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Operations in Trans-Caspia 1918-1919
Why was the British army fighting in the wilds of Central Asia at the end of the First World War? This was the question I asked myself several years ago, when I first found mention of the "Transcaspian Episode". The answer was to lead me to one of the least known, yet most gameable, campaigns of WWI - the numbers of troops involved are small, but of great variety, and the terrain is simple to represent on the wargames table. The British Army intervened in Persia almost from the outset of the war, to prevent the loss of its oil supplies to pro-German factors in the Persian Government, and later, to the Turks. Following the collapse of the Russian Army after the October Revolution, the Turks increased pressure on the Caucasian front, heading towards Baku and the Caspian Sea. The British were already supporting "White" Russian elements against the Bolsheviks in North and South Russia, so further intervention along the Persian frontier was pretty inevitable following the establishment of Bolshevik rule in Trans-Caspia in early 1918. In June 1918 the British Military Mission to Turkestan was formed at Meshed under General Malleson, to liaise with White Russian forces in Trans-Caspia. On July 14th 1918 the White forces staged a coup, and over the following ten days the Bolsheviks were pushed out of Trans-Caspia and back across the River Oxus. A provisional Menshevik government was installed, and the Trans-Caspian Army formed. In response to the apparently successful coup, on the 19th July Malleson sent a small force of Indian cavalry and infantry to the Persian border. On the 24th July the Bolsheviks counterattacked and took the railway bridge over the Oxus at Charjui. The Trans-Caspian forces were routed and retreated all the way back to positions east of Bairam Ali. The Bolshevik forces launched a further assault on 10th August, pushing the Trans-Caspian forces back to Bairam Ali on the eastern edge of the Merv oasis. The Trans-Caspian government were now panicking and sending urgent requests to Malleson for assistance, so, on 11th August, he despatched the machine gun section 19th Punjabi Rifles to Bairam Ali to assist in its defence. The expected Bolshevik attack commenced early on the 13th August and despite sterling service by the two Punjabi machine gun teams, the Trans-Caspian forces were again defeated. Their retreat back to Merv was covered by the Punjabis. It was decided that Merv was not defendable, so on the 14th August, the retreat continued back to Dushak. On the 19th, the company of Punjabi infantry at Muhammadabad on the Persian border was sent to join the Trans-Caspian forces at Dushak. Following their arrival on the 20th, it was decided that the position there was also unsuitable for defence, so the combined Trans-Caspian and British forces moved back to Kakhka. On 26th August they were joined by the remaining two companies and headquarters of the 19th Punjabis. On the 28th August the Bolsheviks attacked Kakhka (MAP), a small village grouped around a railway station. It was surrounded by orchards, vineyards and melonbeds enclosed by high mud walls with narrow winding pathways between the enclosures. To the north of the village there were the remains of an old Turkman fort. The railway line went through the village from south-east to north-west. A mile to the east of the station the line was crossed by a stream at right angles to the line, which was carried by an iron girder bridge. To the east of the stream, and south of the railway line, there was a low ridge running north and south. The railway line curved around this ridge providing shelter for the trains. The ridge was overlooked by an extensive plateau to the north of the railway line. The Bolshevik positions were at Arman Sagad, nine miles to the east of Kakhka. On the evening of the 27th August reports were received indicating that the Bolsheviks were preparing to attack. The Trans-Caspian troops had been deployed expecting an attack from the right (south) flank, with the bulk of their troops on the ridge to the south and their guns behind the ridge. Their armoured train was on the track to the west of the ridge, but their troop trains were in Kakhka. The only troops north of the line were 200-400 Turkman cavalry in the old fort. Colonel Knollys of the 19th Punjabis saw immediately that the left flank was in fact the most exposed, and deployed his troops accordingly. One company of the 19th with the machine gun section was positioned north of the railway, on the western edge of Kakhka. The other two companies were held in reserve between the village and the stream. At 7.00am on the 28th the Bolshevik artillery opened fire from the plateau