Background Dunsterforce

1 background

1.1 north-west frontier
1.2 iran
1.3 caucasia

background
north-west frontier

britain , russia had played great game influence in central asia nineteenth century in 1880s, russian absorption of local khanates , emirates, restricted british influence. anglo-russian convention of 1907 ended rivalry, defining spheres of influence in afghanistan, iran , tibet. in first world war, british , indian forces set east persia cordon seistan force assembled indian army. force created counter german, austrian , ottoman subversion in afghanistan , north west frontier of british india. 2 squadrons of 28th cavalry regiment , locally raised south persia rifles patrolled border of baluchistan , persian empire. russian revolution of 1917 led collapse of convention , dissolution of tsarist armies march 1917, left open caspian sea , route baku krasnovodsk , central asia central powers. in spring of 1918, german , ottoman forces advanced transcaucasia , central asia.

iran

in 1935, reza shah asked international community refer country native name, iran. opposition change led reversal of decision , professor ehsan yarshater, editor of encyclopædia iranica, proposed use of persia , iran interchangeably. russian policy towards iran in 1914 based on assurances iranian territorial integrity respected tsarist expansion in northern iran , opposition emergence of stable modern state, led suspicion policy keep iran dependency or absorb more of northern provinces. britain traditionally sought maintain commercial interests in country , use of naval power protect india. geographical position of iran, between europe , india , ancient west–east trade routes through iranian provinces, had led british in nineteenth century follow policy of using iran buffer state.

the british in practice preferred inaction, although enabled russian expansionism until anglo-russian convention (anglo-russian entente) of 1907. russian sphere ran meshed in east tabriz in west , far south teheran , british sphere ran west of north-west frontier of india , afghan border, west vicinity of bandar abbas on persian gulf. ottoman empire remained possible field german diplomatic , economic influence. traditional ottoman hostility iran on religious grounds meant pan-islamism of sultan abdul hamid ii of ottoman empire failed gain of following in iran, until young persians took political tool. young turks in ottoman empire evolved pan-turanists, seeking renew ottoman empire expanding trans-caucasia, turkestan , @ least north-west of iran. 1914 little attention had been paid pan-turanists, due power of russian empire; ottoman encroachments on iran seen defensive moves against russia.

in 1914, british forces india occupied iranian territory east of shatt al-arab waterway, guard oil concessions in iran , in 1915 advanced tigris river ctesiphon near baghdad, before being defeated ottoman army , forced retreat kut. during siege of kut (7 december 1915 – 29 april 1916), ottomans defeated 3 relief attempts , refused offer of £2,000,000 ransom garrison, surrendered @ end of april. hopes of russian relief force caspian sea through kermanshah , kanikin baghdad failed materialise. may–november 1916, british consolidated hold on ottoman territory west of iran around basra , confluence of euphrates , tigris @ head of persian gulf. in 1917 british campaign in mesopotamia continued, advances baghdad , towards oilfields of mosul campaign in levant led occupation of palestine. russian invasion of 1915 caucasus established bases @ resht, kazvin , teheran , led inconclusive operations between russians , ottomans further west, closer iranian–ottoman border.

caucasia

in january 1915, british cabinet had canvassed possible diversionary attacks against ottoman empire after appeals support russian empire. british planned operations against ottoman empire in aegean sea, eastern mediterranean , land invasion of levant egypt, combined russian invasion caucasus towards anatolia , mesopotamia. in 1917, eastern committee of war cabinet considered british india had been drained of troops , decided avoid committing more troops iran europe, sending mission of picked men train local recruits @ tiflis (now tbilisi), capital of georgia. war office undertook send 150 selected officers , 300 ncos, organise local forces , replace russian caucasus army. force raised in north-western iran lieutenant-general w. r. marshall, commander of iii (indian) corps of mesopotamian expeditionary force (mef, lieutenant-general frederick stanley maude); french took responsibility area north of caucasus.

in armenia, local christians had been sympathetic russians , feared revival of ottoman power lead more atrocities. believed in london willing recruits , russian soldiers in region might fight on pay, despite russian revolution. on 13 april 1918, baku soviet commune, bolshevik , left socialist revolutionary (sr) faction led stepan shahumyan, established in baku, having overthrown short-lived azerbaijan democratic republic. on 26 july, centrocaspian dictatorship, anti-soviet alliance of russian socialist-revolutionaries, mensheviks , armenian revolutionary federation (dashnaks), overthrew baku commune in bloodless coup. factions involved tried gain support 35,000 german , austro-hungarian former prisoners of war. men willing fight tended sympathetic bolsheviks based in astrakhan , @ tashkent, terminus of trans-caspian railway (central asian railway). german , ottoman armies in eastern ukraine , caucasus sent troops , diplomatic missions baku , further afield. september 1918, ottoman force in caucasus eastern army group 3rd army, comprising 3rd division, 10th division , 36th caucasian division, 9th army 9th division, 11th caucasian division, 12th division , independent cavalry brigade , army of islam, 5th caucasian division , 15th division.