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| Mesopotamian campaign | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theMiddle Eastern theatre of World War I | |||||||||
 British and Indian machine gunners, Mesopotamia, 1917. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Ajmí as-Sadun | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
889,702 (total)[2] | c. 450,000[5] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
16,712 died of disease Total: 256,000 casualties |
Total: 325,000 casualties[7] | ||||||||
TheMesopotamian campaign orMesopotamian front (Turkish:Irak Cephesi) was a campaign in theMiddle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between theBritish Empire, with troops fromBritain,Australia and the vast majority from theBritish Raj, against theCentral Powers, mostly theOttoman Empire. It started after the BritishFao Landing in 1914, which sought to protectAnglo-Persian oil fields inKhuzestan and theShatt al-Arab. The front later evolved into a larger campaign that sought to capture the city ofBaghdad and divert Ottoman forces from other fronts. It ended with theArmistice of Mudros in 1918, leading to the cession ofIraq (then Mesopotamia) and furtherpartition of the Ottoman Empire.
The British advanced fromAl-Faw to the city ofBasra to secure British oil fields in nearbyPersia (nowIran). Following the landings, British forces won a string of victories along theTigris andEuphrates rivers, including the repulse of an Ottoman attempt to retake Basra at theBattle of Shaiba. The advance stalled when the British reached the town ofKut south of the city of Baghdad in December 1915. TheSiege of Kut led to the defeat of the British force, later called "the worst defeat of the Allies in World War I".[8] The British re-organised and began a new campaign to take Baghdad. Despite fierce Ottoman resistance, Baghdad was captured in March 1917 and the Ottomans suffered more defeats until the Armistice at Mudros.
The campaign ended with aBritish mandate over Mesopotamia being established and change of the balance of power following the Ottoman expulsion from the region. InTurkey, elements of theMisak-ı Millî the last Ottoman parliament still claimed parts of modern Iraq such asMosul as beingTurkish, leading toAllied occupation of Constantinople. The British mandate over Mesopotamia later failed as anIraqi revolt fuelled by discontent with the British administration took place in 1920, leading to theCairo Conference in 1921. It was decided aHashemite kingdom under British influence would be established in the region withFaisal as its first monarch.
Prior to Ottoman entry into World War I, theBritish had gained exclusive rights tooil fields in south-westernPersia (modernIran), many inArabistan, under the jurisdiction of theAnglo-Persian Oil Company. Persia had previously been divided by the British andRussian Empires intospheres of influence in1907, with these oil fields under British influence.[9] The oil pipeline to transport the Persian petroleum ran alongside theKarun River into theShatt al-Arab waterway, with refineries based onAbadan Island in the area. Much of the Shatt al-Arab also flowed through Ottoman-owned Mesopotamia, making this pipeline vulnerable to invasion.[10][11]
The petroleum in this region was vital for Britain's new oil-fired, turbine baseddreadnoughts as well astoluol for the production of explosives. Britain wanted to retain its dominance of thePersian Gulf, show support for localArabs, and demonstrate power to the Ottomans, with SirEdmund Barrow, military secretary to theIndian Office, stating, "ostensibly to protect the oil installation but in reality to notify the Turks that we mean business and to the Arabs that we are ready to support them".[11] GrowingGerman influence in the region caused by the creation of theBerlin–Baghdad railway was of concern to London.[12][13] As for the Turks, they were unable fully to control Mesopotamia and constantly engaged in border disputes with neighbouring Persia. Local policy was largely decided by local Arab tribes.[14]
