Malleson mission
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Malleson mission British intervention in Transcaspia | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War | |||||||
Location of the Transcaspian Oblast | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Turkestan ASSR |
British India Transcaspian Government Turkestan Army | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
B.N. Ivanov | Wilfrid Malleson | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
c. 3,000 Bolsheviks (at Bairam Ali) |
950 Anglo-Indians | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
unknown, but at least 1,000 casualties at Battle of Dushak[1] |
86+ killed 213+ wounded |
The Malleson mission or British intervention in Transcaspia was a military action by a small autonomous force of British Indian troops, led by General
Background
In 1918
The mission
Concerned about the Bolsheviks and German and Turkish military activity, the British Government decided to send a force to the area, from British India towards its base of operations in Meshed (Mashhad), Imperial Persia (modern Iran). The force was to be led by General Wilfrid Malleson. His mission was given as "to combat German and Turkish propaganda and attempts to organise men, railways and resources towards assisting hostile enterprises, aggression or active operations against us or our Allies."[6]
Battle of Bairam Ali
Malleson instructed
The Bolsheviks indeed attacked the British-Indian and Transcaspian position at Bairam Ali on 12 or 15 August 1918 with about 3,000 troops.[9][10] The Transcaspian force however, numbered round 1,000 men (largely Turkmen troops). They were quickly overrun by the Bolshevik army, with the local Transcaspian defenders abandoning their trenches, while the British-Indian machine guns and Punjabi infantry tried defending their armourded train.[10] However, the usage of machine guns by the Indian detachment prevented complete rout, as per the official account.[11]
“These men fired their guns till they became too hot to handle and, according to the Transcaspian account, inflicted 350 casualties on the enemy. Two of the Indian detachment were wounded and one of its machine guns had to be abandoned after two men had been burnt in trying to carry it out of action.”
Despite avoiding disaster, the Anglo-Indians and Transcaspians were compelled to march back without rest and little food and water for 3 days, retreating to Dushak along the railway line.[10][11] The machine gun detachment returned to Muhammadabad in Persia due to disease and casualties.[11]
Skirmishes at Kaka
After reconstituting his forces in Persia, Malleson moved about 500 men of the
The
Malleson had further contact with the Ashkhabad Committee. They were eager to secure British funding and support, as they basically had no economy or method for raising funds. Two British
Battle of Dushak
At this point, Malleson, against the wishes of the Indian Government, decided to push further into Transcaspia and attack the Bolsheviks. The combined force completed a double night march, and engaged and defeated the Bolsheviks at
Committee resignation and Turkestan Army creation
By late 1918 the
On 12 January, the British force came under attack from the Bolsheviks at Annenkovo, but defended the settlement with the loss of 12 killed and 38-39 wounded.[16]
White Russian forces, from General Anton Denikin's Southern White Russian Army, started joining the Transcaspian army in small groups. The Transcaspian Government soon became linked with the White Russian Forces.[17] Denikin eventually started having more control over the force, as more of his troops starting fighting with them.[citation needed] On 22 January 1919, the White Turkestan Army was created.[citation needed]
British withdrawal
Malleson had spent some time planning how to extricate the British forces, which was a complex task. He had told the Committee confidentially that he was withdrawing; they had decided not to tell the public for fear it would cause panic. The Committee itself was alarmed at the news, though they had been making an effort to work with Denikin and the White Russians
Dick Ellis served as an officer with the Malleson mission, writing his account in 1963 after he had retired.[2]
Battles and casualties
Battles and British casualties during the Malleson mission were as follows:
- 12/15 August 1918: Battle of Bairam Ali
- 28 August 1918: Defence of Kaakha – 5 killed[19]
- 1918: Defence of Kushkh – 3 officers killed or wounded, 24 other ranks killed or wounded[12]
- 15 September 1918: Skirmish near Kaakha – 3 killed[19]
- 9–14 October 1918: Battle of Dushak – 54+ killed, 150+ wounded[14]
- 12 January 1919: Defence of Annenkovo – 12 killed, 38-39 wounded[16]
- (other): 10 killed in other skirmishes/actions[19]
References
- ^ Sargent 2004, p. 21.
- ^ a b Sargent 2004, p. Executive summary.
- ^ Sargent 2004, p. 1.
- ^ Sargent 2004, p. 2.
- ^ Sargent 2004, p. 8.
- ^ Moberly 1987, p. 335.
- ^ Sargent 2004, p. 9.
- ^ Sargent 2004, p. 11.
- ^ Sargent 2004, p. 11–12, 19.
- ^ a b c Wright 2017, p. 431.
- ^ a b c Sargent 2004, p. 12.
- ^ a b c d e f Sargent 2004, p. 19.
- ^ Ellis 1963, p. 75.
- ^ a b Ellis 1963, p. 79.
- ^ Ellis 1963, p. 76.
- ^ a b Ellis 1963, p. 132.
- ^ Sargent 2004, p. 30.
- ^ Ellis 1963, p. 150.
- ^ a b c Wright 2017, p. 501–504.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Milner Papers (1931) at New College Oxford, Volume 1 and 2. Written by Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner, British Secretary of State for War (18 April 1918 – 10 January 1919).
- India Office Records (until 1947), London. Written by the government of British India.
- Ellis, Charles Howard "Dick" (1963). The British "Intervention" in Transcaspia, 1918–1919. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 186. Retrieved 20 December 2023. (also known as "The Transcaspian Episode", written by a participating British officer)
Literature
- Moberly, Frederick James (1987). Operations in Persia, 1914–1919. London: ISBN 9780112904533. Retrieved 20 December 2023. ("Official History")
- Sargent, Michael (April 2004). British Military Involvement in Transcaspia: 1918–1919 (PDF). Camberley: ISBN 1-904423-64-7. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- Wright, Damien (2017). Churchill's Secret War With Lenin: British and Commonwealth Military Intervention in the Russian Civil War, 1918–20. Solihull: Helion and Company. p. 576. ISBN 9781913118112. Retrieved 20 December 2023.