Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran: Difference between revisions

Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
	Part of Mediterranean, Middle East and African theatres of World War II
Date	August 25,1941-September 17, 1941
Location	Iran
Result	Allied victory
Territorial; changes	; Soviet occupation of Northern Iran; British occupation of Southern Iran;
Belligerents
United Kingdom; British India; Soviet Union	Iran
Commanders and leaders
Edward Quinan; Dmitri T. Kozlov	Reza Shah Pahlavi
Strength
3 armies; 2 divisions,; 3 brigades	9 divisions
Casualties and losses
; 22 KIA,; 50 WIA,; at least 1 tank destroyed; ; 40 KIA,; 3 planes lost	; ~800 KIA,; ~200 civilians killed,; 2 gunboats sunk,; 4 gunboats damaged,; 6 planes lost

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The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran was the invasion of Iran by British and Commonwealth forces and the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Countenance, from August 25, 1941 to September 17, 1941. The purpose of the invasion was to secure Iranian oil fields and ensure supply lines (see Persian Corridor) for the Soviets fighting against Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front.

Background

Following Germany's invasion of the USSR in June 1941, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union became allies. Although still a neutral nation, Reza Shah Pahlavi had brought Iran closer to Germany. This concerned the British who feared that the Abadan Oil Refinery, owned by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, might fall into German hands — the refinery produced eight million tons of oil in 1940 and was thus a crucial part of the Allied war effort. For the Soviets, Iran was a country of extreme strategic importance. The German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) was steadily advancing through the Soviet Union and the Persian Corridor was one of the few ways for the Allies to get desperately needed United States Lend-Lease supplies to the Soviets.

As increasing U-boat attacks, as well the ice conditions, made convoys to Arkhangelsk extremely dangerous, the Trans-Iranian Railway seemed a very attractive route to transport supplies up from the Persian Gulf. The two Allied nations applied pressure on Iran and the Shah but this led only to increased tensions and pro-German rallies in the capital of Tehran. Reza Shah refused the Allies' requests to expel German nationals residing in Iran, and denied the use of the railway to the Allies; this, along with the above strategic concerns, prompted Britain and the Soviet Union to launch an invasion of Iran on August 25, 1941.

File:Reza Shah Pahlavi.jpg

Reza Shah Pahlavi

Invasion

The invasion was rapid and conducted with ease. From the south the British Iraq Command (known as Iraqforce), renamed six days later to Persia and Iraq Command (Paiforce), under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Quinan, advanced. Paiforce was made up of the 8th and 10th Indian Infantry Divisions, 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade, 4th British Cavalry Brigade (later renamed 9th Armoured Brigade) and the 21st Indian Infantry Brigade. The Soviets came from the north with their 44th, 47th and 53rd Armies of the Transcaucasian Front under General Kozlov. Air force and naval units also participated in the battle. The Iranian Army mobilised nine infantry divisions. Reza Shah appealed to US President Franklin Roosevelt under the Atlantic Charter:

"…on the basis of the declarations which Your Excellency has made several times regarding the necessity of defending principles of international justice and the right of peoples to liberty. I beg Your Excellency to take efficacious and urgent humanitarian steps to put an end to these acts of aggression. This incident brings into war a neutral and pacific country which has had no other care than the safeguarding of tranquillity and the reform of the country." — a letter of August 25

However, this plea failed to prompt a response from the US President to prevent the invasion of Iran, as Roosevelt's response shows:

"Viewing the question in its entirety involves not only the vital questions to which Your Imperial Majesty refers, but other basic considerations arising from Hitler's ambition of world conquest. It is certain that movements of conquest by Germany will continue and will extend beyond Europe to Asia, Africa, and even to the Americas, unless they are stopped by military force. It is equally certain that those countries which desire to maintain their independence must engage in a great common effort if they are not to be engulfed one by one as has already happened to a large number of countries in Europe. In recognition of these truths, the Government and people of the United States of America, as is well known, are not only building up the defenses of this country with all possible speed, but they have also entered upon a very extensive program of material assistance to those countries which are actively engaged in resisting German ambition for world domination."

