun battalion. The force was commanded by Captain Gordon. He met an officer from the Fusiliers who had been at Kuneitra. Given the news about the French in Kuneitra. By 6am, they met another Fusiliers officer who gave more detailed information about the French force in Kuneitra. There were apparently still about 160 Fusiliers, including 17 officers. The machine gunners took a position on a ridge looking down on Kuneitra. They could see some French vehicles and troops. They started firing, hoping to draw the tanks into anti-tank gun range. Instead, the armored vehicles returned to Kuneitra and the cavalrymen dismounted. The Palestinian armored cars then moved towards the cavalry, which then "scattered". The machine gunners could see three tanks in the nearby town. They could also see artillery moving on the road. The guns turned out to be British and they drew French artillery fire. The British artillery fire then drove off the French tanks. The machine gunners then sent the armored cars to the British artillery position to let them know of their positions. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

More of the French counteracttack on 16 June 1941 in Syria and Lebanon

A French company attacked the Australians at Khiam fort in the afternoon of 16 June 1941. The attack was strong enough that the company that was attacked withdrew some 300 yards farther south. Another Australian company came up in support and they took a position in a ravine. The battalion commander then ordered them to fall back to a position about a mile-and-a-half farther south. On their left, there were some Royal Scots Greys cavalrymen, a company of the 2/5th Battalion, with a company of pioneers moving up to reinforce them. They had not been further challenged since the morning.

The plan approved by General Lavarack was to attack at Merdjayoun to relieve some pressure at Khiam. General Lavarack not only approved Brigadier Berryman's plan, but gave he command of a greater number of troops. The new force included three battalions, 22 field guns, and cavalry (6th Australian and Royal Scots Greys). The French counterattack had gotten a quick response.

At Jezzine, in Lebanon, the 25th Brigade was attacked as well. The first movements were seen early in the day on 15 June. They could see trucks and horsed cavalry moving forward. The attackers also had some artillery. The first attack happened late on 15 June. The Australians were able to call in artillery fire sufficient to halt the attack and to cause the attackers to withdraw. Another group of French troops moved forward early on 16 June. The defenders knocked out French armored cars and took prisoners. French cavalry tried to attack along a northern road and lost almost all their men and horses to machine gun fire. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

The other action in Syria on 15 and 16 June 1941

With the forces in the east threatening Damascus, Brigadier Lloyd had decided to press on despite the setbacks to the west, in his rear. On 15 June 1941, he had ordered the 5th Indian Brigade to move forward to Jebel Madani. That happened during the night. Early on 16 June, the Punjabi troops had taken the heights, from which they could see the skyline of Damascus, minarets and all. The distance was about nine miles. The Rajputana had been relieved by a Free French unit. That allowed them to pass through the lines and move forward along the Kuneitra road. They were about two miles to the south. The Free French Marines had moved up to them in support. They were faced by a heavy attack that included tanks and aircraft that caused many casualties. These moves had placed forces at Artouz, which was in the rear of the French forces at Kuneitra.

16 June saw a successful action in the Merdjayoun area. One company was ordered to withdraw from Hebbariye to the road from Bmeriq to Banias. The men at Fort Christofini were also ordered to withdraw. In the morning on 16 June, there was a battle against Circassian cavalry. The Australian troops circled the village at Rachaya el Fokhar. The men from the fort saw the fight from a distance and the commander ordered them down the hill into the flank of the French cavalry. They killed some fifty French cavalrymen and then took up defensive positions. They were eventually ordered to withdraw to Bmeriq. The one battalion had acquired 34 fine cavalry horses for their use. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

