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{{Short description|Battle of World War II}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Jezzine (1941)
| partof = the [[Syria-Lebanon Campaign]] of [[World War II]]
| image =
| caption =
| date = 13 June 1941
| place = [[Jezzine]], [[Greater Lebanon|French Lebanon]]
| casus =
| territory =
| result = Australian victory
| combatant1 = {{flag|Australia}}
| combatant2 = {{flag|Vichy France}}
*{{flagicon image|Lebanese French flag.svg}} [[Greater Lebanon|French Lebanon]]
| commander1 =
| commander2 =
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
| units1 = [[2/31st Battalion (Australia)|2/31st Battalion]]
}}

{{Campaignbox Syria-Lebanon}}

The '''Battle of Jezzine''' (13 June 1941) was part of the [[Australian 7th Division]]'s advance on [[Beirut]] during the five-week-long [[Syria-Lebanon campaign]] by the Allies against [[Vichy French]] forces in [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]. [[Jezzine]], Lebanon, is about halfway between the Lebanese border with [[Mandatory Palestine]] and [[Beirut]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.gov.au/ahu/docs/BattleHonours_WWII_Syria.pdf |title=Battle Honours of the Australian Army: World War II – Syria |access-date=30 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603162103/http://www.army.gov.au///AHU/docs/BattleHonours_WWII_Syria.pdf |publisher=Army History Unit |archive-date=3 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.awm.gov.au/units/event_320.asp|title=Jezzine|publisher=Australian War Memorial |access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>

This battle was one of several hard-fought actions during the Australian advance on Beirut from Mandatory Palestine.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=arts_article |year=2008 |title=Man of might: Brigadier Berryman and the battles of Merdjayoun and Jezzine, Syria, 1941 |series=Research Online: Arts Papers and Journal Articles |author=Dean, Peter J. |publisher=University of Notre Dame Australia |access-date=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U56074|title=2/31st Battalion|publisher=Australian War Memorial |access-date=26 January 2022}}</ref> Australian troops from the [[25th Brigade (Australia)|25th Brigade]] (less the [[2/33rd Battalion (Australia)|2/33rd Battalion]]) attacked Jezzine on 13 June 1941, following the [[Battle of Merdjayoun|capture of Merdjayoun]], which the Allies temporarily captured on 11 June 1941, allowing the commander of the Australian 7th Division, Major General [[John Lavarack]] to switch the 25th Brigade's focus north towards Jezzine, leaving a small force to hold Merdjayoun, which was later subjected to a heavy counter-attack.{{sfn|Coulthard-Clark|1998|p=191}}

[[File:James Gordon VC.jpg|thumb|Private [[Jim Gordon (VC)|Jim Gordon]] who was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] for his actions in the battle]]
During the fighting for Jezzine, when his company suffered casualties from intense machine gun fire, Private [[Jim Gordon (VC)|Jim Gordon]], [[2/31st Battalion (Australia)|2/31st Battalion]], took it upon himself to crawl forward and neutralise the Vichy position with rifle and bayonet. Gordon, originally from [[Rockingham, Western Australia]], was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] for his actions near Jezzine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/damascus/|title=Road to Damascus|work=Australia's War 1939–1945|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Veterans' Affairs|access-date=3 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418023051/http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/damascus/|archive-date=18 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Jezzine Barracks]] in [[Townsville|Townsville, Queensland]], is named after this battle.<ref name=Jezzine>{{cite web |title=Jezzine Barracks Museum Proposal |publisher=North Australian Military Heritage Association |date=30 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210315/http://www.jezzinetrust.com.au/lib/pdf/081103%20Neil%20Weekes%2C%20Nth%20Aust.Military%20Heritage%20AssocProposal.pdf |url=http://www.jezzinetrust.com.au/lib/pdf/081103%20Neil%20Weekes,%20Nth%20Aust.Military%20Heritage%20AssocProposal.pdf |access-date=4 May 2009 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Further west, on the coast, the Australian 21st Brigade attacked [[Battle of Sidon (1941)|Sidon]] between 13 and 15 June, as part of the drive on [[Battle of Damour|Damour]].{{sfn|Dennis et al|1995|p=578}} The day after Sidon fell, the Australians cut the road between Sidon and Jezzine.<ref name=harriott>{{cite news |url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/41934739 |author=Harriott, G.E.W. |title=Australians' Hard Fighting in Battle of Sidon |date=17 June 1941 |newspaper=The Courier Mail (Brisbane, Queensland: 1933–1954) |publisher=National Library of Australia (Trove) |access-date=4 February 2022}}</ref>

==References==
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
*{{cite book|last=Coulthard-Clark|first=Chris|title=Where Australians Fought: The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles|year=1998|edition=1st|publisher=Allen & Unwin|location=St Leonards, New South Wales|isbn=1-86448-611-2}}
*{{cite book |last1=Dennis |first1=Peter |last2=Grey |first2=Jeffrey |authorlink2=Jeffrey Grey |last3=Morris |first3=Ewan |last4=Prior |first4=Robin |year=1995 |title=The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Melbourne |isbn=0-19-553227-9|ref=CITEREFDennis_et_al1995 }}

{{Coord|33.32|35.35|display=title}}

[[Category:Conflicts in 1941|Jezzine 1941]]
[[Category:1941 in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Military battles of Vichy France|Jezzine]]
[[Category:Syria–Lebanon campaign|Jezzine]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Australia|Jezzine]]
[[Category:Australia–France relations]]
[[Category:June 1941 events]]

{{WWII-battle-stub}}
{{Australia-WWII-stub}}

Battle of Jezzine (1941) - Revision history

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