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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME III.' [205v] (415/534)
The record is made up of 1 volume (263 folios). It was created in 1925. 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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366 HISTORY OF THE WAR: MESOPOTAMIA
Although two or three Turkish divisions were said to be on
their way to reinforce their Sixth Army, there was considerable
uncertainty regarding them ; more especially as it was doubt
ful if the Turks yet appreciated how much the Revolution had
affected the fighting capacity of the Russian Caucasus Army
At the end of April General Raddatz’s force on the Diyala
seems to have been contained by about 2,300 cavalry and
infantry and twelve guns of the Turkish XIII Corps. But
on the 22nd/23rd April Generals Pavloff and Raddatz had a
conference at Baghdad with General Maude, when he promised
the Russians assistance in the form of two months’ supplies,
if they would advance and occupy the Kifri-Qara Tepe line!
It was considered doubtful, however, if they would or could do
this ; and on the 25th April the Chief of the Imperial General
Staff telegraphed to General Maude that, in view of probable
Russian inactivity, no British troops would be withdrawn from
Mesopotamia until the situation altered materially in our favour.
The operations during April 1917 are a good example of what
can be effected by a mobile force acting on interior lines against
enemy forces on exterior lines. The two Turkish army corps
had been driven so far apart that, being without good lateral
communications, they would have considerable difficulty in
combining their operations against our force on the Tigris;
and this, taken in conjunction with the losses they had recently
suffered, seemed to render it unlikely that they would attempt
a serious offensive for some time. Their XIII Corps had
twice during the month encountered defeat while attempting
to take the offensive and their XVIII Corps had been driven
out of its selected positions on four occasions. In addition to
having inflicted severe casualties on them in killed and wounded,
we had captured during April about 3,000 prisoners and 17 guns,
besides large quantities of munitions, stores and equipment.
During the last three weeks or so the heat had been very
great, the daily maximum averaging at least 110° Fahrenheit
in the shade ; there had been constant dust-storms ; and water
had generally been difficult to obtain. In these circumstances
the operations had imposed a severe strain upon officers and
men. But, as General Maude said in his despatch, “as
conditions became more trying the spirit of the troops seemed
to rise, and to the end of this period they maintained the same
high standard of discipline, gallantry in action and endurance,
which had been so noticeable throughout the army during the
operations which led up to the fall of Baghdad and sub
sequently."
About this item
- Content
The volume is the third 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 IV. The Capture and Consolidation of Baghdad', and consists of the following ten chapters:
- May to September, 1916
- September to 12th December, 1916
- The Battle of Kut al Amara, 1917
- The Battle of Kut al Amara, 1917 (continued)
- The Battle of Kut al Amara, 1917 (concluded)
- Pursuit: The British Reach Aziziya
- The Occupation of Baghdad
- Consolidation of the British Position at Baghdad: Operations from 12-31st March, 1917
- Operations Round Baghdad; 1st-18th April, 1917
- Operations to the North and North-Westward of Baghdad; 19th-30th April, 1917
The volume also includes fifteen maps, entitled:
- The Middle East
- Upper Mesopotamia
- Map 21 - Operations on the Tigris front, May to 12th December, 1916
- Map 22 - Operations on the Tigris: 13th December, 1916-25th February, 1917
- Map 23 - Operations against the Hai Salient and the Dahra Bend positions, and the passage of the Tigris: 11th January-24th February, 1917
- Map 24 - The British advance from Shumran to Bawi: 25th February-6th March, 1917
- Map 25 - Operations resulting in the capture of Baghdad on 11th March, 1917
- Map 26 - Area north of Baghdad
- Map 27 - The action at Mushahida: 14th March, 1917
- Map 28 - The first action of the Jabal Hamrin: 25th March, 1917
- Map 29 - The affair of Duqma: 29th March, 1917
- Map 30 - Operations about the Khalis Canal: 9th-15th April, 1917
- Map 31 - The passage of the Adhaim: 18th April, 1917
- Map 32 - The action of Istabulat: 21st and 22nd April, 1917
- Map 33 - The action of Adhaim: 30th April, 1917
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (263 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume contains a list of contents (folios 6-8), a list of maps and illustrations (folio 9), appendices (folios 208-232), an index (folios 233-253), and ten maps in a pocket attached to the inside back cover (folios 255-264).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 265; 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 file 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 III.' [205v] (415/534), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/3, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056012808.0x000010> [accessed 13 July 2026]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/3
- Title
- 'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME III.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:148v, 150r:158v, 160r:178v, 180r:184v, 186r:203v, 205r:254v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence