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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME II.' [36r] (78/660)
The record is made up of 1 volume (323 folios). It was created in 1924. 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.
TURKISH STRENGTH
49
horsemen, 400 cavalry, 2 guns, 4 machine guns and an infantry
battalion—was surprised in the early morning of the 28th,
and retired rapidly in disorder. The British force suffered no
casualties; and, after destroying the enemy’s camp and
fortified serai, returned to Aziziya.
In his telegraphic report to General Nixon, General Towns-
hend expressed his disappointment at the Turks having managed
to get their guns away, which he attributed to the rough ground
having hampered his cavalry and horse artillery. From the
examination of prisoners and from the Turkish disorderly
retreat, he had come to the conclusion that the information he
had received, i.e., that the Turkish troops at Zor were fresh from
Anatolia
Peninsula that forms most of modern-day Turkey.
and would not run, was incorrect; and the affair had
proved an excellent experience for the recruits in the Indian
battalions. He was specially pleased with the perfect silence,
ease, and supple manoeuvres of the night march, which was
the best he had ever seen. As an instance of this, he said that
the force had passed close to two enemy watch-fires without
being observed. He further expressed the opinion that it would
be a good thing if he could get a British cavalry regiment for
his cavalry brigade to give it the same backing as the British
infantry battalions gave to his infantry brigades. His recent
experience had shown him, he said, how invaluable was the
presence of British troops in a hard fight.
On the 30th October, General Kemball again paid a visit to
Aziziya and discussed with General Townshend the advance on
Ctesiphon. He explained to General Townshend exactly what
troops General Nixon could allot for the operations and he
also discussed an alternative plan for the advance suggested
by General Nixon. General Townshend, however, after full
consideration of this plan preferred his own. On this date
General Townshend’s Intelligence Staff estimated the Turkish
strength as being certainly 10,000 with 25 guns and possibly as
much as 12,300 with 30 guns, but they were still uncertain as
to the way in which the third of the Turkish divisions was
organised.
In his final “ project of operations,” submitted to General
Nixon on the 31st October, General Townshend stated that
his principal object was to seek the bulk of the hostile force in
the field, to destroy it, and then to occupy Baghdad. He gave
the total of the hostile forces in the field as 10,900 combatants
and 30 guns, of whom the bulk were on the left bank of the
Tigris. Therefore, to march on his principal objective, he
should advance from Aziziya by the left bank, which was also
(11985) E
About this item
- Content
The volume is the second volume of an official government publication compiled at the request of the Government of India, and under the direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence, by Brigadier-General Frederick James Moberly. The volume was printed and published at His Majesty's Stationery Office, London.
The contents provide a narrative of the operations of 1914-1918 in Mesopotamia, based mainly on official documents.
The volume is in one part, entitled, 'Part III. The First Campaign for Baghdad', and consists of the following fourteen chapters:
- The Decision to Advance to Baghdad
- Commencement of the Advance Towards Baghdad
- The Battle of Ctesiphon - the First Day's Operations
- Battle of Ctesiphon (Continued) and the British Retirement to Kut
- The Decision to Hold Kut and British Policy Consequent on the Failure to Reach Baghdad
- The Siege of Kut: First Phase (December 1915)
- Commencement of the Relief Operations
- The Action of Shaikh Saad
- The Action of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. and the First Attack on Hanna
- Operations up to the End of February, 1916
- The Second Attempt to Relieve Kut; the Attack on the Dujaila Redoubt
- The Third Attempt to Relieve Kut; the Successful Advance to and First and Second Attacks on Sannaiyat
- The Last Attempt at Relief; Bait Isa and Sannaiyat
- The Siege of Kut; the Last Stages
The volume also includes nine maps, entitled:
- The Middle East
- Lower Mesopotamia
- Map 8 - The Tigris from Kut al Amara to Baghdad
- Map 9 - The Battle of Ctesiphon
- Map 10 - The affair of Umm at Tubul
- Map 11 - The defence of Kut al Amara
- Map 12 - The fort at Kut; with special reference to the Turkish attack on 24th December 1915
- Map 13 - River Tigris between Ali Gharbi and Shumran
- Map 14 - The action at Shaikh Saad
- Map 15 - The action of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
- Map 16 - The first attack on Hanna; 21st January 1916
- Map 17 - The attack on the Dujaila Redoubt, 8th March 1916
- Map 18 - To illustrate Tigris Corps Operation Order No. 26, dated 6th March 1916
- Map 19 - To illustrate operations between 10th March and end of April 1916
- Map 20 - The action of Bait Isa on 17th and 18th April 1916, and the attack on Sannaiyat 22nd April 1916
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (323 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume contains a list of contents (folios 6-10), a list of maps and illustrations (folio 11), appendices (folios 254-290), an index (folios 291-312), and eleven maps in a pocket attached to the inside back cover (folios 314-324).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 325; 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.
Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME II.' [36r] (78/660), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/2, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100045738548.0x00004f> [accessed 5 February 2025]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/2
- Title
- 'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME II.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:3r, 3r, 4r:70v, 72r:79r, 160v, 80r:102v, 104r:160r, 161r, 313v, 161v:281v, 283r:313v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence