The historical Franco-Lebanese ties, originating from the Crusades, were strengthened in 1860 when France intervened in the clashes between Maronites and Druze. Within the framework of the secret Sykes-Picot agreements signed in May 1916, France and Great Britain shared a part of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the war. These zones of influence were ratified in April 1920 at the San Remo conference, which determined the mandates. Between 1919 and 1923, General Henri Gouraud was the commander-in-chief of the army of the Levant and High Commissioner of France in this same region¹. In 1920, the battle of Khan Mayssaloun took place, which marked " a glorious page in the history of France²" . However, it represents for Faisal, son of Sherif Hussein, and his supporters " a painful fighting memory3" still echoing today.

A tense political context

General Gouraud arrived in Beirut in November 1919, when France obtained the evacuation of the British troops present in the French "blue" zone (present-day Lebanon and Cilicia⁴). However, the Franco-British agreements of 1916 were put to the test by Arab nationalists who organized themselves in order to "resist French preparations for aggression⁵". On March 8, 1920, the Damascus Congress proclaimed an "Arab Kingdom of Syria" with Faisal as King. Several clashes then took place between the Cherifian (of Cherif Faisal) and French troops. The weakness of French resources, engaged in Cilicia (now Turkey), did not allow for a second front against the Cherifians. However, following several demonstrations of hostility, General Gouraud believes that the war is "openly announced and prepared in Damascus and Aleppo⁶". Thus, in May, France decided to send the necessary reinforcements in order to put an end to the Syrian "problem", incompatible with the spirit of the mandate⁷. Despite promising diplomatic exchanges, Faisal refused the conditions set out by General Gouraud in the note of 22 July 1920⁸ such as the installation in Damascus of a French mission and the free use of the Rayak-el-Tequieh railroad to facilitate the movement of troops towards Cilicia. As for Faisal, he demanded the suspension of the march of the column in order to recall his irregular detachments and the Bedouins sent towards the border.

General Mariano Goybet facing Youssef Al-Azmé: the course of the battle

Faced with Faisal's refusal, General Gouraud ordered the column, the^3rd Division of the Army of the Levant (^3rd ID) commanded by General Goybet, to resume its march towards the Syrian capital. The French maneuver was based on the constitution of three groups comprising 10 infantry battalions, 6 cavalry squadrons, an engineering company, several artillery batteries (one short 155 mm, four 75 mm and two and a half 65 mm batteries), i.e. between 12,000 and 14,000 soldiers⁹. Two sections of tanks (only one is engaged) and an aviation squadron are involved in the fight. The troops came mainly from the 415th RI, the^2nd Algerian Rifle Regiment, the 10th and 11th Senegalese Rifle Regiments (RTS), the African Hunters and the^1st Moroccan Spahis Regiment.¹⁰.

During the night of July 23 to 24, the Cherifian troops commanded by the Minister of War of the Damascus government, Youssef Al-Azmé, organized themselves on the heights of Khan Mayssaloun. They included "several thousand regular soldiers of all arms, supervised by officers from the Constantinople military school¹¹"equipped with machine guns and cannons. Apart from the resistance put up by the Cherifian army, considered by Goybet to be "serious", it was a question of crossing a mountainous and arid area. This operation therefore presents great difficulties related to the environment and lack of water. According to General Goybet, Khan Mayssaloun and its water point must be reached, at the latest, by the end of the^third day to avoid the division suffering a serious setback.

The French effort consisted of a frontal and brutal attack on the enemy, using artillery fire to support the progression along the axis of the road to Damascus. This maneuver must be completed by an action constantly aiming at the overflow of the enemy left wing (south of the road). The column of the center (tanks, company of the 415th RI and ½ company of the Engineers) started at 6:30 am from the Oued el-Korn, protected by artillery fire. One of the batteries was exposed to heavy fire from the enemy's 77 mm but suffered only minor losses. Around 8 a.m., a second 75 mm battery reinforced its action. The tank section crossed the Oued el-Tequieh, followed by the infantry and the engineers. The battalion was greeted by enemy musketry and machine gun fire, posted on the ridges on the right bank of the Oued el-Tequieh. Progress became impossible. The half-battery caught under a deadly fire is put out of action in a short time. The losses of this battalion were severe: 115 soldiers were killed. Not without difficulty, the French troops, with the support of tanks, managed to seize the enemy positions. Indeed, from noon onwards, the vanguard began to pursue the Cherifian forces who fled in rout towards Damascus. The minister of the Cherifian troops, Youssef Al-Azmé, was killed during the battle. About 60 Cherifians were taken prisoner and the equipment abandoned by them was recovered by the French troops (15 cannons, including 4 105 mm, 50 machine guns, as well as a large quantity of infantry and artillery ammunition).

A victorious^3rd division?

After this victory at Khan Mayssaloun, the march towards Damascus resumed without meeting any resistance. At 4:30 p.m., Lieutenant-Colonel Cousse, head of the French mission in Damascus, presented himself to General Goybet to inform him of the flight of the Cherifian government. The victorious entry of the French troops into Damascus took place at 4:45 pm. However, this victory was overshadowed by human losses: 42 killed, 152 wounded and 14 missing. General Gouraud congratulated Goybet and his troops for having "broken the resistance of the enemy who had been challenging us for eight months "12 . This military victory opened the doors of Damascus to France and thus allowed for an important political victory through the installation of the French mandate from 1920 to 1946.

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1 - The Levant traditionally refers to the countries bordering the Asian part of the Mediterranean Sea, namely Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Anatolia. However, for France, the Levant is characterized from a geographical point of view mainly by Syria and Lebanon.

2 - Julie d'Andurain, "Collapse of the dream of an independent Arab kingdom," Orient XXI, published on August 11, 2017, URL link: https: //orientxxi.info/l-orient-dans-la-guerre-1914-1918/effondrement-du-reve-d-un-royaume-arabe-independant,1958, accessed on 06/30/2021.

3 - Ibid.

4 - See map.

5 - Julie d'Andurain, "Collapse of the dream of an independent Arab kingdom," op.cit.

6 - General (CR) du Hays, Les armées françaises au Levant 1919-1939, Tome 2, Le temps des combats 1920-1921, p. 25.

7 - Ibid.

8 - Antoine Hokayem, Les bouleversements de l'année 1920 au Proche-Orient : le sort des territoires ottomans occupés. Volume II. Le royaume de Faysal, la Cilicie, le Mandat "A", le Grand Liban et les Etats de Syrie, Documents diplomatiques français relatifs à l'histoire du Liban et de la Syrie à l'époque du mandat : 1914 - 1946, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2013, p. 513.

9 - The indication of the total number of personnel is not present in the archives of the SHD GR 4H246 - 9 of the Service historique de la défense (SHD). It is an estimate.

10 - Antoine Hokayem, Les bouleversements de l'année 1920..., op.cit, p. 530.

11 - Ibid., p. 173.

12 - Antoine Hokayem, Les bouleversements de l'année 1920 au Proche-Orient : le sort des territoires ottomans occupés. Volume II. The Kingdom of Faysal, Cilicia, Mandate "A", Greater Lebanon and the States of Syria, op.cit . p. 175.