'Mesopotamia Commission. Report of the Commission Appointed by Act of Parliament to Enquire into the Operations of War in Mesopotamia, together with a Special Report by Commander J Wedgwood, DSO, MP, and Appendices. London: HMSO, 1917.' [‎6r] (11/248)

PART L—PREFACE.
0
B. Physical and Climatic Peculiarities of Mesopotamia.
Basra, where the channel of the river is about l mile wide. There were, in November,
1914, practically no quays or wharfage at Basra ; nor were storehouses or go-downs of any
size available for the accommodation of goods ; vessels were unloaded in mid-stream by
primitive methods into sailing craft known as Mahailas.
14. K.urna is some 50 miles higher up this channel at the junction of the Euphrates
and Tigris rivers. Between Basra and Kurna there is some 7j feet of water in the dry
season, and in the flood about 12 feet or even more. Beyond Kurna the River Tigris
narrows rapidly, and between Ezra’s Tomb and Kelat Sala, a stretch of 28 miles, the
navigation of the river is very difficult. It twists and turns with sharp bends and hairpin
corners, leaving at certain places little or no room for vessels towing a barge on either side
to pass each other. The stream is strong, about four knots an hour, and it is difficult for
steamers without independent paddles to avoid striking the banks when going round the
corners down stream. Vessels under such conditions occasionally turn completely round,
and it is a common experience to see lighters breaking adrift under the strain.
15. Amara is some 90 miles above Kurna on the Tigris, the depth of water between
the two places averages 4| feet in the low-water season, and it is estimated that in navi
gating this part of the river, boats should not draw more than 3 ft. 6 in.
10 . Kut is again some 150 miles above Amara, but the navigation between the two
places, apart from some shoal patches, is easier, and the river is broader. Baghdad is
112 miles above Kut by road and 212 miles by river, and the meandering of the river
between these two places is more marked than in any other part of its tortuous course,
while not more than 3 ft. 6 in. of water can be relied on. Baghdad is, distant by river,
502 miles from Basra.
Some 68 miles west of Kurna are the district and town of Nasariyeh, border
ing upon the Euphrates, and access to this district is through the Hammar Lake, which in
hot weather is so low as to be impracticable for vessels drawing any depth of water. The
only trees in the country are date palms, wood for fuel or other purposes is unobtainable,
and of stone there is not a trace, except a small quarry South-West of Basra.
17. The country traversed by these two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, is a vast
plain intersected by swamps, and, generally speaking, without roads of any description.
Above Kut, however, there is a caravan road to Baghdad. The soil is a sandy loam which
under rainfall is converted into a tenacious mud. In wet weather and floods, none of the
country bordering the river below Kut is fit for wheeled vehicles, being deep in water and
mud ; in the dry season wheeled transport is generally practicable, if the irrigation canals
are bridged or filled up.
18. The Tigris is subject to sudden floods which overrun the banks, and convert the
adjoining terrain into temporary and almost impassable quagmires. The climate is
exceptionally hot, damp and enervating, with periodical snaps of icy storms in the winter.
In the heat of the summer a double-fly tent is an inadequate protection against sun
stroke. Military movements are exceptionally difficult, the rivers being practically the
only means of transport, thus limiting the radius of activity of operating forces whose
communications entirely depend upon the river.
19 The Karun river, which rises in South-east Persia, and along whose left bank
the oil-pipe of the Anglo-Persian Oil Co. runs, flows into the Shatt-el-Arab some 21 miles
to the east-south-east of Basra. This river is more rapid than the Tigris, and though
shallow in parts, is less winding and more easily navigated. The oil-pipe runs from the
oil-fields down to the island of Abadan, which is situated not far from where the river
joins the Shatt-el-Arab. On the island of Abadan are oil-refining .works, and certain
workshops belonging to the oil company.
20 . There is little steam navigation upon these rivers, though Messrs. Lynch
had a small fleet of steamers running up the Karun river and also plying between Basra
and Baghdad. These steamers are of a peculiar type, being specially built and adapted
to the eccentricities of Mesopotamian river navigation.
21 . This brief account of the Mesopotamian plains shows that the provision of ade-
■quate and suitable river transport above Basra, and of sufficient wharfage and unloading
facilities at Basra, was a necessity, if effective military operations were to be carried out
inland. As an expeditionary army must be sea-borne, sea-supported and sea-victualled
(C 48—176) B