to the north, where it had been positioned overnight. At 7.30am their infantry attacked the old fort and drove out the Turkman cavalry with little difficulty. They continued their advance towards the village through the enclosed fields, but were slowed down by the fire from the Punjabi infantry and machine guns positioned north of the railway line, and the few Trans-Caspian troops left in Kakhka itself. As the Bolsheviks reached the edge of the village, one of the two companies of Punjabis held in reserve was committed and they charged the Bolsheviks at bayonet point. The Bolsheviks were completely taken by surprise, and, apparently horrified at this type of warfare, were driven out of Kakhka after considerable hard fighting through the fields and orchards. On the 29th August the position was reinforced by the arrival of one company 1/4th Hampshire Regiment, and on the 5th September a section (2 guns) 44th Battery Royal Field Artillery also reached Kakhka. As the events of the 28th had proved the worthlessness of the Trans-Caspian Troops and the incompetence of their commanders, the British commander, Colonel Knollys, took the initiative in re-organising the defence. Barbed wire defences were deployed, and the 19th Punjabis assumed responsibility for the vulnerable northern flank. Two further attacks were made by the Bolsheviks on the 11th and 18th September, however on both occasions the attacks were repulsed by the British troops, despite Bolshevik cavalry actually getting to the railway and destroying a section of it during the third attack. On the 25th September the position was reinforced by the arrival of two squadrons 28th Light Cavalry under Major Kreyer, and it was decided that the combined allied forces were now strong enough to take the offensive. On the night of 9th/10th October an enveloping attack was made on the enemy positions at Arman Sagad. All the infantry (except one company left to defend Kakhka) and artillery marched to the north of the railway, the armoured train advanced along the line in co-operation, and the 28th Light Cavalry marched through the foothills to the south of the railway. The attack was delayed by the Trans-Caspian infantry who were three hours late, and betrayed by the Turkmans who lit fires without thought of exposing their positions. In the end none of this mattered, as when Arman Sagad was reached, it was found that the Bolsheviks had already evacuated the village, retiring upon Dushak. The British forces were ready to pursue the Bolsheviks immediately, but the Trans-Caspian forces refused as they had not been fed, so the allies halted at Arman Sagad station overnight. That their advance had not gone unnoticed was confirmed on the morning of the 11th October when a Bolshevik aeroplane dropped bombs on the allied positions, whilst one of their armoured trains advanced down the track and also opened fire on them. Neither caused much damage. On the afternoon of the 11th, the allied forces moved out of Arman Sagad, stopping at a ruined village some three miles south of Dushak. They halted here during the 12th and 13th whilst the Trans-Caspian artillery tried to ambush the Bolshevik armoured train. As they had no success, it was decided to launch the attack on Dushak (MAP) at dawn on the 14th October. The plan of attack was very similar to that used at Arman Sagad, with the bulk of the allied forces advancing north of the railway, supported by the armoured train. The 28th Light Cavalry advanced through the hills to the south of the railway to outflank the Bolsheviks, and a force of Turkman cavalry made a wide swing north to the rear of the Bolshevik position with the intention of cutting the railway track and preventing their retreat. The company of 1/4th Hants was left at Arman Sagad as a reserve. The night march went well until the 19th Punjabis reached a small hamlet just north of Dushak, when two of their patrols clashed in the darkness, each mistaking the other for the enemy. The sound of their firing disrupted the march and alerted the enemy to their presence. Daylight broke before the march could be resumed, so the force deployed roughly a mile from Dushak, with the Trans-Caspian infantry on the right, the Punjabis in the centre, and Turkman infantry on the left. The 28th Light Cavalry had deployed approximately a mile south of Dushak, and were to make a dismounted attack from this direction. The terrain between the allies starting positions and Dushak was flat scrubland. The Bolshevik infantry were positioned in irrigation channels and amongst a fringe of trees on the outskirts of Dushak supported by at least thirty machine guns, according to the official British report, with their artillery deployed on the higher ground to the east. The Bolshevik