Later on 16 June 1941 near Kuneitra, Syria

At 1820 on 16 June 1941, a French officer drove up in an armored car to the Fusiliers battalion headquarters in Kunietra. He had a Fusiliers prisoner with him. He informed the surviving battalion commander that they were surrounded by a "vastly superior force of tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles". He hoped that they would surrender, because he did not like fighting the "Englishmen". After a half hour, the commander decided to surrender his 13 officers and 164 men that we previously mentioned. When the battalion commander walked over to the French officer, he saw 11 medium tanks nearby. Not all the battalion had been at Kuneitra. There was still one company which had approached Kuneitra with a 25-pounder gun. They approached from Kiswe, fired off what ammunition they had, and then withdrew. Late on 16 June, the machine gun battalion commander, Lt-Col Blackburn, had heard about the plight of the Fusiliers at Kuneitra. In a typically bizarre incident, an officer from General Wilson's headquarters had brought orders directly from Wilson to take ammunition to Kuneitra. General Wilson seems to have been totally out of touch with the situation, and had taken the initiative outside the chain of command. He must have thought that he was interfering to try and help, but the officers on the scene were in control of the situation and were taking steps to respond to the French attack. During 15 and 16 June 1941, Brigadier Lloyd was at Kiswe. The forces on the east side were within nine miles of Damascus and were going to take the risk to continue to menace the city and perhaps take it. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

Late on 15 June to early on 16 June 1941 in Lebanon and Syria

During the night of 15 June to 16 June 1941, General Lavarack made some changes to his troop deployments in response to the threatening French counterattack. General Lavarack had his Australians spread across some 37 miles in southern Lebanon and Syria. To cover that area, he had two infantry brigades with supporting troops. The French attack was a threat to the lines of communication for the 25th Australian Brigade on the right. He ordered a battalion, the 2/25th, the 2/5th Field Regiment and one troop from the 2/6th Field Regiment to move to Merdjayoun. They had been involved in operations at Jezzine. Jezzine was left with just the 2/31st Battalion to hold Jezzine. Brigadier Berryman was ordered to take command of the forces near Merdjayoun to mount a defense of the 25th Australian Brigade rear.

The 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion had been spread across a wide area working on repairing roads. The were ordered to guard the crossing over the Litani River and to set explosives for blowing the bridge if they were attacked. After a long night move, mostly by truck, the pioneers were very tired by the morning of 16 June. The machine-gunners of the 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion had orders to guard the crossings over the Jordan River. The commander reached the bridge that already had British cavalry on horses on guard. During the night, some anti-tank guns arrived at the bridge. They were fully involved with preparing defenses.

Brigadier Berryman was at Jezzine when he received his new orders. He left Jezzine by 1am and was at the Litani River by 6:30am, where he met the 2/2nd Pioneers commander. He ordered the pioneer commander to move a company to the ridge "between Qleaa and Merdjayoun". The ridge already had the Royal Scots Greys, who he ordered to continue to hold where they were. At the same time, the French attacked Kuneitra. The Royal Fusiliers were at Kuneitra. They had some 570 British infantry. They had one 20mm Italian Breda gun. The French had some 1,500 infantry, "eleven tanks, ten armoured cars, and one or two field guns". The French had broken into Kuneitra by 6am. The surviving fusiliers were concentrated in three stone houses by 11:30am. By 7pm, the surviving fusiliers had surrendered to the French. They were 13 officers and 164 men. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

The situation as of the night of 15 and 16 June 1941 in Syria and Lebanon

The British commanders who had planned the attack on Syria had decided to attack in spite of having what were inadequate forces. The attackers had been fortunate in the first days to have not met serious resistance, except near Merdjayoun. The Australians under General Lavarack's command had just the two brigades of infantry with supporting artillery, engineers, and cavalry. General Wilson ordered the 7th Australian Division to send "anti-tank guns and ammunition" to bolster the defenses at Kuneitra. He also diverted to Deraa the first battalion to arrive from the British 16th Brigade. The 7th Australian Division had very little left in way of reserves. There was the division headquarters, two machine gun companies, and the headquarters and one battery from an anti-tank regiment. There was also a pioneer battalion that had units spread across the Australian front doing "engineer work". WIth General Lavarack being responsible for some 37 miles of front, he deployed his meager reserves where he could. He sent the machine-gunners and the anti-tank battery to hold the "bridge of the daughters of Jacob" over the Jordan River, reminding us that we are in biblical lands. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

The French counter-attack and disarray in response

When the Royal Scots Greys fled through Merdjayoun in headlong flight, they told the Australians that there were no more British troops to the north. That was actually not true. There were still "infantry, cavalry and artillery" forward that did not know about the withdrawal and panic. There was still a rearguard in place at Merdjayoun. There was an infantry company, some cavalry in carriers, and an anti-tank gun battery. The infantry scouted some 500 yards to the north and saw no French troops. They had been ordered to pull back at 2:45am and did so. They moved back to Qleaa to where some Staffordshire Yeomanry and Royal Scots Greys were in place. The Australian infantry were across the road. They saw their first French tanks at 10:30am on 16 June 1941. There were only two, and the anti-tank guns knocked out one and the other pulled back. By now, the company at the "Windy Corner" had pulled back to Khiam and had occupied the fort there. The 6th Cavalry had some Vickers machine guns set up at the nearby road junction.

