WWI: Form Start to Finish

WWI was one of the bloodiest, and most wide fought wars, ever seen to man. It took place in almost every country in the world, and it was definelty felt everywhere. It killed thousands, rapidly increased weapon out put and advancment, and tore apart the world we once knew. It was a war that will not soon be forgoten.
Although every front and battlefeild of this war was as vitally important as the next, on front stands out on its own. It was a front that had over 20 different battles and campaigns, and crumbled a once great empire to the ground. Yes, the Mesopotamian front was one of the bloodiest fronts of them all, and it was fought where US troops are staioned today; in the Iraq/ Iran area. It was fought between the British army, and the Turkish empire. It lasted untill 1918, when the war wa sdeclared over. It was a classic stuggle of tu-of-war, as the British became unstopable, the Turks counter-strike, and the eventual tacical victories of the British. It is the untold tale, of many heros.

The Mesopotamian Front: An Overview

The Mesopotamian Front was a historic battle ground that still is a proud part of history; but where is this front? The Mesopotamian Front (as metnioned before) was fought in modern day Iraq and Iran. In 1914, this area was controlled by The Ottoman Empire (aka. The Turks), and was extremly valuble, due to its vast amount of oil. The British government decided to protect the little British owned land in the area by sending a full batallion of troops, as it was very likely that Turkey would become part of this ever growing conflict.
Along with the British bataliion, a large number of Indian forces where added to the show, and all "allied" forces were under the command of Sir Arthur Barnett. However, Barnett was reciving two sets of instructions. One was coming from London, who were saying to play defnse, and hold poistion. The other was coming from the Indian government, who were saying to pre-pare an offensive; just to be safe. It wasn't long before Turkey entered the war, and Barnett was ready to strike. The first fighting broke out on November 5, 1914.

The Battles

The Mesopotamian Front saw some fierce fighting, and more then its fair share of death. The Ottoman Empire would not be easily toppled, and they fought tooth and nail for their land. Both sides (British and Turkish) had their equal shares of offense and defensive movements. The following posts outline the timeline of the war, weapons, its battles, and its commanders, (who often switch, so pay attention).

(The Mesopotamian Front as of 1914.)

The First Fights

The first fighting occurred on November 5, 1914. The Capture of Basra was the first battle of the Mesopotamian Front, and it showed that the British were ready to go. When Turkey finally did enter the war, they threw their power to the German side, officially making them "the enemy". Sir Arthur Barrett (British Chief-and -Commander) saw his chance and took it at once. Leaving the Turks no time to act, Barrett quickly moved his forces up the coastline, capturing several little outposts along the way. He effectively pushed the Turks into the nearby city of Basra. The Turkish Commander (Sunhi Bey) attempted to gather nearby forces, but was unable to do so quickly. On November 19, after making a steady advance up the coast, the full force of the British was unleashed. Faced with bad weather conditions, and extreme heat, the British continued their barrage of Basra until November 21, when the remaining Turkish forces fled the city. This battle was not one between man and man, but rather a show of the British power. The artillery strikes on the city lasted only a few days, and the Mesopotamian Front was officially a battle ground.

The Fighting Continues

After the fantastic victory over Basra, the British were convinced that they would be unstopable. On December 3, 1914, the British launched their next operation, an attack on the city of Qurna. However, the Turks held a river called the Tigris, which ws a border to the city. The British attempted several times to cross the river, but failed each time. They were forced to wiat until re0enforcments came, and they were able to flank the enemy. After that, the city surrendered imdeiatley, without a fight, and over 1000 prisoners were taken. Sir Arthur Barrnett was not done yet though. Seeing the power and potentila he had before him, Barrnett attempted a strike futher upland. However, he was forced to draw back slightly as Subhi Bey and his Turkish force attempted to re-take Basra. Barrett once again showed off his tacticale sunning by holding them a bay while his calvary circled around to crush his enemy. After a sound victory, Barrett increased his battle record by bomb-barding the city of Shabia. The Turks were forced to pull out, and the British continued their march, with little casulities. It seemed that they would be unstopable, that was untill Barrett as replaced by a man named Sir John Nixion.

