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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [164v] (333/454)
The record is made up of 1 volume (223 folios). It was created in 1923. 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
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302 HISTORY OF THE WAR: MESOPOTAMIA
and permit of its being held by a reduced garrison, sufficient
to watch the local tribes and the Euphrates valley. A Turkish
advance on Nasiriya by this valley was unlikely owing to the
physical difficulties and, if made while we were at Kut, w'ould
expose Baghdad to a British counter-stroke from there. In
short, General Nixon considered that our occupation of Kut
while depriving the enemy of two alternative lines of operation >
would enable us to concentrate our main forces on a single
line of advance.
He then went on to point out the political advantage of
interposing a military force between the Turks and the im
portant Bani Lam tribe, which inhabited a large portion of
the northern part of the Basra vilayet. Until the whole of
that tribe became amenable to our authority, it could not be
said that we were in secure occupation of the entire Basra vilayet
which, as a matter of fact, extended to within four miles of Rut
Another argument in favour of an early occupation of Kut
was that it would enable us to obtain from the Shatt al Hai
district large quantities of cereals which would otherwise be
taken by the Turks.
The disadvantage of an advance to Kut was, according to
General Nixon, that it would extend our line of communication
by 153 miles, necessitating more troops to guard our com
munications and rendering supply, etc., a more lengthy opera
tion. Against this, General Nixon put the possible reduction
of the Nasiriya garrison and the comparatively easy navigation
of the Tigris between Amara and Kut.
In order to occupy Kut it would be necessary to defeat the
Turkish force covering that place, under the command of
Nur-ud-Din, the recently appointed commander of the Turkish
forces in Mesopotamia. It was estimated (this was on the
24th June) that Nur-ud-Din's force might total 8,500 infantry
with 23 guns, exclusive of Arab tribesmen. But many of the
troops were of doubtful quality and had already suffered severe
defeat, and the Turks had no fresh forces in Mesopotamia to
bong into the field.
Ten battalions of the British 6th Division and at least thirty
guns could be made available for operations above Amara, as
soon as the Nasiriya operations had been concluded, and
^i xon estimated that such a strength should be
sufficient to defeat Nur-ud-Din’s force.
Finally, General Nixon said :—
As regards the maintenance of a division or more at
Kut, this force can be maintained in all conditions of
About this item
- Content
The volume is the first 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 divided into two parts. The first part, entitled, 'Part I. Before the Outbreak of Hostilities', consists of the following five chapters:
- General Description of the Country
- The Turks in Mesopotamia
- British Pre-War Policy
- The Army in India and Pre-War Military Policy
- Inception of the Operations
The second part, entitled, 'Part II. The Campaign in Lower Mesopotamia', consists of the following seven chapters:
- The Landing in Mesopotamia of Force "D" and the Operations Leading to the Occupation of Basra
- The Occupation of Basra and the Capture of Qurna
- Commencement of the Turkish Counter-Offensive
- Development and Defeat of the Turkish Counter-Offensive
- Operations in Arabistan and the Capture of Amara
- Operations on the Euphrates and the Occupation of Nasiriya
- The battle of Kut and Occupation of Aziziya
The volume also includes nine maps, entitled:
- The Middle East
- Lower Mesopotamia
- Map 1 - To illustrate operations described in Chapter VI
- Map 2 - To illustrate fighting near Qurna
- Map 3 - To illustrate fighting round Shaiba
- Map 4 - To illustrate operations in Persian Arabistan
- Map 5 - To illustrate operations in the Akaika Channel 27th June to 5th July 1915
- Map 6 - To illustrate operations near Nasiriya 6th to 24th July 1915
- Map 7 - To illustrate the Battle of Kut 28th September 1915
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (223 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume contains a page of errata (folio 5), a list of contents (folios 6-8), a list of maps and illustrations (folio 9), appendices (folios 185v-192), an index (folios 192v-214v), and eight maps in a pocket attached to the inside back cover (folios 217-224).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 225; 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.
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- 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 I.' [164v] (333/454), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048172214.0x000086> [accessed 19 April 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/1
- Title
- 'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:3r, 4r:216v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence