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‘File 28/15 Submarine Menace’ [31r] (61/116)
The record is made up of 1 file (56 folios). It was created in 25 Jun 1940-24 Aug 1944. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
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| A.
gomblned Intellige nc e Centre Iraq •
Security Pap er dated 14th February 1943 >
E1TEMT SUBMARINE ACTIVITY OFP THE HEKRAN COAST•
MOST
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SBCggT.^,^^
1* During the past three months there have been various
reports concerning enemy submarine activity off the coast of Persia
and Baluchistan 0 Prom these reports it seems that the Japanese,
and possibly the Germans also, are taking considerable interest
in the Persian coast*
JAPANESE ACTIVIT Y«
2* In 1937 the Japanese took over the control of the salt
mines at Henjam and Basidu (Q,i8hm Island) at the mouth of the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
* The Japanese are also said to have been in control
of the mines at Hormuz for some time but a reconnaissance made by
the British Naval authorities in 1942 revealed no trace of enemy
activity there*
the
3© In April 1942 a source in touch with/Japanese Legation
in Tehran reported that the Japanese were enquiring into the
possibility of opening a submarine base on the Persian coast
that their apparent intention was to prevent our oil-tankers
travelling from Abadan*
4© Japanese pre-war trade interests in the Gulf of Oman were
considerable and it may be assumed that they had made preparations
in this area also, for a war against the British aspire. The
importance of the oil from Abadan to supply the Allied forces in
the Par East is obvious, and the Japanese might be expected to take
steps to hinder this oil traffic. The Japanese began with the
advantage of having infoimation concerning South Persia which vouId
assist them in arranging for their submarines to be supplied from *
the South Persian coast should opportunity arise. It is not known ..i-
whether the Japanese in fact, have ever established a supply system
in South Persia, but recent reports indicate that they were
reconnoitring the area, possibly with this object in view*
Q3RMAK ACTIVITY .
5* In 1940 the German agent, P.PUmel, toured the coastal area
of Lingeh and Bandar Abbas* Kumel is known to have been a member
of the Fifth Column in Persia, controlled from Isfahan by the
German, Franz Mayer,
6* In September 19 42, Major Schultze, formerly a member of the
German Consulate at Tabriz and now the main German agent in South
Persia, claimed to have started a rumour that the Germans had
landed supplies by steamer on the Persian coast* An operational
plan dated 10th August 1942 and written by Franz Mayer, apparently
for despatch to the German authorities in Europe, has the question
••Can you bring arms to safe Gulf ports by U-boats or have them
brought by the Japanese?* In November a report was received that
during October, German submarines had unloaded ammunition and
explosives near Jaslv Again in November 1942, a companion of Franz
Mayer who had been captured by our Security authorities in Persia,
stated under interrogation that a submarine had landed arms in the
Jask area during September 1942* The arms are said to have been
intended for the use of the Qashgai tribes who are alleged to have
been warned of the arrival by German agents* Major Schultze has
been living with the Qashgai tribes since July 1942. None of these
reports, however, have ever been confirmed, and it is still
uncertain whether a German submarine ever touched at the Persian
coast*
GENERAL .
7o 0n 22nd October 1942 a ship was sunk in the neighbourhood
of Has al Kadd by a U-boat. This is the only positive evidence
About this item
- Content
The file comprises correspondence and other papers relating to enemy submarine activity in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Gulf of Oman throughout the War. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban; Edward Birkbeck Wakefield; Major Tom Hickinbotham); the Political Officer on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. (POTC: Captain Roy Douglas Metcalfe; Captain Maurice O’Connor Tandy); and the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (SNOPG: Commodore Cosmo Moray Graham; Commodore Charles Ford Hammill).
The file includes:
- various reports of sightings of enemy submarines (f 4, f 14, ff 48-52);
- the ramming and sinking of the Italian submarine Galvani by HMS Falmouth , off the Oman coast in June 1940 (f 2);
- correspondence and memoranda relating to the import from India into Bahrain and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. of distilled water, which might indicate the possible presence in the area of an enemy submarine (distilled water being required for repairs to submarine batteries) (ff 5-10). Government of India correspondence raises concerns over distilled water imports into Bahrain by Khalil bin Ebrahim Kanoo [Khalīl Ibrāhīm Kānū], though the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. writes that Kanoo imports his water for car servicing and is above suspicion (ff 16-17). Further imports of distilled water into Bahrain and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. are closely monitored (ff 19-24, f 30);
- reports of a heavy explosion off the coast of Kalba in January 1941, with fresh oil seen on the sea shortly thereafter (ff 25-26);
- a note on enemy submarine activity off the Mekran [Makran] coast, prepared by H K Dawson Shepherd of the Combined Intelligence Centre Iraq (CICI), dated 14 February 1943, with details on: German and Japanese interests in Persia; German agents in Persia; reports of a German submarine landing arms at Jask; the possibility of U-Boats making contact with the Persian coast (ff 33-34);
- investigation into the background of a resident of Khor Fakkan [Khawr Fakkān] in November 1943, believed to have pro-Axis sympathies, and whose presence at Khor Fakkan is considered suspicious in light of the sinking of a submarine off the coast of Khor Fakkan (f 37). A report by the POTC reveals that no pro-Axis connections or suspicious activities have been discovered (ff 35-36, f 43);
- a request by the SNOPG, 17 November 1943, to investigate the Danish employees of a fish canning factory An East India Company trading post. at Bandar Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās], some of whom may hold pro-German sympathies (f 39).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (56 folios)
- Arrangement
The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 54-57) mirror the chronological arrangement.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 58; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-53; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Paginated: the file notes at the back (ff 54-57) have been paginated using pencil.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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‘File 28/15 Submarine Menace’ [31r] (61/116), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/702, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025656192.0x00003e> [accessed 2 April 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/702
- Title
- ‘File 28/15 Submarine Menace’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:20v, 22r:57v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence