Battle of Walaja

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Battle of Walaja
Part of Campaigns of Khalid ibn al-Walid
Date May 633 Location Iraq Result Decisive Muslim Victory
Combatants
Muslims	Persian Empire
Commanders
Khalid ibn al-Walid	Andarzaghar Bahman
Strength
15,000	40,000-50,000
Casualties
Low	30,000

Islamic Conquest of Persia
Chains – River – Walaja – Hira – Al-Anbar – Ein-ul-tamr – Daumat-ul-Jandal – Ullais – Muzayyah – Saniyy – Zumail – Firaz – Bridge – Al-Qādisiyyah – Nihawānd

Campaigns of Khalid ibn al-Walid

Conquest of Arabia Uhud – Trench – Mu'tah – Mecca – Hunayn – Ta'if Ridda Wars Yamama – Zafar – Buzakha – Ghamra – Naqra Conquest of the Persian Empire Chains – River – Walaja – Hira – Al-Anbar – Ein-ul-tamr – Daumat-ul-Jandal – Ullais – Muzayyah – Saniyy – Zumail – Firaz Conquest of the Eastern Roman Empire Mu'tah – Firaz – Qarteen – Bosra – Ajnadayn – Marj-al-Rahit – Fahl – Yarmouk – Hazir – Aleppo – Iron Bridge

Contents 1 Background 2 Concentration of Persian army 3 Preperation of Khalid’s army 4 Manoeuvre of Khalid 5 Battle 5.1 Phase 1 5.2 Phase 2 5.3 Phase 3 5.4 Phase 4 6 Aftermath 7 On-line Resources 8 References

[edit] Background

The news of defeat of Persian Army in the Battle of River inflamed the Ctesiphon,as the second Persian army was perished by advancing Muslim Army under the command of Khalid bin Waleed,the commanders of these Persian armies were not only the most experienced but also the most highly regarded figures of the Persian court. Emperor Ardsheer decided to take no chances.

[edit] Concentration of Persian army

He ordered the concentration of another two armies; and he gave this order on the very day on which the Battle of River was fought,he got the news of the defeat because of the advance communication system the Persian use to have in which the appointed persons with loud voice were arranged at a certain distance from each other from the spot of the incident to the capital pf the empire hundreds of thousands of persons were used for that purpose , person A use to transfer massage to person B and B to C and C to person D and onwards,because of this system emperor use to get the news with in few hours. Following the orders of the Emperor, Persian warriors began to concentrate at the imperial capital. They came from all towns and garrisons except those manning the western frontier with the Eastern Roman Empire. In a few days the first army was ready. The Persian court expected the Muslims to proceed along the Euphrates to North-Western Iraq,as they knew that no Arab force will move away from the Desert which they use to take as there rare which in case of defeat could help them to retreat safely to wards the desert. Expecting the Muslims army to move west, Ardsheer picked on Walaja as the place at which to stop Khalid ibn Walid and destroy his army. The first of the new Persian armies raised at Ctesiphon was placed under the command of Andarzaghar, who until recently had been military governor of the frontier province of Khurasan. Andarzaghar was ordered to move his army to Walaja, where he would soon be joined by the second army. He set off from Ctesiphon, moved along the east bank of the Tigris, crossed the Tigris at Kaskar, moved south-west to the Euphrates, near Walaja, crossed the Euphrates and established his camp at Walaja. on his way to, Walaja he picked up thousands of Arabs who were willing to fight under his standard. He had also met and taken command of the remnants of the army that fought in the battle of river. When he arrived at Walaja he waited for Bahman who was to join him in a few days. Bahman was the commander of the second army. One of the top personalities of the Persian military hierarchy. He was ordered by the Emperor to take the second army, when ready, to Walaja where Andarzaghar would await him. Bahman would be in over-all command of both the armies, and with this enormous might would fight and destroy the Muslim Army in one great battle. Bahman moved on a separate route to Andarzaghar's. From Ctesiphon he marched south, between the two rivers, making directly for Walaja. But he left Ctesiphon several days after the first army, and his movement was slower.