Roosevelt also reassured the Shah by noting "the statements to the Iranian Government by the British and Soviet Governments that they have no designs on the independence or territorial integrity of Iran". However, the Soviets would later back separatist states in the north, while the US and UK would later support the overthrow of the popular and democratically-elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh during the Abadan Crisis in 1953.

The campaign began on August 25 with a dawn attack by the British sloop HMS Shoreham on the harbour at Abadan. The Iranian sloop Palang was quickly sunk, and remaining ships were destroyed or captured. Resistance had not had time to prepare and the petroleum installations at Abadan were captured by two battalions from 8th Indian Division's 24th Indian Brigade making an amphibious crossing of the Shatt al-Arab from Basra.^[2] A small force was also landed at Bandar-e-Shahpur from the armed merchant cruiser HMAS Kanimbla to secure the port and petroleum terminal there. The Royal Air Force attacked airbases and communications. The 8th Indian Division (18th Brigade plus 25th Brigade under command from 10th Indian Division) advanced from Basra towards Qasr Shiekh (which was taken on August 25) and by August 28 had reached Ahvaz when the Shah ordered hostilities to cease.^[3] Further north, 8 battalions of British and Indian troops under Major-General William Slim advanced from Khanaqin (100 miles north east of Baghdad and 300 miles from Basra) into the Naft-i-Shah oilfield and on towards the Pai Tak Pass, leading towards Kermanshah and Hamadan. The Pai Tak position was taken on August 27 after the defenders had withdrawn in the night and the planned assault on Kermanshah on August 29 was aborted when the defenders called a truce to negotiate surrender terms.^[4]

The Soviets invaded from the north and advanced toward Maku, which had been softened up by bombing raids. There were also Soviet landings at Bandar-e Pahlavi, on the Caspian coast. In one incident, Soviet ships suffered from "friendly fire".

In naval actions, two Iranian warships were sunk and four crippled by the Royal Navy. Six Persian fighters were shot down. Approximately 800 Iranian soldiers, sailors, airmen were killed, including Admiral Bayandor. Approximately 200 civilians died in Russian bombing raids in Gilan. British and Indian casualties were 22 killed and 42 wounded.

Without any military allies able to come to its assistance, Iranian resistance was rapidly overwhelmed and neutralised by Soviet and British tanks and infantry. The British and Soviet forces met at Senna (100 miles west of Hamadan) and Kazvin (100 miles west of Tehran and 200 miles north east of Hamadan) on August 30 and 31 respectively. Iran was defeated, the oilfields taken and the valuable Trans-Iranian Railway was in Allied hands. Because of lack of transport the British decided not to establish any forces beyond Hamadan and Ahvaz. In the meantime, the new Persian Prime Minister, Fourughi, agreed that the German Minister and his staff should leave Tehran, the German, Italian, Hungarian and Romanian legations be closed and all remaining German nationals be handed over to the British and Soviet authorities. The failure to meet the last of these conditions led to British and Soviet troops entering Tehran on September 17, the day after Reza Shah had been arrested and sent into exile in South Africa, leaving his son Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi to replace him on the throne. The Soviet and British forces withdrew from Tehran on October 17, after the Germans had been dealt with^[5] although Iran was effectively divided between Britain and the Soviet Union for the duration of the war.

Aftermath

With this crucial supply route now open to the Soviet Union, the Persian Corridor would provide a massive flow of supplies (over 5 million tons of war materiel) to the Soviets primarily, but also the British in the Middle East. The new Shah signed a Treaty of Alliance with Britain and the Soviet Union in January 1942, under which Iran provided nonmilitary assistance to the Allied war effort. Article Five of this treaty, although not entirely trusted by the Iranian leader, committed the Allies to leaving Iran "not more than six months after the cessation of hostilities". In September 1943, Iran declared war on Germany, thus qualifying for membership in the United Nations. At the Tehran Conference in November of that year, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and General Secretary Joseph Stalin reaffirmed their commitment to Iran's independence and territorial integrity and displayed a willingness to extend economic assistance to Iran.