Later on 14 November 1914, the Ottoman government declared a holy war, dubbed thejihad ("struggle"), against enemies of Islam with the exception of the Central Powers, which swayed some Ottoman Arabs to stay loyal to the empire and fight the Allied Powers. This notably included someShia Muslims, a previously oppressed group within the empire.[15][16] A 1912 agreement between theIndian and British military offices stated that in the event of war in the Persian Gulf or Mesopotamia, it would be the responsibility of the Indian military to mount a campaign in the region. However, the Gulf was not a priority to London as theSuez Canal andWestern Front were seen as more important, whereas Delhi planned an offensive campaign to take Baghdad. On 29 October 1914, Ottoman warships commanded by the German admiralWilhelm Souchon,bombarded several Russian Black Sea ports, prompting a Russian declaration of war on 2 November 1914, with Britain and France following suit on 5 November.[17]
With the Ottoman Empire now at war with theprincipal allied powers, its priorities included theCaucasus Campaign against Russia, with the Ottoman war minister,Enver Pasha sending the 37th Division and XIII Corps Headquarters to this theatre in support of theThird Army. The entire XII Corps was deployed to theSinai and Palestine Campaign. Fourth Army Headquarters was sent to Syria, to replace theSecond Army Headquarters, which was sent to Istanbul. In place of the Fourth Army was the "Iraq Area Command" with only the 38th Division under its command.[18][19] This division was led by Lt.Col.Süleyman Askeri Bey.[20] British operational planning included landing troops in the Shatt-al-Arab and mount a largely defensive campaign. The reinforced6th (Poona) Division of theBritish Indian Army was assigned the task, designated asIndian Expeditionary Force D (IEFD) and stationed inBahrain in anticipation of invasion.[21] The Allies originally planned to seize Persian-controlled Abadan Island, but fear of provoking a war with Persia led to planned landings atFao instead.[14]
On 6 November 1914, British offensive action began with the naval bombardment of the old fort atFao, located at the point where theShatt-al-Arab meets the Persian Gulf. At theFao Landing, the British Indian Expeditionary Force D (IEF D), comprising the 6th (Poona) Division led by Lieutenant GeneralArthur Barrett with SirPercy Cox asPolitical Officer, was opposed by 350 Ottoman troops and 4 guns. After a short engagement, the fort was overrun, killing many enemy troops. By mid-November the Poona Division was fully ashore and began moving towards the city ofBasra.
The same month, the ruler of Kuwait, SheikhMubarak Al-Sabah, contributed to the Allied war effort by sending forces to attack Ottoman troops at Umm Qasr, Safwan, Bubiyan, and Basra. In exchange the British government recognised Kuwait as an "independent government under British protection."[1] There is no report on the exact size and nature of Mubarak's attack, though Ottoman forces did retreat from those positions weeks later.[22] Mubarak soon removed the Ottoman symbol from the Kuwaiti flag and replaced it with "Kuwait" written in Arabic script.[22] Mubarak's participation and previous exploits in obstructing the completion of the Baghdad railway helped the British safeguard the Persian Gulf by preventing Ottoman and German reinforcement.[23]
On 22 November, the Britishoccupied the city of Basra after a short fight with soldiers of the Iraq Area Command underSuphi Bey, the Governor of Basra. The Ottoman troops abandoned Basra and retreated up the river. After establishing order in the town the English forces continued their advance, and at theBattle of Qurna they succeeded in capturing Subhi Bey and 1,000 of his troops. This put the British in a very strong position, ensuring that Basra and the oilfields would be protected from any Ottoman advance. The main Ottoman army, under the overall command ofKhalil Pasha, was located 275 miles to the north-west around Baghdad. They made only weak efforts to dislodge the British.
On 2 January,Süleyman Askerî Bey took over as head of the Iraq Area Command. With Gallipoli, the Caucasus, and Palestine taking priority, the Ottoman Army had few resources to move to Mesopotamia. Süleyman Askerî Bey sent letters to Arab sheiks in an attempt to organise them to fight against the British. He wanted to retake the Shatt-al-Arab region at any cost.
