Dunsterforce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dunsterforce |
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Map of the Ottoman Empire, Caucasus and Iran (Persia) in the First World War
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| Active | December 1917 – 17 September 1918 |
| Country |  British Empire |
| Allegiance | Allies |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Detachment |
| Size | 350 men later reinforced by 39th Infantry Brigade |
| Engagements | Battle of Baku |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lionel Dunsterville |
Dunsterforce was a special group of soldiers from the Allied countries during World War I. It was created in December 1917 and named after its leader, Major-General Lionel Dunsterville. This small force had fewer than 350 officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, and Canada. These soldiers came from the main battlefields in Europe and the Middle East. Their mission was to help organize local fighters in northern Iran (then called Persia) and the South Caucasus region. They needed to replace the Russian army, which had left the area after the Russian Revolution. The Russians had been working with the British to stop German and Ottoman agents from reaching Central Asia, Afghanistan, and India.
In July 1918, a small group from Dunsterforce helped protect about 80,000 Assyrian people. These people were fleeing their homes after the Ottoman army captured the town of Urmia. The Dunsterforce soldiers helped hold off the Ottoman troops and local groups who were attacking the refugees. The Dunsterforce team was very tired by the time they reached Bijar on 17 August. Later, a new group of Assyrian soldiers was formed to try and take back Urmia. The rest of the refugees were sent to safe camps near Baghdad.
General Dunsterville and the rest of his force, along with more soldiers from the 39th Infantry Brigade, traveled about 350 kilometers (220 miles) in Ford vans and armored cars. They drove from Hamadan, across Iran, all the way to Baku. Dunsterforce fought in the Battle of Baku from 26 August to 14 September 1918. They had to leave the city on the night of 14/15 September and the force was officially ended two days later. Another British force, called North Persia Force, took over command in northern Iran.
Why Dunsterforce Was Formed
The Russian Army Leaves the War
Before Dunsterforce, Britain and Russia had been rivals for influence in Central Asia. But they agreed to share influence in Afghanistan, Iran, and Tibet in 1907. When World War I started, British and Indian forces set up a special patrol in eastern Iran. This was to stop German, Austrian, and Ottoman spies from causing trouble in Afghanistan and British India.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 changed everything. The Russian army, which had been fighting the Ottoman Empire in the Caucasus region, started to fall apart. This left a big empty space in the area around the Caspian Sea. German and Ottoman forces began to move into this region in early 1918. They wanted to take control of important areas like Baku.
Iran During the War
In 1914, Russia had promised to respect Iran's borders. But many people in Iran worried that Russia wanted to control their northern provinces. Britain wanted to protect its business interests and its route to India. Iran was important because it was located between Europe and India, along old trade routes. Britain usually tried to keep Iran as a neutral country.
The Ottoman Empire was also interested in Iran. They had a long history of conflict with Iran. By 1914, the Ottoman Empire started to expand into areas like Trans-Caucasia and northern Iran.
British forces from India took control of parts of Iran in 1914 to protect oil fields. They also fought the Ottoman army in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). In 1917, the British continued to advance in Mesopotamia, taking Baghdad. Meanwhile, the Russian army had invaded Iran in 1915, setting up bases in several cities.
Fighting in the Caucasus Region
In 1915, Britain and Russia planned attacks against the Ottoman Empire. By 1917, Britain decided to send a special mission of trained soldiers to the Caucasus. Their goal was to train local fighters and replace the Russian army there. This new force was meant to have 150 officers and 300 NCOs.
In Armenia, local Christians supported the Russians and feared the Ottomans. British leaders hoped these people would join the fight. In April 1918, a new government was set up in Baku. Different groups fought for control, and they all tried to get support from about 35,000 German and Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war. By September 1918, the Ottoman army in the Caucasus was very strong, with many divisions ready to fight.
Getting Ready for Action
Forming Dunsterforce
Dunsterforce was officially formed in December 1917. Its main job was to organize local soldiers to replace the Russian Caucasus Army, which had collapsed. The British needed brave and smart soldiers for this mission. About 100 officers and 250 NCOs were chosen from different Allied armies, including many Australians.
