"تاريخ الحرب الكبرى استنادًا إلى وثائق رسمية: العمليات في بلاد فارس ١٩١٤-١٩١٩" [و‎‎٢‎٠‎٨] (٥٦٦/٤٢٠)

NORTH PERSIA
365
three or four ships with British personnel (using Russians for
the engine-room) and, as fuel oil in sufficient quantities was
available at Enzeli and Krasnovodsk, he would be able to carry
out his orders in the Caspian provided Enzeli was held. General
Dunsterville also reported that there was no reason to fear the,
Caspian fleet, which he had hopes of inducing to join us.
General Marshall at once cancelled his orders for the evacuation
of Enzeli and his action was confirmed by an order from the
War Office, emphasising the importance of British control of the
Caspian and saying that Enzeli was only to be evacuated in the
direst military necessity. The General Staff at the War Office,
it may be noted, did not consider that the enemy threat from
Tabriz was as serious as it might seem to be, as the Turks were
faced with great supply and transport difficulties at Tabriz and
their railway was only working intermittently owing to the
shortage of fuel oil. Consequently they could not, it was
considered, send reinforcements to Tabriz—where they only
had one division about 4,000 strong—before the end of the
month.
During the next few days Commodore Norris reported tha t,
as the fall of Baku had removed the Centro-Caspian Govern
ment, i.e., the main obstruction to his progress, the number of
ships he could arm was limited only by the material, labour,
personnel and time available. In the meantime Major-General
W. M. Thomson had taken over command of all the British
troops in North Persia,* General Dunsterville having been
recalled on the break-up of his mission, whose officers and
personnel were to be mainly employed with the Urmia Brigade
of the Jelu refugees which General Marshall was organising.
Soon after the capture of Baku reliable information was
received that Enver Pasha had ordered Nuri Pasha to detach
one portion of the Turkish force at Baku to secure the country
as far north as the Terek river and another portion to clear the
south-western shores of the Caspian and occupy Enzeli. It was
clearly the Turkish intention to consolidate the new State of
Azerbaijan, which was to include the province of Tabriz and
section ISO, m l* he ?° rt o PerSla Force com P r ised the 14th Hussars, one
Batterv 1 on / 1 ?™ 6 £ Un , Squadron, 13th Brigade R.F.A., 21st Mountain
H MoA section 72nd Field Company, R.E., 36th Infantry Brigade
BriKade H ( 9 th PS R lre ', 3 w h ^ h ?’. 1 / 2nd and 1 l 6th Gurkhas), 39th Infantry
7thNorth so ®° y , a L Warwickshire, 7th Gloucestershire, 9th Worcestershire,
and Dunsterfo^ce^rmoure^i^r Brigade Ure< ^ Batt6ry ^ ^ SeCti ° n)
force k° 1 ( i in g the road from Hamadan (inclusive) to Enzeli, the
Sehneh lines d detachmeilts in Trans-Caspia and on the Zenjan, Bijar and
(27782)
2 B 2