Early on the morning of 12 April, Süleyman Askerî attacked the British camp atShaiba in what became known as theBattle of Shaiba. He had about 4,000 regular troops and about 14,000 Arab irregulars provided by Arab sheiks. Although the irregulars proved ineffective, the Ottoman infantry launched a series of relentless attacks on the fortified British camp and later attempted by bypass it. When the British cavalry and infantry counterattacked the defensive forces Suleyman Askari pulled his troops back. The next day the British attacked his defensive positions. It was a hard-fought infantry battle in which the British infantry overcame tough Ottoman opposition. Ottoman losses numbered 2400 men killed, wounded, or taken prisoner, as well as two artillery field pieces.[24] The retreat ended 75 miles up the river atHamisiye. Süleyman Askerî had been wounded at Shaiba. Disappointed and depressed, he shot himself at the hospital in Baghdad.[25] In his placeColonel Nureddin was appointed commander of the Iraq Area Command on 20 April 1915. Nureddin was one of the few officers to reach high command without the benefit of a staff college education. He did, however, have extensive combat experience.[26]
Due to the unexpected success British command reconsidered their plan and GeneralSir John Nixon was sent in April 1915 to take command. He orderedCharles Vere Ferrers Townshend to advance toKut or even toBaghdad if possible.[27] Townshend and his small army advanced up the Tigris river. They defeated several Ottoman forces sent to halt him. In July 1915, a force led byG. F. Gorringecaptured the city of Nasiriyah, capturing the Turks' largest supply depot in southern Mesopotamia. Although his advance was very difficult to sustain logistically, it was maintained.
In late September 1915, amidst the recent defeat of Serbia and entry of Bulgaria into the war and concerns about German attempts to incite jihad in Persia and Afghanistan,Grey (Foreign Secretary) and other politicians encouraged a further 100-mile push to Baghdad. TheCIGSMurray thought this logistically unwise, butKitchener advised the Dardanelles Committee (21 October) that Baghdad be seized for the sake of prestige, then abandoned.[28]
Enver Pasha worried about the possible fall of Baghdad. He realised the mistake of underestimating the importance of the Mesopotamian campaign. He ordered the 35th Division and Mehmet Fazıl Pasha to return to Mosul, their old location. The 38th Division was reconstituted. TheSixth Army was created on 5 October 1915, and its commander was a 72-year-old German general,Colmar von der Goltz. Von der Goltz was a famous military historian who had written several classic books on military operations. He had also spent many years working as a military adviser in the Ottoman Empire. However, he was in Thrace commanding the OttomanFirst Army and would not reach the theatre for some time. Colonel Nureddin the former commander of the Iraq Area Command was still in charge on the ground.[29]
On 22 November, Townshend and Nureddin fought abattle at Ctesiphon, a town 25 miles south of Baghdad. The conflict lasted five days. The battle was a stalemate as both the Ottomans and the British ended up retreating from the battlefield. Townshend concluded that a full scale retreat was necessary. However, Nureddin realised the British were retreating and cancelled his retreat, then followed the British. Townshend withdrew his division in good order back toKut-al-Amara. He halted and fortified the position. Nureddin pursued with his forces. He tried to encircle the British with his XVIII Corps composed of the 45th Division, 51st Division and 2nd Tribal Cavalry Brigade.[30] The exhausted and depleted British force was urged back to the defences of Kut-al-Amara. The retreat finalised on 3 December. Nureddin encircled the British at Kut-al-Amara, and sent other forces down river to prevent the British from marching to the relief of the garrison.
TheMesopotamian Half Flight from Australia was formed in 1915 to give air support. On 7 December, thesiege of Kut began. From the Ottoman perspective the siege prevented the Sixth Army from performing other operations. From the British perspective defendingKut, as opposed to retreating back to Basra, was a mistake since Kut was isolated. It could be defended, but it could not be resupplied. Von der Goltz helped the Ottoman forces build defensive positions around Kut. The Sixth Army was reorganised into two corps, the XIII and the XVIII. Nureddin Pasha gave command to Von der Goltz. With the reorganisation, the Sixth Army laid siege to the British. New fortified positions established down river fended off any attempt to rescue Townshend. Townshend suggested an attempt to break out, but this was initially rejected by Sir John Nixon; however he relented. Nixon established a relief force under the command of GeneralFenton Aylmer. Aylmer made three major attempts to break the siege, but each effort was unsuccessful.