Canadian soldiers chosen for the force were described as having "strong character, adventurous spirit, especially good stamina, capable of organizing, training, and eventually leading, irregular troops." These soldiers were kept secret in London, even at the Tower of London, before they sailed to the Middle East in January 1918. They arrived in Basra in March and began training, even learning Russian and Iranian languages on their journey.
General Dunsterville's Mission
General Lionel Dunsterville arrived in Baghdad in January 1918. His orders were to go to Tiflis, the capital of Georgia, as the British representative. The British army had taken Baghdad in March 1917. Dunsterville decided to travel ahead to Tiflis to talk with British officials there. On 27 January, he set off with a small group in Ford cars and vans.
The Ottoman army was advancing towards the Caspian Sea, hoping to capture Baku. Dunsterville found that thousands of Russian soldiers were leaving the area. He also learned that German and Austrian agents were working with local groups in Iran. Dunsterforce was meant to extend a "cordon" (a protective line) in Iran to stop unrest from spreading to India.
Dunsterville's group traveled through difficult terrain, over mountains and into jungles. They found that German and Austrian agents had a lot of influence in some areas. On 17 February, Dunsterville reached Bandar-e Anzali on the Caspian coast. He decided it was too risky to go to Tiflis right away and returned to Hamadan.
Dunsterville realized that most Russian soldiers would not stay and fight. Only Colonel Lazar Bicherakov and some of his Cossack soldiers were willing to continue. Dunsterville decided to wait in Hamadan and try again later.
To gain local support, Dunsterville helped with a famine in north-west Iran. He used money to repair roads and tricked local grain merchants into releasing their hoarded food. This made the British very popular. He also set up a spy network to keep track of messages about his mission. With the help of Bicherakov's Cossacks, Dunsterforce was able to stop German and Ottoman agents. They also recruited local Assyrian Christians for security duties.
By the end of March, most Russian troops had left. Dunsterforce received more officers and NCOs in April and May. But the situation changed again. Germany's success in France led Georgia to seek German support. The Ottomans also started to organize a new army, the Islamic Army of the Caucasus, to attack Baku and Iran. This made a British move to Tiflis even harder.
The British hoped to work with the Bolsheviks and Armenians to protect Baku. Controlling Baku and the Caspian Sea was important for Allied goals. The British War Office wanted to send more troops to Dunsterforce. In April, the British army in Mesopotamia pushed back an Ottoman division. The British took the town of Kirkuk in May but had to retreat due to a lack of troops and supplies.
The War Office wanted to send a whole brigade to Dunsterville. Dunsterville wanted to leave for Baku on 30 May but was delayed. Ottoman forces were about 200 miles (320 km) west of the road. Dunsterville sent small groups of his officers and NCOs to Zenjan and Bijar. Their goal was to recruit local Kurds to block Ottoman advances.
Dunsterforce in Action
The Journey to Baku
Dunsterforce teams moved towards Zenjan and Mianeh. The Ottoman army was advancing on Baku, where about 11,000 Armenian and Bolshevik troops were trying to defend it. On 12 June, Bicherakov's Cossacks defeated a local group and reached Bandar-e Anzali. Bicherakov then went to Baku and was made commander of the Red Army in the Caucasus.
Dunsterville was in contact with the Armenian National Council in Baku. He asked for more soldiers and artillery, but the British commander in Mesopotamia only sent 1,000 infantry, two mountain guns, and supplies in 500 Ford vans. These troops helped guard the road. The British War Office then asked Dunsterville directly what he needed to control the Caspian Sea and protect the oil fields. Dunsterville wanted to push forward but not destroy the oil, as that would hurt the local people he was trying to help.
Finally, the 39th Infantry Brigade and artillery were sent to Dunsterforce. This brigade was to help train local forces and occupy the Baku oil fields. Dunsterforce's mission was to fight the Ottomans and hold a line from Batum to Tiflis, Baku, and Krasnovodsk.
