"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [و‎‎٨‎٥] (٥٦٦/١٧٤)

GERMANS AT KERMAN
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the Afghan border ; and that he had made all arrangements
to do so, including the severance of all telegraphic communi
cation, when he heard from Isfahan of the Russian advance
from Kazvin. He then decided to go to Kerman, which
Zugmayer by himself would be scarcely strong enough to
dominate. For the possession of Kerman was necessary for
German schemes against India, Baluchistan and Afghanistan ;
and Seiler hoped to be able to hold it till communication
with the west was reopened and till Goltz arrived in Persia
with the expected force. Seiler left Yezd on the 16th Decem
ber with his caravan of over two hundred animals and reached
Kerman on the 27th to find that the Democrats had risen,
had driven out the Allied consuls and had cut telegraphic
communication.
Beyond various reports received by Colonel Wikeley, in
dicating German intentions to attempt to pass into Afghan
istan, nothing of importance occurred in December in the
frontier districts of East Persia. At Meshed two cipher
messages to the German Minister at Tehran from the mission
at Kabul were obtained by the Allies, and were sent to
Petrograd where they were deciphered. From these it appeared
that the Germans at Kabul had gained little satisfaction from
their interview with the Amir on the 26th October and were
not hopeful of success unless at least one thousand Turks with
machine guns could reach there. They were, however,
prepared to proceed to the extreme measure of organising a
coup d’dtat if this proved necessary to achieve their object.
On becoming Premier, Farman Farma started at once to Central and
make attempts to reassert the authority of the Government. Persia
He dismissed the senior Swedish officers who had been assisting I 9 I 6 .
the Germans, redoubled his efforts to keep the great tribal
chieftains from espousing the German cause and impressed on
the Shah the advantages of an alliance with Russia and Great
Britain. Further, when General Baratoff visited Tehran on the
6 th January, the Persian Cabinet agreed to an arrangement by
which the strength of the Persian Cossack Brigade was to be
raised to 10,000 so as to replace the rebellious gendarmerie and
was to be officered, equipped and maintained by Russia for
the duration of the war.
German headquarters, both political and military, had by this
time been concentrated at Kermanshah. But the 3,000-4,000
Persian gendarmerie and levies under their control in that area