"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. المجلد IV". [ظ‎‎١‎٢‎٥] (٥٤٠/٢٥٥)

200 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
Germans, after taking Baku, intended to traverse Trans-Caspia
and Turkestan and raise Afghanistan against us.
The officer's general impression was that the situation was
critical and could only be saved by the prompt appearance
at Baku of British forces.
On the 20th July, about 2,500 Jangalis, assisted by some
Germans and Austrians, the whole under command of a German
(von Passchen), attacked the British detachment at Resht, a
town with a seven-mile perimeter surrounded by thick jungle.
The British detachment, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel
Matthews, consisted of about 300 rifles l/4th Hampshire,
150 rifles l/2nd Gurkhas, two mountain guns and two armoured
cars, its main body being encamped outside the town. It also
had a party of twenty rifles holding the British Consulate in
the town and another small party holding the Bank. The
main assault fell on our camp outside the town, but although
the enemy made several attacks they were all unsuccessful.
When the enemy finally desisted he left over 100 of his dead
on the ground and 50 prisoners, including several Austrians,
in our hands.
In the meantime, however, a large body of the enemy had
penetrated into the town and attacked the British Consulate.
This was surrounded and overlooked by houses and could
only be reached from our camp, without a long detour outside
the town, through a maze of narrow and tortuous streets.
Colonel Matthews, learning early in the morning of the attack
on the Consulate, decided to effect its rehef by the direct route
and despatched a party (under Captain McCleverty) of the
l/2nd Gurkhas with an armoured car to do so. This party,
skilfully handled and after a good deal of street fighting,
succeeded in reaching the Consulate just in time and in bringing
off its personnel and garrison.
Our total casuahties during the day were 51, and our success
would have been more decisive if it had been possible to follow
the enemy in pursuit. But this was prohibited by the thick
jungle, the small number of our troops and the fact that a
considerable body of the enemy was still at dusk in possession
of a great part of the town. H
During the next two days, our troops, assisted by two
aeroplanes from Kazvin, were occupied in a good deal of street
fighting. But “ by the end of the month Resht was finally
cleared of all signs of active Jangali opposition and came under
our effective administration ”* The Jangalis gave us little
* “ The Adventures of Dunsterforce,” by General Dunsterville.