A change in the winds

Though the British had been extremely successful this far, it had been in large thanks to their leader and tactical genius, Sir Arthur Barrett. Sadly however, Barrett was replaced by Sir John Nixon. Nixon was an incompetent man, who foolishly allowed the Turkish army to advance into British land, while his "offense" failed miserably. However, Nixon's only saving grace was his right hand man, Sir Charles Townshend. Townshed was a fresh general, who was ready to fight, and ready to move. He was put to work immediately when Nixon ordered the city of Amara to be taken. Having what seemed to be an endless amount of ships at his command, Townshend quickly moved up the coast, reducing the resistance to rubble. He found his way to Amara on April 11, 1915. Realizing that the city was heavily fortified, Townshend only then realized that the ground forces he had so foolishly left behind were his only hope. In an amazing military act, Townshend bluffed his way to a formal surrender by the troops in the city. This act not only gave Britain an huge moral boost, but gave Nixon the courage he needed to form his new plan.

The Beganing of the End

After his victory in Amara, Nixion decided to push foward, sending his troops futher into the Ottoman Empire. He quickly cleaned up with victories in Nasiriyeh (June 27, 1915), and Kut-Al-Amara (September 18, 1915); but the British luck stroke finally ran dry on the battle of Ctesiphon (November 2, 1915). With great pride in his work, Nixion ordered the attack upon the Turkish outpost in the ruins of Ctesiphon. Townshend, who was appointed leader, asked to wait for re-enforcments, but Nixion was to blind with pride to wait. His pride would soon lead to a devestating defeat. Upon approaching Ctesiphon, Townshend met heavy resistance as the new Turkish leader (Nur-Un-Din) and his forces created a trench defense outside of Baghdad. Unable to call for re-enfocments, and with the immense amount of Turks near the area, Townshend was forced to fight incredible odds. With no extra troops, Townshend was forced to play defense, as he was forced back to the captured city of Kut. With this outstanding victory, the Turkish troops where ready to push foward, and re-take their land.

The loss of a great hero

As Townshend was unable to defeat the Turks earlier, he was forced to draw back to the British taken city of Kut-Al-Amara. Knowing he could run no where else, Townshend mad eready to defedn the town. The Turks, aided by the new arrival of Baron Von der Goltz and his German unit, the Turks pushed towards the city. They launched sevral attacks (December 7, 1915) against the city, all however failed. Seeing no use in wasting forces, the Turks simply surronded the city, and waited out Townshend and his forces. While trapped, Nixion attempted several releif efforts, which all failed miserably. In result, Townshend was forced to surrender on April 16, 1916. This battle has been proclaimed the single most "embarissing moment" during Britain's in WWI.

Sir Fredrick Maude, and the Russians

Having been formerly disgraced, both Britain and India made radical changes to the commanding force in Mesopotamia. Sir Fredrick Maude was appointed commander, and Britain would never regret that move. However, before Maude came to power, there was an odd event that occurred. A Russian unit, under the command of General Baratov, found their way onto the Mesopotamian front. Surprised but relived, the still in command Nixion asked for aid in helping out Townshend. The Russians agreed, and attempted to help Townshend with the battle of Khanagin in June of 1916. However, they proved just as useless as the other attempts, and were ultimately crushed. They quickly pulled out, and no more Russians would interfere in the Mesopotamian Front.

A Fresh Start

With the humiliating defeat at Kut-Al-Amara, the British were more then ready to make some changes. Enter scene, commander Maude. With the failure of Nixion, Maude had some serious catching up to do. He didn't have the tactical genius of Barrett to back him up, or the stunning movements of Townshend to help, but he did have the support of his military, and smarts to go with ambition. To make his name known, Maude decided to make an example out of Kut-Al-Amara. On December 13, 1916, Maude ordered the advance of over 5,000 troops to march on the river and the city. Quickly taking the river, the company then proceed to split, and attack the city on both sides. The Turks were quickly taken over, and forced to retreat. This would mark the real "end" of the war, as Maude would effectively take Baghdad, Jebel Hamlin, all the way up to the Turks final stand at Sharqat on October 29, 1918.

The End (Mostly)

The Mesopotamian Front was one that wont soon be forgotten. It was filled with heroic efforts, tremendous downfalls, and uprising victories. With the help of people like Sir Arthur Barrett and Sir Fredrick Maude, the British and Indian forces were able to destroy the old Ottoman empire, and ultimently free its nations. Without this victory, there's no telling what the final outcome of the war might have been.
If anything in this blog was unclear, please feel free to visit these sites that were great help to me.
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/mf.htm

Bibliography

"The Mesopotmaina Front." First World War. Com. 02 Apr. 06. 21 Feb. 2007 http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/mf.htm.