At the war's end Britain withdrew but Soviet troops stationed in northwestern Iran not only refused to withdraw but backed revolts that established short-lived, pro-Soviet separatist regimes in the northern provinces of Iran, Iranian Azerbaijan. The People's Republic of Azerbaijan and the Kurdish People's Republic were established in late 1945, and were both Soviet puppet states. Soviet troops did not withdraw from Iran proper until May, 1946 after receiving a promise of petroleum concessions. The Soviet republics in the north were soon overthrown and the oil concessions were revoked.^{[citation needed]}

The United States became involved in Iranian politics, in support of the British who desired to keep ownership and control of Iran's oil industry, considered to be vital to Britain. Iranians were unsatisfied with the lopsided arrangement with the British and the public overwhelmingly supported nationalization, which a government was elected to implement. This began a new chapter in Iranian-Western relations, during which Western powers would launch the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, overthrowing the democratically-elected government, and control Iranian policy until 1979. Eventually, the closeness with Western powers led to the political alienation of Iran's Islamic hardliners and theocrats. The Shah's increasingly oppressive responses to internal opposition made him increasingly unpopular, (late 1960s-1970s) and he was eventually deposed in 1979, during the Iranian Revolution.

Bibliography

Compton McKenzie (1951). Eastern Epic. Chatto & Windus, London.

References

^ ^a ^b Compton Mackenzie, Eastern Epic, p.136
^ Compton McKenzie, p.130
^ Compton MacKenzie, pp.132-133
^ Compton Mackenzie, pp130-136
^ Compton Mackenzie, pp136-139

External links

BBC WW2 People's War - Persia Invaded
Persia and Iraq Command
Strange Menagerie: the US in Iran 1941-1946
Pink Elephants on the road to Baghdad - personal account of the invasion by a British soldier
"No. 37703". The London Gazette (invalid |supp= (help)). 27 August 1946. {{cite magazine}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) General Sir H. Maitland Wilson's official despatch on the Persia and Iraq Command covering the period 21 August, 1942 to 17 February, 1943, after the invasion had been completed.
Persia in World War 2
History of the campaign (in Italian)