On 20 January, Enver Pasha replaced Nureddin Pasha with Colonel Halil Kut (Khalil Pasha). Nureddin Pasha did not want to work with a German general. He sent a telegram to the War Ministry "The Iraq Army has already proven that it does not need the military knowledge of Goltz Pasha ..."[citation needed] After the first failure, General Nixon was replaced by GeneralLake. British forces received small quantities of supplies from the air. These drops were not enough to feed the garrison, though. Halil Kut forced the British to choose between starving and surrendering, though in the meantime they would try to lift the siege.
Between January and March 1916,Townshend and Aylmer launched several attacks to lift the siege. The attacks took place at theBattle of Sheikh Sa'ad, theBattle of the Wadi, theBattle of Hanna, and theBattle of Dujaila Redoubt. These series of British attempts to break through the encirclement did not succeed and their costs were heavy. Both sides suffered high casualties. In February, XIII Corps received 2nd Infantry Division as a reinforcement. Food and hopes were running out for Townshend in Kut-al-Amara. Disease was spreading rapidly and could not be cured.
On 19 April Field Marshal Von der Goltz died ofcholera. On 24 April, an attempt by the steamerJulnar to supply the town by river failed. With that there was no way the British could supply Kut. Rather than wait for reinforcements, Townshend surrendered on 29 April 1916. The remaining force in Kut-al-Amara of 13,164 soldiers became captives of the Ottomans.[31]
The British viewed the loss of Kut as a humiliating defeat. It had been many years since such a large body of British soldiers had surrendered. Also this loss followed only four months after the British defeat at theBattle of Gallipoli. Nearly all the British commanders involved in the failure to rescue Townshend were removed from command. The Ottomans proved they were good at holding defensive positions against superior forces.
The British refused to let the defeat at Kut stand. Further attempts to advance in Mesopotamia were ordered by the politicians on the War Committee (18 September), includingCurzon andChamberlain, who argued that there would be no net savings in troops if a passive policy in the Middle East encouraged Muslim unrest in India, Persia and Afghanistan, and despite the opposition ofRobertson.[32]
A major problem for the British was the lack of logistical infrastructure. When ships arrived at Basra, they had to be unloaded by small boats which then unloaded their cargo which was then stored in warehouses, which there were not enough of in Basra. Ships often sat for days waiting to be unloaded. Then supplies had to be sent north along the river in shallow draft river steamers because there were almost no roads north. Usually the amount of supplies being sent north was barely adequate to supply the forces in place. A plan to build a railway was rejected by the Indian Government in 1915, but after Kut it was approved.[33] After the defeat at Kut, the British made a major effort to improve the ability to move men and equipment into theatre, and keep them supplied. The port at Basra was greatly improved so that ships could be quickly unloaded. Good roads were built around Basra. Rest camps and supply dumps were created to receive men and material from the port. More and better river steamers were put into service moving supplies up river.[34] New hospitals were also set up to better care for the sick and wounded. As a result, the British were able to bring more troops and equipment to the front lines and keep them properly supplied for a new offensive.
The new commander, GeneralStanley Maude, with secret orders from Robertson not to attempt to take Baghdad, was given additional reinforcements and equipment.[32] For the next six months he trained and organised his army. At the same time, the Ottoman Sixth Army was growing weaker. Khalil Pasha received very few replacements, and ended up disbanding the weak 38th Division and used its soldiers as replacements for his other divisions, the 46th, 51st, 35th, and 52nd.[35] Robertson changed his mind when it seemed that the Russians might advance toMosul, removing any Turkish threat to Mesopotamia, and authorised Maude to attack in December 1916.[36]
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Maude's offensive was launched on 13 December 1916. The British advanced up both sides of theTigris river, forcing the Ottoman army out of a number of fortified positions along the way. General Maude's offensive was methodical, organised, and successful. Khalil Pasha was able to concentrate most of his forces against Maude near Kut. Maude switched his advance to the other bank of the Tigris, bypassing most of the Ottoman forces. The Ottoman XVIII Corps escaped destruction only by fighting some desperate rear guard actions. It did lose quite a bit of equipment and supplies.[37] The British occupied Kut and continued to advance up the Tigris.
