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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME II.' [269v] (547/660)
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. .
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/.
498 HISTORY OF THE WAR : MESOPOTAMIA
APPENDIX XVIII.
( 1 )
The Situation in Mesopotamia.
Note prepared by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff by direction of the
F 1 War Committee.
1 The following is the best estimate I can make of the present and
prospective strength and distribution of the opposing forces m Mesopotamia
Turks.
The following divisions are almost certainly all in Mesopotamia
2nd 26th, 45th, 51st, 52nd, and a combined division made up of the 35th
aAd 38th = six divisions.
Strength, all ranks, auxiliary services, etc. = 50,000 men.
T '?h““iT^rd, «th. and 23rd = 16,000 to 20,000
Thus^O 000 men are there almost certainly, and it is possible that an
additional 16,000 may be probably there now, while 12,000 more may be there
early in February. I therefore estimate the maximum force the enemy ''oukl
havlin and arLnd Baghdad by the 7th at 78^1 men. The
fiehtine strength of this force may probably not exceed 50,000 men, and a
considerable portion of these consist of partially trained troops.
This force might be increased early in March by three more divisions, or to
a maximum of 114,000 men, and towards the end of the month by two more
divi™ bringing the total up to 130,000 men (or 90,000 fighting men), if
the Turkish divisions which have begun to move east are all sent to T lesopo-
tamia and non^ are diverted towards Egypt or towards Erzerum to oppose
the victorious Russians. We ought shortly to obtam mformataon astothis.
At present it is only possible to say that it is highly probable that some
Turkish reinforcements are on the way to the Caucasus.
British Forces.
Invested at Kut al Amara .. • • • •
Now with General Aylmer,* after deducting
estimated casualties to date
Reinforcements and drafts now en route up
the Tigris .. • • • • • • • •
Reinforcements to be landed at Basra by
the second week in February
Now reported arriving at Basra ..
At posts and on lines of communication ..
Grand total
Rifles.
8.500
13,800
6.500
5,100
7,750
Sabres.
41,650
2,000
850
850
3,700
Guns.
34
46
28
18
20
146
In addition to the above, three infantry bngades (O.OOO nfles) wll lea e
India for Mesopotamia as soon as the relief unitsf amve
and Home. It is also hoped that further drafts, about 3,000 strong, will be
sent from England very shortly.
* Note by HistOfical Section.—The number of rifles and sabres here Riven is considerabh in excess
of the actual figures, for which see Appendix XIX. b ajkgd
fThese units are being sent to India m the course of the next few days, ana ina.a n
to expedite despatch from India of the three infantry brigades.
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.' [269v] (547/660), 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_100045738550.0x000094> [accessed 5 February 2025]
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- 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
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- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence