"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية. الحملة في بلاد الرافدين ١٩١٤-١٩١٨. المجلد IV". [ظ‎‎١‎٤‎٣] (٥٤٠/٢٩١)

232 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
He had 900 British troops* and about 1,000 Russians on whom
he could rely, the remainder of the Baku force being negligible.
The enemy had about 6,000 regulars and 8,000 irregulars and
the town swarmed with enemy sympathisers and agents.
Although he had kept the War Office orders secret, the Baku
authorities were beginning to think that our only object was
to destroy the oil wells, gain control of the fleet and then
abandon them after removing their only means of making
terms with the enemy—a reply to their appeal for assistance
which they regarded as dishonourable. It was consequently
difficult for him to obtain any concessions or arrange for the
oil destruction. But he was consistently pressing for ships
on which to mount naval guns and he had at last been allotted
two on the condition that their crews remained Russian. He
had stated all along that it was impossible to control the fleet
or to deny the oil fields to the enemy unless we continued to
hold Baku ; and he trusted that H.M. Government were under
no illusions on the subject and were aware that if Baku fell
we should incur odium and accusations of bad faith.
After the 1st September the Turks did not renew their
attacks for nearly a fortnight, though they carried on inter
mittent artillery bombardments of the town and wharves,
their fire being specially directed on the British headquarters.
On the 3rd September General Dunsterville telegraphed that
he had made preparations for evacuation, but that the local
government had informed him that the British troops could
only be permitted to leave Baku on the same terms and at the
same time as their own troops. On the 4th he reported that his
refusal to recognise control over British troops by the local
government had achieved a salutary effect: ten ships had been
placed at his disposal for arming, subject to the condition
that only the gun-crews should be British. On the 5th he
telegraphed that he had received the order to withdraw, but
considered it impossible to do so under the guns of the fleet.
He also said that Bicharakoff had captured Petrovsk and had
promised to send 1,000 infantry to Baku within a week. The
local situation appeared more promising and General Dunster
ville had told the local government that he would remain with
them to the end, withdrawing only if matters became hopeless.
* In addition to the 900 odd rifles of the Warwickshire, Staffordshire and
Worcestershire battalions, there were the Headquarters 39th Infantry Brigade,
the 8th Field Battery, three armoured cars of “ A ” Squadron Dunsterforce
Armoured Car Brigade, half a machine gun company formed by the same
brigade, a platoon l/4th Hampshire and two aeroplanes.