armoured train was in a cutting to the west of Dushak, still facing Arman Sagad. The dismounted attack by the 28th Light Cavalry went well, and spotting his chance, Major Kreyer remounted his men and charged through the Bolsheviks on the south of the town, killing at least 25 of them and dispersing the rest. He cleared the area south of the railway and then deployed to the east to defend against any counter-attack from this direction. The infantry attack launched at 7.00am did not proceed as well, with the Trans-Caspian infantry going to ground as soon as the Bolshevik artillery and machine guns opened fire, and the Turkmans disappearing altogether! The attack was pressed home by the Punjabis, who despite incurring heavy casualties (all their British officers being killed or wounded), had fought their way into the town by 10.00am, capturing 16 machine guns and 6 artillery pieces. Unfortunately, at this point one of the Bolshevik munitions trains was hit by a shell and exploded, destroying the station and tracks. The Trans-Caspian and Turkman troops now regained their bravery, and finally arrived in the town to indulge in an orgy of massacre and looting. The few British officers left with the Punjabis were unable stop them and all semblance of order was lost. The Bolsheviks took advantage of this, and at about 11.30am launched counter-attacks from both west and east, the Turkmans having failed to cut the line to the east as they were supposed to have done. By this time the only cohesive forces left to defend Dushak were the Punjabis, the 28th Light Cavalry, and a company of about 80 ex-Tsarist regulars who remained with them. In view of the strength of the Bolshevik counter-attack it was decided to retire, and the allies fell back to Arman Sagad. What should have been a spectacular victory for the Trans-Caspian forces, became an equally spectacular defeat, due to their lack of discipline. Once again, but for the steadfast Anglo-Indian troops, the day would have been a complete disaster. As it was, it was not quite a total loss. The explosion at the station at Dushak had made the town untenable for trains, so the Bolsheviks pulled back to Tejend, and then to Merv. The Bolsheviks retreat was followed by the 28th Light Cavalry and a few Turkman horse, and at the end of October they made a move around Merv threatening the enemy's line of communications. So unnerved were the Bolsheviks by this, that they promptly evacuated Merv and retired upon Charjui. The allied forces occupied Merv on 1st November 1918. At this point the British Government decided that it wished to limit its involvement in Trans-Caspia and the British forces there were instructed not to advance beyond Merv. They therefore took up defensive positions at Bairam Ali, whilst the Trans-Caspian forces pursued the Bolsheviks north. On the 14th November at the station of Uch Aji, a gun on one of the Trans-Caspian armoured trains burst bringing down enemy artillery fire. This caused panic in the ranks and the Trans-Caspian forces retreated at the fastest possible speed to Annenkovo, 100 miles to the south and 30 miles from Bairam Ali. In light of the obviously desperate situation and in spite of his orders, Colonel Knollys sent two troops 28th Light Cavalry to the front to try and support the Trans-Caspian army. On the 17th November the expected Bolshevik attack was launched, but despite heavy casualties over a two day period, the Trans-Caspian army managed to stand its ground. Both sides now established their winter quarters, the Trans-Caspian forces at Annenkovo and the Bolsheviks at Ravnina, with advanced positions at some sand dunes midway between the two stations. On the 7th December the Trans-Caspian forces tried to evict the Bolsheviks from their positions at Ravnina. A frontal assault was made on the station and despite taking it for a while, they failed to hold it. Both sides returned to their original positions and saw out the new year in them. During the early part of January, one company 19th Punjabis was sent to reinforce the two troops 28th Light Cavalry already there. All was quiet until the 16th January 1919, when the Bolsheviks launched their second attack on Annenkovo (MAP). The morning was foggy, and the Trans-Caspian patrols had just returned to their positions at 8.30am when two explosions were heard to the rear. It was soon discovered that the track had been blown and the telegraph cut on both sides of Annenkovo station. By 10.00am all communications had been restored, and a second company of 19th Punjabis was entrained at Bairam Ali to reinforce the front. Visibility was still reduced by the fog. The Trans-Caspian positions were in a line of gentle sandhills to the north-west of, and parallel to, the railway, which