[CM136-1] Compton Mackenzie, Eastern Epic, p.136

[2] Compton McKenzie, p.130

[3] Compton MacKenzie, pp.132-133

[4] Compton Mackenzie, pp130-136

[5] Compton Mackenzie, pp136-139

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 == Aftermath ==
-With this crucial supply route now open to the Soviet Union the [[Persian Corridor]] was opened and would provide a massive flow of supplies (over 5 million tons of war [[materiel]]) to the Soviets primarily, but also the British in the Middle East. The new Shah signed a Treaty of Alliance with Britain and the Soviet Union in January 1942, under which Iran provided nonmilitary assistance to the Allied war effort. Article Five of this treaty, although not entirely trusted by the Iranian leader, committed the Allies to leaving Iran "not more than six months after the cessation of hostilities". In September 1943, Iran declared war on Germany, thus qualifying for membership in the [[Declaration by United Nations|United Nations]]. At the [[Tehran Conference]] in November of that year, President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]], and General Secretary [[Joseph Stalin]] reaffirmed their commitment to Iran's independence and territorial integrity and displayed a willingness to extend economic assistance to Iran.
+With this crucial supply route now open to the Soviet Union, the Persian Corridor would provide a massive flow of supplies (over 5 million tons of war [[materiel]]) to the Soviets primarily, but also the British in the Middle East. The new Shah signed a Treaty of Alliance with Britain and the Soviet Union in January 1942, under which Iran provided nonmilitary assistance to the Allied war effort. Article Five of this treaty, although not entirely trusted by the Iranian leader, committed the Allies to leaving Iran "not more than six months after the cessation of hostilities". In September 1943, Iran [[declared war]] on Germany, thus qualifying for membership in the [[Declaration by United Nations|United Nations]]. At the [[Tehran Conference]] in November of that year, [[US President]] [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], [[British Prime Minister]] [[Winston Churchill]], and General Secretary [[Joseph Stalin]] reaffirmed their commitment to Iran's independence and territorial integrity and displayed a willingness to extend economic assistance to Iran.
-At the war's end Britain withdrew but Soviet troops stationed in northwestern Iran not only refused to withdraw but backed revolts that established short-lived, pro-Soviet separatist regimes in the northern provinces of Iran [[Azerbaijan (Iran)|Iranian Azerbaijan]], the [[People's Republic of Azerbaijan]] and the [[Kurdish People's Republic]] in late 1945, both effective Soviet [[puppet state]]s. Soviet troops did not withdraw from Iran proper until May, 1946 after receiving a promise of oil concessions. The Soviet republics in the north were soon overthrown and the oil concessions were revoked.{{fact| date=February 2009}}
+At the war's end Britain withdrew but Soviet troops stationed in northwestern Iran not only refused to withdraw but backed revolts that established short-lived, pro-Soviet separatist regimes in the northern provinces of Iran, [[Azerbaijan (Iran)|Iranian Azerbaijan]]. The [[People's Republic of Azerbaijan]] and the [[Kurdish People's Republic]] were established in late 1945, and were both Soviet [[puppet state]]s. Soviet troops did not withdraw from Iran proper until May, 1946 after receiving a promise of [[petroleum]] concessions. The Soviet republics in the north were soon overthrown and the oil concessions were revoked.{{fact| date=February 2009}}
-The United States [[History_of_Iran#United_States_and_the_Shah|became involved in Iranian politics]], in support of the British who desire to keep ownership and control of Iran's oil industry, considered to be [[Abadan Crisis|vital to Britain]]. Iranians were unsatisfied with the lopsided arrangement with the British and the public overwhelmingly [[Anglo-Persian_Oil_Company#Iranian_unhappiness|supported nationalization]], which the government would implement. This began a new chapter in Irani-Western relations, during which Western powers would [[1953 Iranian coup d'état|overthrow Mossadegh]] (1953) and attempt to control Iranian policy. Under Western influence, Iran would implement democratic reforms, and receive a more favorable renegotiated arrangement for Iran's oil. But poverty continued in spite of the increased income, and the closeness with Western powers led to the political alienation of Iran's [[Islam]]ic hardliners and theocrats. The Shah's increasingly oppressive responses to internal opposition made him increasingly unpopular, (late 1960s-1970s) and he was eventually deposed in 1979, during what is called the [[Iranian Revolution]].
+The United States [[History_of_Iran#United_States_and_the_Shah|became involved in Iranian politics]], in support of the British who desired to keep ownership and control of Iran's oil industry, considered to be [[Abadan Crisis|vital to Britain]]. Iranians were unsatisfied with the lopsided arrangement with the British and the public overwhelmingly [[Anglo-Persian_Oil_Company#Iranian_unhappiness|supported nationalization]], which a government was elected to implement. This began a new chapter in Iranian-Western relations, during which Western powers would launch the [[1953 Iranian coup d'état]], overthrowing the democratically-elected government, and control Iranian policy until 1979. Eventually, the closeness with Western powers led to the political alienation of Iran's [[Islam]]ic hardliners and theocrats. The Shah's increasingly oppressive responses to internal opposition made him increasingly unpopular, (late 1960s-1970s) and he was eventually deposed in 1979, during the [[Iranian Revolution]].
 ==See also==