The French counter-attack in the east had created major problems for the British forces attacking Syria in the east. While ordering his reserves forward, General Lavarack told Brigadier Berryman to take command of the troops at Merdjayoun. Brigadier Berryman was the 7th Australian Division artillery commander and was the most experienced Australian brigadier. Brigadier Berryman had been at Jezzine when he received his orders from General Lavarack. That had been around midnight on 15 June. While Brigadier Berryman had responsibility for the area west of the Litani river, he also made some moves to the esat, where the Royal Scots Greys were at Qleaa. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

Panic at Merdjayoun on 15 June 1941

at dusk on 15 June 1941, the French tanks moving on Merdjayoun had stopped. Not just the tanks, but the French attack in general had come to a stop. They would have been foolish to move tanks on mountainous roads in the dark. Still, there was panic among some troops near Merdjayoun with wild rumors of French tanks having broken through the position. The Royal Scots Greys, British cavalry, were among those affected. When some men of the Greys went to where their vehicle park and found that they were gone, the men panicked and they were out of control. This had been observed by an Australian artillery officer. Even the Australians got mixed up with the men in panic. There were four vehicles belonging to the 2/5th Field Regiment which got involved with the scramble of vehicles moving towards Metulla. They eventually received orders "to keep going and keep the roads clear". The "little convoy of four trucks" eventually was able to rejoin their unit after two days on the move. The field guns at Qleaa were eventually withdrawn after a harrowing experience after taking a wrong turn that led them over terraces. They were attacked by a French bomber that a Bofors gun shot down. They eventually the guns made their way to Metulla by dark. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

The situation at Merdjayoun deteriorates on 15 June 1941

After the route to Captain Hodge's observation post was cut on 15 June 1941, under the French attack, he sent a gunner back to find out the situation. He returned to say that the Royal Scots Greys had withdrawn. Hodge's team was helped by a troop of carriers that crossed the Debbine Valley. The whole front near Medjayoun was now withdrawing in the face of the strong French attack. The 2/33rd commander, Lt-Col. Monaghan, ordered the cavalry commander, Onslow, to supervise the withdrawal of the forward troops. He also suggested to Colonel Todd, the commander of the Royal Scots Greys, that his men should hold the high ground to the immediate north of Merdjayoun. Monaghan's battalion would try and hold Khiam. He hoped to organize a counter-attack near Rachaya el Fokhar. A new unit, a company of the 2/5th Battaiion was operating under the command of the Royal Scots Greys. As the day got later on 15 June, the French were continuing to attack and make progress. The cavalry squadron on the Balate Ridge withdrew into Merdjayoun in the face of the French attack. Rumors were rife of a big French breakthrough with tanks and a collapse of the Australian position. Some troops panicked and fled without orders. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

At the "Windy Corner" on 15 June 1941

One company of the Australian 2/33rd Battalion was at Route "A" near the Windy Corner. The road north of Merdjayoun, in Syria, during the attack on Syria and Lebanon, curves around the bottom of the Balate Ridge. When the road then turns back to the north, there is a divide into what they called routes "A" and "B". During the afternoon of 15 June 1941, French artillery opened fire on the company that was on Route "A" at the "Windy Corner". The company was under Major Onslow's command. He had two 6th Australian Cavalry squadrons. There were also other troops in the vicinity. They included a machine gun platoon, anti-tank guns, and a field artillery battery. The battery was to support the Royal Scots Greys, which were on the road to the north. Suddenly, at 3pm, they received French artillery fire. In a half hour, ten French tanks, fifty cavalry, and two infantry companies moved into the area. They set up machine guns. Starting at 4:30pm, the tanks attacked on both routes "A" and "B". The Australian anti-tank guns hit the leading tank. Two other tanks backed off, but fired on the machine guns. French troops on the heights started firing on the 2/5th, who were below them in elevation and about 1200 yards away. The French had made a stronger attack on Route "B", and had forced the Royal Scots Greys to withdraw back down the road, as they were attacked by French tanks. The tanks were fired on by artillery and the anti-tank guns. After four tanks were knocked out, they moved back around the curve, out of sight. At ROute "A", a large infantry attack took two of the Australian anti-tank guns. After another attack at Route "B", the guns there were pulled back out of danger. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

15 June 1941 near Merdjayoun

Captain Bennett commanded a company of the Australian 2/33rd Battalion. since the start of the campaign in Syria and Lebanon, Captain Bennett's company had spent much of the time near Merdjayoun. On 15 June 1941, they were moving north and "passed through Rachaya el Fokhar" as they moved towards Christofini. They heard from the local people that the French had been using a fort at Christofini. There had been fifty man groups moving in and out of the fort. They later learned enough to believe that the French had withdrawn earlier on the 15th after receiving artillery fire. Captain Bennett had decided to wait to move towards the fort until 16th.

Another company of the 2/33rd Battalion was moving towards Hebbariye. Major Buttrose commanded this company. They had donkeys to carry their "heavy weapons and ammunition". They quickly found that they donkeys could not handle the steep slopes, so the men had to carry the weapons and ammunition. They also reached Rachaya el Fokhar, where they met an Arab who spoke English and had lived in the United States. He told them he would guide them down the cliff face towards Hebbariye. They reached that village by 11:30am. They heard at 3pm from a "friendly Arab" that the French "knew where they were". Major Buttrose, in response, moved his company down below the village. That proved a wise move, because the French had started firing artillery at the area where they had been above the village. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official history.

Action at Kuneitra and Merdjayoun on 14 and 15 June 1941

A deserver from the Vichy French asserted that the French planned to attack Kuneitra on 15 June 1941 with two infantry battalions and tanks. In the face of what was happening, there were some shifting of command and units. A battle group was formed at Merdjayoun under the command of Lt-Col. Monaghan. He had his battalion, the 2/33rd, the 6th Australian Cavalry Regiment, an artillery battery, and some anti-tank guns and engineers. There were also the Royal Scots Greys and 2/2nd Pioneers under General Lavarack. The pioneers had their headquarters near the Litani River crossing. Lt-Col. Monaghan took the risk of sending three companies in a flanking attack on the advancing French forces near the foothills of Mount Hermon. At least some of the Australians knew the area well and were liked by the Syrian villagers, who were willing to give them information. There was a fort at Christofini that was occupied by French cavalry. One company planned to attack the fort on 16 June, although the French had likely abandoned the fort on 15 June. There was a concerted French attack north of Merdjayoun at the area named the "Windy Corner". Australian anti-tank guns were in action and knocked out the lead tank, which discouraged the others, causing them to pull back. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

Danger in the rear on 14 and 15 June 1941 in the east of Syria

Some 35 miles behind the front line on the road to Damascus on 14 and 15 June 1941, the commander, now Brigadier Lloyd, as we noted, was notified that on the afternoon of 14 June, two companies of Tunisian troops with armoured cars and artillery had driven out the Transjordan Frontier Force and had taken Ezraa. They were sitting on the road, as a blocking force. The Jordanians had moved to the "Ezraa-Sheikh Meskine" road. After that news, they heard of a French force moving on Kuneitra. Early on 15 June, this group had moved out from Sassa. The had forced back the advance group from the 1/Royal Fusiliers with a few armoured cars and carriers. There was grim news from 15 June that the Vichy French were sending a large force of infantry, tanks, and cavalry towards Kuneitra. The force of Free French and the Indian brigade had essentially bypassed this group on their advance towards Damascus. The bypassed force was now in position to threaten the rear of the troops moving towards Damascus. Brigadier Lloyd responded to the threat by dispatching a small battle group consisting of two Free French companies and some British artillery towards Sheikh Meskine. They were to hold the road near Sheikh Meskine. At noon on the 15th, Australian Tomahawks attacked Vichy French vehicles on the road also near Sheikh Meskine. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