curved northward. The two troops 28th Light Cavalry were deployed on the right flank, along the railway, together with the Turkman Horse. In the centre was the one company of Punjabi infantry, and on the left flank, the Trans-Caspian Infantry. At 12.30pm the Trans-Caspian infantry were ordered to advance and soon met with the Bolsheviks who were supported by artillery fire. Despite fighting well for a change, the Trans-Caspian infantry were pushed back. They were greatly outnumbered, and finally they broke and ran. At this point it looked as if the whole position was being outflanked, but fortunately the train arrived from Bairam Ali carrying the second company of Punjabis. They immediately detrained, formed line, and advanced through the fog into the Bolshevik right flank. The Bolsheviks broke and lost considerable casualties as they fled across the front of the original Punjabi company. Whilst this was happening, the right flank had also been under attack from some 1500 infantry and 450 cavalry supported by an armoured train and further artillery. This attack was held by the Indian and Turkman cavalry, supported by the Trans-Caspian armoured trains, until they could be reinforced by the victorious Punjabis, who drove the remaining Bolsheviks into the desert. Several sources report the Bolsheviks use of large numbers of Austro-Hungarian prisoners-of-war in their forces at Annenkovo, they are not reported as being any more effective than the rest of the Bolshevik infantry, indeed they may have been worse - they did not want to fight, just to get home. This was the last large scale assault by the Bolsheviks whilst the British troops still bolstered the Trans-Caspian forces, however mention must be made of the action on March 2nd when a patrol of 14 men of the 28th Light Cavalry charged twice through over 100 Bolshevik cavalry. At least 21 of the enemy were believed to have been killed for the loss of only 2 Indian cavalry taken prisoner. These two later escaped, and made their way back to the regiment at Meshed in Persia. The British Government decided on 21st January 1919 to withdraw all forces from Trans-Caspia, and the last troops actually left for Persia on the 5th April. After this it was only a matter of time before the Bolsheviks regained control of Trans-Caspia. Their conquest was completed by the autumn of 1919. The Forces Involved British & Indian Army Organisation Unit organisations in the Trans-Caspian area were standard for the period. Infantry Battalion: HQ Company - nominal strength 6 officers & 93 men (including machine gun section) Four rifle companies - nominal strength each 6 officers & 221 men. Each rifle company comprised four platoons, of four sections, one of which contained a 2 man Lewis gun team. Cavalry Regiment: HQ/Machine Gun Squadron - Nominal strength 8 officers & 67 men. 3 Squadrons - nominal strength 6 officers & 152 men. Indian cavalry were equipped with sabres, rifles, and lances. Artillery Battery: 6 gun batteries for field artillery. The standard field gun was the 18 pdr. Q.F.
Russian Army Organisation As I have been unable to find any definite information on the organisation of the Trans-Caspian or Bolshevik forces, I would suggest using the old Imperial Russian organisation as a basis for their forces, but one should be aware that their units would have been even more understrength than usual, and except for the artillery and a few ex-Tsarist soldiers, would seem to have had virtually no training. Infantry Battalion: Four rifle companies - nominal strength each approx. 4 officers & 240 men. Probably at least two machine guns per battalion. Cavalry Regiment: 6 Squadrons (Sotnia's) - nominal strength approx. 150 officers & men. Artillery Battery: 4 gun batteries.
Orders of Battle for the three main actions Allied Forces At Kakhka - 700 Russian/Armenian infantry, 400 Turkman cavalry, 2 x Krupp Model 1890 3" field guns, 2 x M.1902 3" Q.F. field guns and 1 x M.1902 3" Q.F. mounted on an armoured train. 3 companies + machine gun section 19th Punjabi Infantry. At Dushak - 1,150 Russian/Armenian infantry, 400 Turkman cavalry, 2 x Krupp Model 1890 3" field guns, 4 x M.1902 3" Q.F. field guns, and 1 x M.1902 3" Q.F. mounted on an armoured train. 3 companies + machine gun section 19th Punjabi Infantry, 1 company 1/4th Hants. Infantry, 1 section 44th R.F.A., 2 squadrons 28th Light Cavalry. At Annenkovo - 1,200 Russian/Armenian infantry, 700 Turkman cavalry, 4 x Krupp Model 1890 3" field guns, 4 x M.1902 3" Q.F. field guns, 2 x 6" M.1904 or M.1910 howitzers, and 2 x M.1902 3" Q.F.'s mounted on 2 armoured trains. 1 company + machine gun section 19th Punjabi Infantry, 2 Troops 28th Light Cavalry. A further company 19th Punjabis arrived late in the day from Bairam Ali.