By early March, the British were at the outskirts of Baghdad, and the Baghdad garrison, under the command of the Governor of Baghdad province Halil Kut (Khalil Pasha), tried to stop them on the Diyala river. Maude outmanoeuvred the Ottoman forces, destroyed an Ottoman regiment and captured the Ottoman defensive positions. Khalil Pasha retreated in disarray out of the city. On 11 March 1917, the British entered Baghdad and colonial sources claim the Iraqi people greeted them as liberators.[citation needed] The British Indian Army played a significant role in the capture of Baghdad. Amidst the confusion of the retreat a large part of the Ottoman army (some 15,000 soldiers) were captured. A week after the city fell, Maude issued the oft-quoted Proclamation of Baghdad, which contained the famous line "our armies do not come into your cities and lands as conquerors or enemies, but as liberators".
Khalil Pasha withdrew his battered Sixth Army up river and established his headquarters in Mosul. He had about 30,000 troops left with which to oppose Maude. In April, he received the 2nd Infantry Division, but overall the Ottoman strategic position was bad in the spring of 1917. After the capture of Baghdad, Maude stopped his advance. He felt his supply lines were too long, conditions in the summer made campaigning difficult and he had been denied reinforcements he felt he needed.[38] Maude died of cholera on 18 November. He was replaced by GeneralWilliam Marshall who halted operations for the winter.
The British resumed their offensive in late February 1918 capturingHīt andKhan al Baghdadi in March, andKifri in April. In March 1918, Britain faced an uprising by a rebel organisation called Jam'iya al-Nahda al-Islamiya inNajaf, andlaid siege to the city until May, when the rebels surrendered.[39] For the rest of the 1918, the British had to move troops to the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in support of theBattle of Megiddo. General Marshall moved some of the forces east in support ofDunsterforce (GeneralLionel Dunsterville) inPersia during the summer of 1918. His very powerful army was "astonishingly inactive, not only in the hot season but through most of the cold".[40] The fight in Mesopotamia was not wanted any more.
Negotiation of armistice conditions between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire began with the turn of October. General Marshall, following instructions from theWar Office that "every effort was to be made to score as heavily as possible on the Tigris before the whistle blew", went on the offensive for the last time.[41] GeneralAlexander Cobbe commanded a British force from Baghdad on 23 October 1918. Within two days it covered 120 kilometres, reaching theLittle Zab River, where it met and engaged Ismail Hakki Bey's Sixth Army, most of which was captured in the resultingBattle of Sharqat.
On 30 October 1918, theArmistice of Mudros was signed and both parties accepted their current positions. General Marshall accepted the surrender of Khalil Pasha and the Ottoman 6th Army on the same day, but Cobbe did not hold his current position as the armistice required, and continued to advance on Mosul in the face of Turkish protests.[41]British troops marched unopposed into the city on the 14 November 1918. The ownership ofMosul Province and its rich oil fields became an international issue. The war in Mesopotamia ended on 14 November 1918. It was 15 days after the Armistice of Mudros and one day after theoccupation of Constantinople, and three days after thearmistice of 11 November 1918.
With British Indian forces already on the ground, the British imported civil servants from India who had previous knowledge and experience of running a colonial government. The expulsion of the Ottomans from the region shook the centuries-old power balance. Arabs who believed that the Ottoman expulsion would lead to greater independence, and fought against the Ottoman forces along the Allies, faced another dilemma. They were disappointed with the arrangements regarding the establishment ofBritish Mandate of Mesopotamia.