Bicherakov and his Cossacks left for Baku, and British troops replaced them at Bandar-e Anzali. On 25 July, about 2,500 local fighters attacked the British garrison at Resht but were pushed back. Dunsterville found proof that Bolsheviks were involved, so he arrested their leaders, seized their radio, and put Australian signallers in charge.
In Baku, the situation changed when the Ottoman advance on the oil fields began. Bicherakov and some Dunsterforce armored cars tried to stop them, but local troops fled. On 25 July, Bicherakov and British officers helped overthrow the government in Baku. A new government, the Centrocaspian Dictatorship, was put in place. Bicherakov asked for British help and sent ships to pick up the first British troops. Dunsterville sent his intelligence officer and 44 available troops to Baku, with news that more soldiers and artillery were on the way.
The Urmia Crisis
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In 1918, the town of Urmia was defended by about 25,000 local Christian Assyrians. They had been under siege by local Muslim groups until the Russian army arrived in 1915. More Assyrians, about 35,000, had fled from the Hakkiari Mountains and settled near Urmia. After the Russian army left, the Ottomans drove another 20,000 Armenians from Lake Van, who joined the others. A local leader, Agha Petros, united these groups and fought off many Ottoman attacks.
On 8 July, Dunsterville offered to send money, machine-guns, and ammunition to the Assyrians in Urmia, who were under siege. A column of British soldiers left Bijar on 19 July, carrying £45,000 in silver, twelve Lewis guns, and 100,000 rounds of ammunition. Captain Stanley Savige, five Dunsterforce officers, and fifteen NCOs went with them. They reached Sain Kala on 23 July, but no one was there to meet them.
Savige and the Dunsterforce group decided to go on alone. On 1 August, they heard about a battle south of Lake Urmia, which they thought was the Assyrians trying to break out. Agha Petros and the Assyrians arrived on 3 August. The next day, they started marching to Urmia. But they soon learned that the Ottomans had captured Urmia, and 80,000 people had fled.
On 5 August, the British saw a huge crowd of refugees from Urmia. An American missionary, Dr. W. A. Shedd, was trying to protect them from local Kurdish and Iranian attacks. The Dunsterforce group joined the rearguard to help. Many armed Assyrians pushed to the front of the column, leaving women and children behind. Savige and his small group fought bravely, pushing back attackers.
After seven hours of fighting, British cavalry arrived and helped hold off the attackers. Dr. Shedd reached the British camp but sadly died of cholera that night. Attacks on the refugees continued, but the British and Agha Petros helped protect them. On 17 August, the rearguard reached Bijar. The Dunsterforce members were so exhausted that only four of them recovered before the war ended. Of the 80,000 Assyrians who fled Urmia, about 50,000 reached the Persian road.
The Urmia Brigade
At Bijar, Lieutenant-Colonel McCarthy and Agha Petros tried to recruit Assyrians to form a force to recapture Urmia. Many of the best men were trying to escape, so some were forced to join by British soldiers. These "recruits" formed the Urmia Brigade, with 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry. Dunsterforce officers helped train and command them. The remaining Assyrians were sent to a refugee camp near Baghdad.
The Battle for Baku
Baku was attacked on 29 July. Local troops fled, leaving Bicherakov's Cossacks alone. The Ottomans attacked again on 31 July and continued until 2 August, but their attack failed. When the Ottomans were close to the docks, Bicherakov decided to retreat. But the Ottomans suddenly panicked and retreated, which allowed the Armenians to counter-attack. Dunsterville also prepared ships for a quick escape if needed.
Every available Dunsterforce soldier began training the Armenian and Russian troops in Baku. There were 6,000–10,000 men in 23 battalions. They held a defensive line around the Baku peninsula, about 18 miles (29 km) long. A hill called Mud Volcano was a very important defensive spot. By the end of August, more troops from the 39th Infantry Brigade arrived in Baku and took over parts of the defense. Even with all of Dunsterforce, there were only about 1,000 infantry and one artillery battery against 14,000 Ottomans.
Dunsterforce needed the local troops to defend Baku. So, the locals were reorganized into brigades, each with Dunsterforce advisers and one British battalion. Dunsterville also brought two Martinsyde Elephant airplanes to Baku to boost morale. The planes were ready for operations by 20 August.