[edit] Preperation of Khalid’s army

The Battle of River had been a glorious victory. With few casualties to themselves, the Muslims had shattered a large Persian Army and acquired a vast amount of booty. But the battle left Khalid in a more thoughtful mood; and only now did he begin to appreciate the immensity of the resources of the Persian Empire. He had fought two bloody battles with two separate Persian armies and driven them mercilessly from the battlefield, but he was still only on the fringes of the Empire. The Persians could field many armies like the ones he had fought at Kazima and the River. By now Khalid had organised an efficient network of intelligence agents. The agents were local Arabs who were completely won over by the generous treatment of the local population by Khalid, which contrasted strikingly with the harshness and arrogance of the imperial Persians. Consequently they had thrown in their lot with the Muslims and kept Khalid apprised of the affairs of Persia and the movements of Persian forces.these agents informed khalid about the concentration of new Persian armies and there joining at the area of Walaja to finally destroy the muslim army with that heavy might. Khalid realised that the two Persian armies would shortly meet and then either bar his way south of the Euphrates or advance to fight him in the region of Uballa. The Persians would be in such overwhelming strength that there could be no possibility of his engaging in a successful battle. Khalid had to get to Hira, and Walaja was smack on his route.

[edit] Manoeuvre of Khalid

Another point that worried Khalid was that too many Persians were escaping from one battle to fight another day. The survivors of Kazima had joined Qarin and fought at the River. The survivors of the River had joined Andarzaghar and were now moving towards Walaja. If he was to have a sporting chance of defeating all the armies that faced him, he would have to make sure that none got away from one battle to join the army preparing for the next. These then were the two problems that faced Khalid. The first was strategical: two Persian armies were about to combine to oppose him. To this problem he found a masterly strategical solution, i.e. to advance rapidly and fight and eliminate one army (Andarzaghar's) before the other army (Bahman's) arrived on the scene. The second problem was tactical: how to prevent enemy warriors escaping from one battle to fight another. To this he found an other tactical solution. Khalid gave instructions to Suwaid bin Muqarrin to see to the administration of the conquered districts with his team of officials, and posted a few detachments to guard the lower Tigris against possible enemy crossings from the north and east and to give warning of any fresh enemy forces coming from those directions. With the rest of the army-about 15,000 men-he set off in the direction of Hira, moving at a fast pace along the south edge of the great marsh. If Andarzaghar had been given the choice, he would undoubtedly have preferred to wait for the arrival of Bahman before fighting a decisive battle with the Muslims. But Andarzaghar was not given the choice. A few days before Bahman was expected, the Muslim army appeared over the eastern horizon and camped a short distance from Walaja. However, Andarzaghar was not worried. He had a large army of Persians and Arabs and felt confident of victory. He did not even bother to withdraw to the river bank, a mile away, so that he could use the river to guard his rear. He prepared for battle at Walaja.

[edit] Battle

The following morning the armies deployed for battle, each with a centre and wings. The Muslims armies were again commanded by Asim bin Amr and Addi bin hatim. The battlefield consisted of an even plain stretching between two low, flat ridges which were about 2 miles apart and 20 to 30 feet in height. The north-eastern part of the plain ran into a barren desert. A short distance beyond the north-eastern ridge flowed a branch of the Euphrates now known as the River Khasif. The Persians deployed in the centre of this plain, facing east-south-east, with the western ridge behind them and their left resting on the north-eastern ridge. Khalid formed up his army just forward of the north-eastern ridge, facing the Persians. The centre of the battlefield, i.e. the mid-point between the two armies, was about 2 miles south-east of the present Ain-ul-Muhari and 6 miles south of Andarzaghar was surprised at the strength of the Muslim army. Only about 10,000 he guessed. From what he had heard, Andarzaghar had expected Khalid's army to be much larger. And where was the Muslim cavalry? Most of these men were on foot! Perhaps the Persian survivors of Kazima and the River had exaggerated the enemy's strength, as defeated soldiers are wont to do. Or perhaps the Cavalry was fighting dismounted. Andarzaghar did not know that the Muslims who faced him were also surprised at their numbers, for they did not seem to be as many as they had been the day before.