Three important anticolonial secret societies had been formed in the region during 1918 and 1919. At Najaf, Jamiyat an Nahda al Islamiya (The League of the Islamic Awakening) was organised. Al Jamiya al Wataniya al Islamiya (The Muslim National League) was formed with the object of organising and mobilising the population for major resistance. In February 1919, in Baghdad, a coalition ofShia merchants,Sunni teachers and civil servants, Sunni and Shiaulama, and Iraqi officers formed the Haras al Istiqlal (theGuardians of Independence). The Istiqlal had member groups inKarbala, Najaf, Kut andHillah. The British were in a precarious situation with the Issue of Mosul. They were adopting almost desperate measures to protect their interests. TheIraqi revolt against the British developed just after they declared their authority. It was put down by theRAF Iraq Command during the summer of 1920.
TheOttoman parliament mostly accepted the cession of the region, but they had a different view on the issue of Mosul. They declared theMisak-ı Milli. Misak-ı Milli stated that the Mosul Province was a part of their heartland, based on a common past, history, concept of morals and laws. Presumably, from a British perspective, ifMustafa Kemal Atatürk succeeded in securing the stability in his efforts to establishRepublic of Turkey, he would have turned his attention to recovering Mosul and penetrate into Mesopotamia, where the native population would probably join him. The British Foreign Secretary attempted to disclaim any existence of oil in the Mosul area. On 23 January 1923, Lord Curzon argued that the existence of oil was no more than hypothetical.[41] According toArmstrong, "England wanted oil. Mosul and Kurds were the key".[42]
British Empire forces suffered 85,197 battle casualties in Mesopotamia. There were also 820,418 hospitalisations for non-battle causes, mostly sickness. Of those, 16,712 died, 634,889 were treated and returned to duty and 154,343 were permanently evacuated from the theatre. Those evacuated accounted for some 18.8 per cent of total non-battle casualties, while those who died were 2 per cent. By comparison, 49 per cent of those wounded in battle (26,814 men) were evacuated, and 8.9 per cent (5,281) died.[43] Thousands more died outside Mesopotamia from injuries and sickness incurred here or died in Ottoman captivity.
Many Ottoman prisoners were subjected to brutal transfer of 700 mi (1,100 km) to prison camps in Anatolia in Turkey proper, eg the Afion Kara Hisar Camp. Many died en route and the worst part of the transfer was the 250 mi (400 km) forced march from Mosul to Ras-el-Ain for which they were allowed 0.24 imp gal (1.1 L) of water, and many were clubbed to death by guards. There they were locked into railway trucks for three days and nights for the trip to Turkey proper.[44]
Total British military deaths in the Mesopotamian Campaign, including from the latter causes, were 38,842 (1,434 officers and 37,408 men), including 28,578 from sickness and other non-battle causes (including prisoners).[45] The unusually high ratio of non-battle to battle casualties in Mesopotamia, and the unusually high incidence of permanent losses among non-battle casualties had much to do with the geography of the area of operations. It was unhygienic, extremely hot in the summer, extremely cold in the winter, composed primarily of either sandy deserts or marshes, and was underdeveloped, meaning men had to be transported long distances for medical attention.[46]
The Ottomans suffered 325,000 casualties on the Mesopotamian Campaign.[7] Deaths from disease were double the Ottoman deaths in battle in the First World War and greater than this in Mesopotamia. Ottoman irrecoverable battle casualties totalled 55,858 (13,069 KIA, 22,385 WIA, 20,404 POW). They were divided up as follows:[47]
The WIA figures only include irrecoverable losses (crippled or died of wounds). Going by Erickson's estimates, the total of wounded outnumbered seriously wounded by 2.5:1 for the war.[48] Applying that same ratio to the Mesopotamia Campaign produces a total battle casualty count of about 89,500 (13,069 KIA, 56,000 WIA, 20,404 POW). By the end of 1918 the British had deployed 350,000–410,000 men in the theatre, 112,000 of them front-line troops. The vast majority of the British empire forces in this campaign were members of the British Indian Army.
