'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎47r] (98/610)

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conception of a Pan-Islamic policy of a great Muhammadan
State embracing Caucasus and Transcaspia.
The anti-ally Cabinet of Mustaufi-ul-Mamalik, which came
into office on 17th January 1918, was intriguing with them,
and had they seized their opportunity in January or February
they could possibly have occupied Tehran. They waited
however, for the advent of spring and in March, when it was
reported that they were contemplating an advance, Bicherakott s
Cossacks arrived at Kazvin from Hamadan in time to check
mate the scheme. The Jangalis were consequently prevented
from making a forward movement beyond the Caspian provinces,
and entrenched themselves at Manjil bridge. By June rem
forcements for General Dunsterville were on theii way 10 ^'
Baghdad and Bicherakoff with about 1,000 Cossacks with
artillery, cavalry and infantry, assisted by 1 squadron of the
14th Hussars, 2 armoured cars, and 2 aeroplanes, was able to
advance from Kazvin. On the 11th June he reache a a
Bala, 8 miles from Manjil, and on the 12th ensued the „ a e
of Manjil bridge.” The Jangalis under the command oi Von
Paschen, a German, occupied entrenched positions on botn
sides of the bridge with machine guns, but no artillery. In
their previous encounters, with the Russians, they had prove
elusive and formidable at guerilla warfare m their own
Jangal country, but despite the training of their German and
Austrian instructors and the natural strength of their posi
tions they were useless for a stand up fight m e open,
and turned and ran leaving Bicherakofi s column o ci oss
the bridge and traverse the Safid Rud gorges o u ar
without opposition. From Rudbar he went on down the
road to Enzali leaving posts at Rudbar, Rustama a ant
Rasht which were soon relieved by British detachmen s un er
Lieut.-Colonel Matthews of the 1/4 Hampshire Regiment,
who commanded a small mobile column of 800 rifles ant
mountain artillery guns to keep open 50 miles of road hroug
the forest between Manjil and Rasht. After their de ac e a~
Manjil the Jangalis kept up intermittent sniping and ambus mg
of convoys until 20th July when they made a determined a racK
on the British in Rasht/ The defending force concentrated on
its Southern outskirts, where they beat off their assailants.
Disheartened by this resistance the Jangalis gave up the attack
and after two days of street fighting were cleared out of the town,
which was entirely under British control by the end of Juiy.
In August the 39th Brigade was concentrating at Enzali en
route for Baku and on obtaining proof of the complicity of the
Bolshevik Committee at Enzali with the Jangahs, General