15 June 1941 in the east, the French counter-attack

Early on 15 June 1941, the Indian troops attacked. The 3/1st Punjab Battalion and a company from the 1/Royal Fuisiliers, advanced on Kiswe, a village. There was a wide and deep anti-tank trench, so the men carried wooden ladders to help them cross. They had artillery support from the 1st Field Regiment. By 6am, the troops had crossed the wadi and were fighting in the gardens and houses. A company flanked the position and attacked from a different side. At 8:30am, the Indians had overcome the French. They were aided by catching the French relieving troops. Some of the weapons were already loaded on trucks. With momentum on their side, the Rajputana moved through the Punjabi and attacked the hill. On the left, the Free French marines and fusiliers took Moukelbe. They had fought four Vichy French battalions and had pushed them back. Another attack on the right had failed, though. The Free French had taken Jebel el Kelb, but they were stopped by fire from the flank. Way to the right, the cavalrymen were also stopped by artillery and tanks. Brigadier Lloyd got bad news, though, about an attack on their supply line. Behind them some 35 miles, On 14 June, an attack had driven out the Transjordan Frontier Force at Ezraa. This was on the railway and near the road. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

Attack in the east in Syria on 15 June 1941

With General Legentilhomme wounded and out of action, he had been replaced in the east of Syrla by Brigadier Lloyd, who had commanded the 5th Indian Brigade. Brigadier Lloyd's plan for 15 June 1941 was that the 5th Indian Brigade and a Free French Marine battalion would attack north along the west side of the road to Damascus. Assuming that they would succeed in capturing Moukelbe, Tel Kiswe, and the village of Kiswe, the Free French brigade would attack to the on the right and take Jebel Abou Atriz and Jebel Kelb. The French defenders were thought to be stronger than the attackers. There were Moroccan and Tunisian battalions near Kiswe. The defenders of Tel Kiswe and Moukelbe were two French Foreign Legion battalions. On the Free French side, there were problems with Senegalese troops and French Foreign Legion troops facing their own people in combat. The attack on the left started at 4:30am. The 1st Field Regiment fired in support and the Indian troops advanced across the wadi and into the village. An Indian company on the flank wheeled and caught the village from a different side. The Indians had taken the village by 8:30am. They were partly just lucky in that they had caught the French troops during the process of relieving troops. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

The Vichy French forces attack in Syria and Lebanon on 14 to 15 June 1941

Along the Mediterranean coast, the Australians had advanced within thirty miles of Beirut. In the east, the attack at advanced to within 25 miles of Damascus. However, in between, near Merdjayoun, the attack had only moved forward some ten miles from the border. That left the French with a large area that intruded between the "British" forces. They were only nominally British, as there were mostly Australians, the 5th Indian Brigade, the Jordanians, and the Free French. The forces in before Damascus were in very strong positions. They had infantry positiones in an area where there were houses and gardens, with boulders along the Jebel el Kelb and Jebel Abou Atriz. That was on the east side of the road to Damascus. On the west side, there were the high ground at the Tel Kswe, Tel Afair, and Jevel Madani. This was an area with "lava boulders" that meant that wheeled and tracked vehicles were restricted to the roads.

With the Free French general, Legentilhomme wounded, Brigadier Lloyd was made commander in the east of the Free French and British force. A colonel, Colonel Jones, became the 5th Indian Brigade commander. Brigadier Lloyd planned an attack on 15 June, 1941, with the Free French marine battalion and the 5th Indian Brigade. The goal was to take "Moukelbe, Tel Kiswe, and the Kiswe village". This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.

With the Free French on 12 and 13 June 1941 in Syria

Major-General Paul Legentilhomme commanded the Free French forces on the eastern portion of the Syrian Campaign. He was an old East African veteran, having been in French Somaliland and Eritrea. The Free French had continued to attack the Vichy defenses at Kiswe. There was a report that the Vichy French tanks were moving around their flank, General Legentilhomme had his troops hold their present positions on Jebel Maani and Jebel Badrane. Later in the day, the General was wounded. General Wilson weighed in on the situation with General Wavell and opined that there was not a counter-attack in progress. He did order the 5th Indian Brigade to be under the Free French command and left the protection of the rear to the Transjordan Frontier Force, which was a very small unit. Fortunately, the tanks sighted were Free French, so there was less reason to panic. When the 5th Indian Brigade commander saw the Vichy French defenses at Kiswe, he thought that the positions were so strong that they would need strong artillery support with a set-piece attack to take the place. He discussed the situation with the wounded General Legentilhomme and they agreed to wait until 15 June to attack Kiswe. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.