Bolshevik Forces At Kakhka - approx. 2000 infantry, 8 x M.1910 4.5" Q.F. field guns and 2 x 4.5" naval guns on an armoured train. At Dushak - approx. 2000 infantry with a larger than usual number of machine guns, 400 cavalry, 8 x M.1910 4.5" Q.F. field guns, and 2 x 4.5" naval guns on an armoured train. At Annenkovo - approx. 4000 infantry, many of who were 'liberated' Austro-Hungarian prisoners-of-war, 600 cavalry, 8 x M.1910 4.5" Q.F. field guns, and 2 x 4.5" naval guns on an armoured train.
Wargaming actions of the Trans-Caspian campaign Figures usable for this campaign are available from a variety of sources in at least three scales. You will need Anglo-Indian troops in WWI Mesopotamian campaign dress or 1920's campaign dress; for the Russian forces a mix of WWI Russian regulars and/or Spanish Civil War militia types (avoiding berets) will suffice. For the Turkman cavalry use cossacks, or 19th century Turkman figures if you can find any. In 6mm you can get everything you need from Irregular Miniatures, although as the armoured trains used in this campaign are not the fully armoured beasts seen at the more important fronts, but merely field guns mounted on flat cars and protected by sheet steel or cotton bails, you would be best recommended to convert their standard train rather than use their armoured train model. In 15mm figures and artillery can be obtained from a variety of manufacturers, although an armoured train is difficult at present, and would have to be scratch built. If you want a fully armoured train Peter Pig will be issuing one soon as part of a Russian Civil War range. In 20mm troops are available from B&B Miniatures and Ravensthorpe Miniatures. Again the armoured train would have to be converted to be really accurate, but a fully armoured model is available from B&B. Although not specifically relevant to this campaign, mention must also be made of the wide range of WWI armoured cars available from Faust Studios, which are extremely suitable for other Russian Civil War games. Any rules written for the Russian Civil War or WWI could be used, but my personal preference is to use Principles of War. For the purposes of the battles outlined here count an infantry element as a company; a cavalry element as a Squadron; and an artillery element as two guns. Orders of battle for each of the three main battles detailed in this article are appended in PoW format. (Note that the unit names for the irregulars and Bolsheviks were made up by me for ease of reference). The rules for armoured trains given in the rules are acceptable, but I amend them as follows to give more of a period feel. Count each train as a number of sections, i.e. those for this campaign would have an engine section, two weapons sections (main gun and machine gun), and a troop carrying section. Each section should be given a base strength as per standard PoW units, and you should then throw to ascertain the final strength as if artillery. Each section should also be given an armour factor of 0-2. Armoured trains can only move along a railway track (obviously I hope!), at a speed of up to 10" per turn. If firing whilst moving shift the combat factor one column left per weapon firing. Each section of the train takes hits separately, but if one section routs, UNLESS IT IS THE ENGINE SECTION, it does not actually leave the table, it merely means that that particular section is now non-functioning. If it is the ENGINE SECTION that routs, then the whole train DOES leave the table. If any section of a train is destroyed, then the whole train can no longer move. Any section adjacent to that destroyed must throw for damage using half the factor used against the destroyed section, in a similar fashion to overshoots. It is also very easy to wargame the whole campaign. I would suggest using an area movement map, to represent the fact that the most important locations are the railway stations in a region where all transport and supply is by train, and where only a few places were suitable for defence. The fact that both sides seemed always to know where the other was means that hidden campaign movement is not necessary either. Principles of War include usable hidden movement systems for the tactical level.
Bibliography:- Ellis Colonel C.H. The Transcaspian Episode 1918-1919. London 1963. Haythornthwaite P.J. The World War One Source Book. London 1992. Jackson Major D. India's Army. London nd (c.1939). Khvostov M. & Karachtchouk A. The Russian Civil War (1) The Red Army. London 1996. Khvostov M. & Karachtchouk A. The Russian Civil War (2) The White Armies. London 1997. Moberley Brigadier-General F.J. Operations in Persia 1914-1919. London 1987. Teague-Jones R. The Spy Who Disappeared. London 1990. Tod Colonel J.K. Operations in Trans-Caspia, 1918-1919. Pallas Armata 1997. |
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