The day before the Battle of Walaja was fought, Khalid had sent for two of his officers, Busr bin Abi Rahm and Saeed bin Marra. 1 He made each of them the commander of a mobile striking force of about 2,000 cavalry and instructed them as follows:
1. They would take their horsemen out during the night and move wide round the south of the Persian camp.
2. On arrival on the far side of the ridge which stretched behind the Persian camp, they would conceal their men but keep them ready to move at short notice.
3. When battle was joined in the morning, they would keep their men mounted behind the crest of the ridge and position observers to watch for the signal of Khalid.
4. When Khalid gave the signal, the two striking forces would charge the Persian army in the rear, each group echeloned a bit to one flank.

Necessary orders were issued by Khalid to those who had to be in the know of the plan, so that the organisation and preparation of the striking forces could be carried out without a hitch; but the utmost secrecy was maintained and the Muslim rank and file knew nothing of the planned manoeuvre.

[edit] Phase 1

Khalid formed up the rest of his army, about 10,000 men in front of the Persians,Khalid ibn Walid Orders for a general attack. For some time the battle raged with unabated fury. The Persians had reserves which they employed to replace their men in the front line.

[edit] Phase 2

The first phase was over. The second phase of the battle began with the counter-attack of the Persians. The experienced eye of Andarzaghar could see clear signs of fatigue on the faces of the Muslims. He judged that this was the right moment for his counter-stroke; and in this he was right. At this command the Persians surged forward and struck at the Muslims. The Muslims were able to hold them for some time,but Persians launched furious charges, and the Muslims looked to Khalid for any sign of a change in plan or anything to relieve the tension. But from Khalid they got no such sign,

[edit] Phase 3

The Muslim Soldiers had reached the limits of human endurance, Then Khalid gave the signal. The next moment, over the crest of the ridge which stretched behind the Persian army appeared two divisions of mounted warriors-one from the Persian left-rear, the other from the right-rear. The main body of Muslims center under Khalid resumed the attack against the Persian front, at the same time extending its flanks to join hands with the cavalry and completely surround the Persians. The army of Andarzaghar was caught in a trap from which there could be no escape.

[edit] Phase 4

Recoiling from the assaults that came from all directions, they gathered in an unwieldy mass, unable to use their weapons freely or avoid the blows of their assailants. Those who wanted to fight did not know whom to fight. Those who wanted to flee did not know where to go. In a mad urge to get away from the horror they trampled each other and fought each other. In this the Muslims succeeded. A few thousand imperial warriors did get away; for no army can be so completely destroyed that not a single survivor remains, but the army as a whole ceased to exist.

[edit] Aftermath

After the battle Khalid got his exhausted men together. He realised that this battle had imposed a terrible strain upon them. It had been the fiercest of the three fierce battles which they had fought in Iraq; and he wanted to make certain, that their spirits were not dampened by memories of the trial, for more trials awaited them. He addressed the men. He started by praising Allah and calling His blessings upon the Holy Prophet. Then he continued:

“

Do you not see the wealth of the land of the Persians? Do you not remember the poverty of the land of the Arabs? Do you not see how the crops in this land cover the earth? If the holy war were not enjoined by Allah, we should still come and conquer this rich land and exchange the hunger of our deserts for the abundant eating which is now ours

”

.

[edit] On-line Resources

A.I. Akram, The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns Lahore, 1969

[edit] References

• A.I. Akram, The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns, Nat. Publishing. House, Rawalpindi (1970) ISBN 0-7101-0104-X.