Persia and Iraq Command

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Persia and Iraq Command
Command
Size134,000 - 200,000
Part ofWar Office
Ministry of Defence (Army)

The Persia and Iraq Command was a

Persia (officially Iran) and Iraq. Its further role was to ensure the transport of supplies from Persian Gulf ports through Iraq and Persia to the Soviet Union.[1]

Background

During the

Burma the Chiefs of Staff decided now was the time to make changes to the command structure; to unburden GHQ India so it could now solely "look east" and so that speedier planning could take place for forces in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean areas.[2] General Sir Archibald Wavell, now the C-in-C, India, opposed such a move as he believed Iraq to be an overburden and distraction to Middle East Command; General Claude Auchinleck, now C-in-C, Middle East Command, believed it to be the right move and would allow speedier planning and the administration and operational aspects of all forces in the Mediterranean Basin and Middle East to be more closely related;[2] the Minister of State also supported such a move as it would help to ease the supply situation and would also, at a later date, help co-ordinate the planning of operations with the United States Armed Forces if they only had one command to deal with.[3] The Defence Committee agreed with the Chiefs-of-Staff and Middle East Command retook over Iraq on 12 January 1942. All forces in Iraq were first known as Iraqforce and then Iraq Command[4] were redesignated British Tenth Army.[5]

Formation of the command

In August 1942 the

Bernard Montgomery and the splitting of Middle East Command to create a new Persia and Iraq Command. Aware that the Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Command needed to devote his full attention to halting the German-Italian forces in North Africa, Churchill wanted to free him of the burden of the forces in Iraq and Persia. With Commander-in-Chief, India also having to devote his full-time attention to fighting the Japanese the solution seemed to be the creation of a new command to guard the northern front.[6]

After some resistance the British cabinet approved its creation on 8 August

War Cabinet believed that with the renewed threat from the Caucasus that the argument for a unified command was even stronger now, than it had been in January.[6]

On 21 August 1942, the Persia Iraq Command was offered to General Sir Maitland Wilson who accepted the post.[9] On 18 September, the headquarters was opened in Baghdad. Wilson's tasks were as follows: First, to secure, at all costs, the oil fields and oil installations in Persia and Iraq from land and air attack. Second, to ensure the transport of supplies to Russia from the Persian Gulf ports to the maximum extent possible without prejudicing the primary task.[10]

Transition of commanders

In 1943, a series of Soviet victories in southern Russia and the success of operations in North Africa rendered the German threat to northern Persia progressively more and more unlikely. Therefore, the forces in Wilson's Command were reduced and the status of the Command was revised. In January, Wilson received orders to despatch the

56th (London) Infantry Division was also ordered to the Middle East Command. Wilson then decided to re-group the remaining formations within the Command and issued orders for their location in the general area Mosul-Kirkuk. On 17 February, Wilson left for Cairo to take up his new duties[11] as commander-in-chief of the Middle East Command
.

The commanders-in-chief were:[12][13]

  • 1942 - 1943 Lieutenant General
    Maitland Wilson
  • 1943 - 1944 Lieutenant General Sir
    Henry Pownall
  • 1944 - 1945 Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Smith

Order of battle - Persia and Iraq Command 1942

General Officer Commanding - General Sir Henry Wilson

In addition, lines of communication headquarters, either designed Lines of Communications Areas or Sub-Areas or under deception titles such as the 2nd Indian Infantry Division, were also ultimately responsible to the command.

See also

Notes

Footnotes
Citations
  1. ^ Mackenzie, p. 591
  2. ^ a b c d Playfair, p. 128
  3. ^ Playfair, pp. 128–129
  4. ISBN 1-84176-991-6
    .
  5. ^ Playfair, p. 129
  6. ^ a b Playfair, p. 375
  7. ^ Alanbrooke Diaries, 7 & 8 August 1942
  8. ^ Alanbrook Diaries, 8 August 1942
  9. ^ Alanbrooke Diaries, 21 August 1942
  10. ^ Wilson, p. 4333
  11. ^ Wilson, p. 4340
  12. ^ Whitaker's Almanacks 1943 - 1945
  13. ^ Persia and Iraq Command at Regiments.org
  14. ^ Mackenzie, p. 594
  15. ^ a b Mackenzie, pp. 593–594

References

External links
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