Prelude Dunsterforce

to london 13 january 1918. until hush-hush party sailed middle east on 29 january, war office kept men incognito @ tower of london, no knowledge of destination. eleven russians , iranian accompanied party , in egypt, quota of twenty officers , forty ncos joined egyptian expeditionary force, group arriving in basra on 4 march. force moved tigris baghdad 28 march , began training, having begun learning russian , iranian on voyage.

dunsterville mission

the commander of dunsterforce, major-general l. c. dunsterville, had arrived in baghdad india, staff , quota of officers , ncos drawn india , mesopotamia on 18 january, carrying orders proceed tiflis, british representative trans-caucasian government. mef had occupied baghdad since march 1917 , marshall, had taken on mef after maude died in november 1917, sent parties forward guard section of persian road vacated russian army. marshall had severe doubts dunsterforce, calling mad enterprise concocted war cabinet against imagined threat, obstruct main campaign in mesopotamia. dunsterville, on arrival @ baghdad, decided due unsettled conditions in region, should confer urgently british representatives in tiflis. on 27 january, dunsterville had set off eleven officers, 4 ncos, 4 batmen, 2 clerks , 41 drivers in ford cars , vans, through advanced parties of mef guarding road.

the decline of russian army led ottomans advance towards caspian sea, germans , ottomans intended capture baku. internal disagreements made progress slow , in south after april, armenians, assyrians , russian troops, managed stop advance near urmia in north-west iran, 250 mi (400 km) persian road. iran politically unstable , agents of central powers attempted exacerbate british problems in india; dunsterforce intended extension of cordon in iran, intended prevent unrest spreading india. british railhead in mesopotamia caspian shore 700 mi (1,100 km) , motor-column passed through last british outpost @ pai tak (also pai taq), drove through kermanshah 223 mi (359 km) on, hamadan , kazvin 200 mi (320 km) further, elburz mountains, on 7,400 ft (2,300 m) bulagh pass , jungle lowlands of gilan province, home of jungle movement of gilan (jangali) led kuchik khan (1880 – 2 december 1921). around resht , bandar-e anzali on caspian coast, german , austrian agents had established measure of influence jangali. dunsterville discovered thousands of russian troops, formerly part of occupation force in northern iran, under general nikolai baratov, being allowed free passage , on 17 february, dunsterville party reached bandar-e anzali.

after contemplating hijack of ship run gauntlet of bolshevik-operated coastal craft, dunsterville decided not risk alienating local opinion , turned back, intending meet party en route europe , make arrangements in iran, while waiting chance reach tiflis. on 20 february, party dodged local authorities , returned hamadan, use mef , russian army wireless stations, keep in touch baghdad. had become clear there little chance russians formerly under baratov induced remain on service , bicherakov , of cossacks willing continue. on 11 february, bicherakov flew baghdad , told marshall cossacks willing act rearguard russians before leaving , tiflis initiative doomed failure. marshall wanted advance on mosul protect persian road over-ruled, in preference operations in palestine , @ hamadan, dunsterville claimed iranian public welcomed british protection , requested might wait @ hamadan try again.

to gain support of iranian public, dunsterville made effort relieve famine, caused partly drought , partly russian , ottoman military operations in north-west iran. dunsterville mission had plenty of money , recruited local labour repair roads. ruse, dunsterville got local grain merchants, supporters of democratic party , in pay of germans, stop hoarding, proved popular. democrats retaliated claiming british had poisoned wheat , sniped @ british in hamadan public support british increased famine relief measures took effect. dunsterville mission able establish intelligence organisation saw telegrams , letters concerning mission. after bicherakov cossack detachment moved kermanshah kazvin , blocked jangalis using teheran road, mission able arrest passage of german , ottoman agents local levies of christian assyrians local order , security duties. prisoners guarded party of 1/4th hampshire , irregulars , military force raised hill peoples of north-west closer ottoman border, oppose ottoman move against persian road armenia.

baratov sold dunsterville of weapons , supplies of russian army traded russian soldiers persian locals , kurdish hill peoples, leaving them exceptionally armed. end of march, bicherakov cossack detachment @ kazvin had withdrawn , mef extended hold on road kermanshah, 36th brigade. dunsterville borrowed infantry , cavalry , bicherakov agreed remain @ kazvin, until british troops take over. twenty officers , twenty ncos of dunsterforce arrived ford car on 3 april, rest of force making way on foot mule train, arriving 25 may. time rest of dunsterforce had arrived, local , international situation had changed; success of german spring offensive in france leading georgians bid german support; in may germans took on part of russian black sea fleet. ottomans repudiated treaty of brest litovsk , began organise tartars islamic army of caucasus on 25 may, attack baku , iran, making british move tiflis less likely.

the bolsheviks asked british assistance reorganise black sea fleet , appeared possible rapprochement bolsheviks , armenians arranged, in return british protection of baku. control of port , shipping on caspian sea might still achieve british , allied objectives, despite ottoman push eastwards vacuum left decline of tsarist army. war office , british command in india considered campaigning weather of caucasian summer should exploited augmenting dunsterforce as possible. operations on euphrates 15th indian division of mef, surrounded ottoman force in action of khan baghdadi (26–27 march) , took 4,000 prisoners. in april, 2nd ottoman division forced persian road, after mef advanced kurdistan , tried block ottoman retreat towards kirkuk. marshall ordered advance kirkuk, divert ottoman forces advance through armenia caspian sea. mef took town unopposed on 7 may, retired 55 mi (89 km) tuz khormato , kifiri, due shortage of troops , supplies.

the war office urged marshall send brigade dunsterville claimed 1,000 infantry, mounted in fords , force of armoured cars, sufficient beyond kermanshah. force caspian sea june , waters controlled arming ships; if wrong, reinforcements sent later. during discussions, bolsheviks in caucasus requested bicherakov attack jangalis protect baku, agreed, in return acquiescence in british involvement. dunsterville wanted depart on 30 may delayed war office until 1 june , allowed move on, provided road adequately guarded. ottoman forces 200 mi (320 km) west of road @ tabriz , jangalis held road @ manjil. after fourth party of dunsterforce had arrived, dunsterville sent parties of officers , ncos pack-wireless stations, zenjan , bijar, 100 mi (160 km) north-west of kazvin , hamadan. objective recruit local kurds, bar 2 tracks through kurdistan against ottoman advance. sehneh, on southern track urmia kermanshah, left until july, when marshall sent troops occupy town.

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