Coll 28/97(1) ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries.’ [‎220v] (440/807)

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(ii) It is now stated that the Iranian Army will be expanded as under :—
New infantry divisions—
Gurgan : 10th division.
Gilan : 11th division.
Kermanshah : 12th division.
Isfahan : 13th division.
Kerman : 14th division.
Bujnurd : 15th division.
New cavalry divisions—
Kuchan : 2nd cavalry division.
Khoi : 3rd cavalry division.
(iii) Sixteen cadet officers of the senior officers’ class of the officers’ school
have been commissioned and posted to engineer units. This would normally not
have taken place until June.
(iv) Forty students of the Tehran Commercial College have been granted
commissions as reserve officers.
(v) A staff exercise will be held at Ardebil for the senior students of the Staff
College after the review on the 23rd February.
^ (vi) The new commander designate of the 8th (Mekran) Division is stated to
be Sartip Mahmud Khan Memana, who formerly commanded the Isfahan Garrison
and is now commanding the artillery of the 1st Division.
(vii) According to a consular report from Tabriz, about 3,000 men, both
cavalry and infantry, left Rezaieh for the Soviet frontier in the neighbourhood
of Maku.
(yiii) It is persistently rumoured that a meeting of the General Officers Com
manding the Rezaieh and Tabriz Divisions, with certain high Turkish Staff
Officers, took place on the 30th January somewhere on the Irano-Turkish frontier.
4. The Iranian Air Force.
(\) On the 7th February the “ Hurricane ” fighter machine returning from
a practice flight landed badly (on one wheel of under-carriage), resulting in the
wings being damaged and the air screw bent. The machine was hurriedly taken
to a hangar where the damaged parts were removed by two Rolls-Royce engineers
(Messrs. Wall and Maine) and despatched to the Doshantappeh Aircraft Factory An East India Company trading post. ,
where mechanics are making frantic efforts to get the machine airworthy in time
for the Imperial Military Review, which takes place on the 23rd February, 1940.
Iranian Air Force officers concerned are reported to be terrified lest the Shah
should hear of the accident.
It is stated that the air screw has been straightened and will shortly undergo
the necessary tests.
(ii) The Iranian Air Force authorities are still anxiously waiting news as to
whether British bombing and fighting aircraft will be released on purchase.
According to the British mechanics employed with the Iranian Air Force, fifteen
of the Hurricane type of aircraft have been released by the Air Ministry and
will be delivered in Iran by the end of May. Further, the two Rolls-Royce
engineers, whose contracts have already expired, have been asked by the Iranian
Government to remain on their own terms until after the machines have arrived
This they have agreed to do.
The Italian offer to supply certain types of aircraft is in abeyance. The
Italians are frankly puzzled, as they were under the impression that their deal
had practically been settled. They had no idea that the British would be still
in a position to supply aircraft to neutral countries.
5. The S.S. Aramestan.
S.S. Aramestan belonging to Messrs. Strick Lines and chartered by a Belgian
concern, was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Portugal. The caro-o, which
included 4,700 tons of steel rails and 2,000 tons of sugar, was consigned from
Belgium to Iran. Fhe first news of the sinking of this vessel was received at
His Majesty’s Legation from Iranian official sources. On the 11th February the
Iranian press published a D.N.B. (German news agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. ) telegram describing the
torpedoing of the armed British merchantman the s.s.' Aramestan, carrying war
material to Turkey. ’ J &