The Armenian troops often hesitated or ran away during Ottoman attacks. A Russian ship's crew told Dunsterville, "We have witnessed with intense admiration the heroic conduct of your brave British soldiers in the defence of Baku. We have seen them suffering wounds and death bravely in defence of our town, which our own people were too feeble to defend."
On 26 August, the Ottomans captured Mud Volcano, causing many casualties to the British battalion. The British pushed back the Ottomans four times, but the local troops disappeared. A Canadian captain leading an Armenian battalion suddenly found himself alone, and the fifth Ottoman attack succeeded.
In another attack on 31 August, a Russian battalion helped the British during a retreat. Dunsterville warned the Baku authorities that he would pull back more British troops if they were left to be killed. The next day, he said he would evacuate Baku that night. The authorities tried to stop him, but Dunsterville ignored them. The situation improved when Bicherakov sent 500 Russian reinforcements, promising 5,000 more.
In early September, the British decided to withdraw their troops from Baku. The Ottoman attacks had been costly for them. The final Ottoman assault on Baku began on 14 September. British pilots in their airplanes flew low, attacking Ottoman troops and reporting on the battle. By the afternoon, the Ottomans were close to the city. The pilots were ordered to destroy their damaged planes.
With the Ottomans able to bomb the port, Dunsterville was ordered to leave. Ships were ready, and the evacuation happened on the night of 14/15 September. The Baku leaders changed their minds and tried to stop them, but the British loaded their men, guns, and equipment. One crewmember accidentally turned on the lights of Dunsterville's ship, which was then fired upon. The ships managed to escape to Bandar-e Anzali without more casualties.
After the British left, chaos broke out in Baku. Fires, looting, and terrible acts began. The Ottoman bombing continued, and by dawn, up to 6,000 Armenians, many of them civilians, had been killed. The retreat from Baku left some Dunsterforce troops isolated in Lankaran. They had to fight off attacks before escaping in a stolen truck on 18 October.
Fighting Near Tabriz
While the main fight was at Baku, the Ottoman 9th Army invaded Iran to capture Tabriz. In late August, they captured Tabriz. Then, about 2,000 Ottoman soldiers advanced further, pushing back Dunsterforce outposts and occupying Mianeh. They then pressed towards the Persian road near Kazvin.
Elements of the 39th Infantry Brigade, which had been sent to Bijar, were organized into a group called Sweet's Column. They set off from Hamadan on 14 September. These British reinforcements stopped the Ottoman 9th Army from advancing further. By September, the Ottomans had set up a defensive line in northern Iran.
What Happened Next
Who Was Hurt?
Only one Canadian soldier from Dunsterforce was wounded. Ottoman forces in Iran in 1918 lost about 500 men killed and 1,000 wounded. In Armenia and Azerbaijan, they lost about 1,500 men killed and 3,000 wounded.
Later Operations
After major Allied victories in other parts of the war, the Ottoman army in the Caucasus had to send more and more soldiers to other fronts. This ended their attacks in the Caucasus region.
On 17 September, Dunsterforce was officially ended. A new force, the North Persia Force, took over command. The Dunsterforce officers could choose to return to their old regiments, join Indian battalions, or stay with the new force. The British continued to advance in Mesopotamia. The North Persia Force and Bicherakov's Cossacks re-entered Baku on 17 November.
British involvement in this region was part of a larger Allied effort to prevent military bases and war supplies from falling into the hands of the Central Powers.
Soldiers and Units
Dunsterforce included:
- Soldiers from the Western Front:
- Officers and NCOs from the British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and South African armies.
- Soldiers from the Mediterranean Front:
- Officers and NCOs from British and Dominion groups.
- 39th Infantry Brigade:
- 9th (Service) Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment
- 7th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
- 9th (Service) Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment
- 7th (Service) Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment
- 1st/4th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment (a small group)
- 39th Machine Gun Company
- 39th Supply & Transport Column
- 39th Trench Mortar Battery
Images for kids
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Modern map of Caucasia
