"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٢‎٠‎٣] (٥٦٦/٤١١)

356
OPERATIONS IN PERSIA
North-West On the 3rd August, taking advantage of the absence of 2,000
and North of ^ j e j us had g 0ne towards Bijar to take over a convoy
August 19 !^ of ammunition from us, the Turks captured Urmia; and the
whole of the Jelu population fled via Bijar to Hamadan for
safety and protection. This was most unfortunate, as the advent
of these 59,000 refugees so increased our supply and transport
difficulties as to stop for a time the movement of British
reinforcements towards the Caspian. The possession of Urmia,
moreover, by covering their right flank, facilitated an advance
by the Turks from Tabriz against our long and vulnerable line
of communication with Enzeli, at the very moment that we
were trying to prolong the defence of Baku by sending it
military assistance. Such a Turkish advance would be also
assisted by the active help which certain Persian extremists
were affording them at Tabriz and would be in no way hindered
by the useless and unreliable Persian Cossacks in the area. On
the other hand, some bodies of Armenians were still holding
out against the Turks in the Erivan and Julfa areas, there was
growing Turco-Bulgarian friction and the Turks had reason for
apprehension in Palestine. It was, therefore, doubtful if they
could carry out operations simultaneously against Baku and to
the southward of Tabriz, though it was reliably reported that
they had formed a new Ninth Army for this purpose and had
just overcome German opposition to their occupation of Baku
by an agreement to give the Germans control of the oil supply.
. In the third and fourth weeks of August, however, Turkish
troops did begin to advance southward from Tabriz, with the
result that we had to divert troops towards Mianeh to oppose
them and to withhold reinforcements which General Dunster-
ville required urgently to meet a Turkish attack on Baku.
The Malleson The detachment from Meshed, consisting of 25 sabres 28th
Mission and Light Cavalry and 175 rifles and two machine guns 19th Pun-
Caspia; 3 a his, reached Muhammadabad (near the Perso-Russian frontier)
August 1918. on the 2nd August. But the Turkestan Union movement ha
failed to materialise and it looked as if the Mensheviks, w °
controlled Trans-Caspia for the time, would hardly be able 0
continue for long to oppose the better armed and equippe
Bolsheviks. Foreseeing an appeal from the Trans- Caspia
leaders for assistance, General Malleson telegraphed to n
on the 1st August reviewing the advantages and disadvan ag *
* For details see “ The Campaign in Mesopotamia,” Vol. IV.