There are many more pages in the history of World War II that, unlike the Battle of Stalingrad or the Allied landings in Normandy, are little known to the general public. These include the joint Anglo-Soviet operation to occupy Iran, code-named Operation Sympathy
It was held from August 25 to September 17, 1941. Its purpose was to protect Iranian oil fields and fields from possible capture by German troops and their allies, as well as to protect the transport corridor (southern corridor), along which the allies carried out Lend-Lease supplies to the Soviet Union. In addition, Britain feared for its position in southern Iran, especially the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company oil fields, and was worried that Germany could penetrate India and other Asian countries in the sphere of British influence through Iran.
It must be said that this was one of the few successful operations of the Red Army against the backdrop of the dramatic events of the summer of 1941 on the Soviet-German front. Three combined-arms armies were involved in its conduct, (44th, under the command of Major General A. A. Khadeev, 47th, under the command of Major General V. V. - Lieutenant S. G. Trofimenko) significant forces of aviation and the Caspian flotilla.
It should be noted that it was this operation that became the first joint military action of the countries, which, due to the changed geopolitical conditions, moved from long-term confrontation to cooperation and became allies in the war with Germany. And the development and implementation by the Soviet and British sides of a joint operation to bring troops into Iran, the pursuit of a coordinated policy in the region, became the actual basis for the implementation of closer cooperation in the future, when units of the American army were also introduced to Iran.
The allies, whose interests did not coincide in everything, at that moment strove for one thing: to prevent, first, the threat, and a very real one, of a pro-German military coup in Iran and the breakthrough of the Wehrmacht forces there; secondly, it is guaranteed to ensure the transit of arms, ammunition, foodstuffs, medicines, strategic raw materials, fuel and other lend-lease cargoes necessary for the USSR for war and victory through Iranian territory, and, thirdly, to ensure that the neutrality initially declared by Iran gradually transformed into large-scale cooperation and transition to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.
I must say that the influence of Germany in Iran was enormous. With the transformation of the Weimar Republic into the Third Reich, relations with Iran have reached a qualitatively different level. Germany began to take part in the modernization of the Iranian economy and infrastructure, the reform of the Shah's army. Iranian students and officers were trained in Germany, whom the propaganda of Goebbels called as "sons of Zarathushtra". The Persians were declared pure-blooded Aryans and were exempted from the Nuremberg racial laws by special decree.
In the total trade turnover of Iran in 1940-1941, Germany accounted for 45.5 percent, the USSR - 11 percent and Britain - 4 percent. Germany has firmly established itself in Iran's economy, and has built relations with it in such a way that Iran has practically become a hostage of the Germans and subsidized their ever-increasing military spending.
The volume of German weapons imported into Iran grew rapidly. For eight months of 1941, more than 11,000 tons of weapons and ammunition were imported there, including thousands of machine guns, dozens of artillery pieces.
With the outbreak of World War II and Germany's attack on the USSR, despite Iran's formal declaration of neutrality, the activities of German intelligence services intensified in the country. With encouragement from a pro-German government led by Reza Shah, Iran became the main base for German agents in the Middle East. On the territory of the country, reconnaissance and sabotage groups were created, weapons depots were set up, including in the northern regions of Iran bordering the Soviet Union.
Trying to drag Iran into the war against the USSR, Germany offered Reza Shah weapons and financial assistance. And in return she demanded from her "ally" to transfer to her disposal the Iranian air bases, to the construction of which the German specialists were directly involved. In case of aggravation of relations with the ruling regime in Iran, a coup d'etat was being prepared. For this purpose, in early August 1941, Admiral Canaris, the chief of German intelligence, arrived in Tehran under the guise of a representative of a German company. By this time, under the leadership of Abwehr's employee Major Friesh, special combat detachments from the Germans living in Iran were formed in Tehran. Together with a group of Iranian officers involved in the conspiracy, they were to form the main strike group of the rebels. The performance was scheduled for August 22, 1941, and then postponed to August 28.
Naturally, neither the USSR nor Great Britain could ignore such a development of events.
The USSR three times - on June 26, July 19 and August 16, 1941, warned the Iranian leadership about the activation of German agents in the country and offered to expel from the country the territories of all German subjects (among them there were many hundreds of military specialists), since they are carrying out activities incompatible with Iranian neutrality … Tehran rejected this demand.
He refused the same demand to the British. Meanwhile, the Germans in Iran developed their activity, and the situation became more and more threatening for the anti-Hitler coalition every day.
On the morning of August 25, at 4:30 am, the Soviet ambassador and the British envoy jointly visited the Shah and handed him notes from their governments on the entry of Soviet and British troops into Iran.
Red Army units were sent to the northern provinces of Iran. In the southern and southwestern - British troops. Within three days, from August 29 to August 31, both groups reached the pre-planned line, where they united.
It must be said that the Soviet Union had every legal basis to react decisively to such a development of events near its southern border in accordance with Article VI of the Treaty between the USSR and Persia of February 26, 1921. It read:
“Both High Contracting Parties agree that if third countries try to carry out a conquest policy on the territory of Persia through armed intervention or turn the territory of Persia into a base for military action against Russia, if this threatens the borders of the Russian The Federal Socialist Republic or its allied powers, and if the Persian Government itself, after a warning from the Russian Soviet Government, is not itself in a position to ward off this danger, the Russian Soviet Government will have the right to send its troops into the territory of Persia in order to take the necessary military measures in the interests of self-defense. Upon elimination of this danger, the Russian Soviet Government undertakes to immediately withdraw its troops from the borders of Persia."
Soon after the start of the introduction of allied troops into Iran, a change in the cabinet of ministers of the Iranian government took place. Iran's new prime minister, Ali-Forugi, gave an order to end the resistance, and the next day this order was approved by the Iranian Majlis (parliament). On August 29, 1941, the Iranian army laid down its arms in front of the British, and on August 30, in front of the Red Army.
On September 18, 1941, Soviet troops entered Tehran. The ruler of Iran, Reza-Shah, a few hours earlier abdicated in favor of his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and, together with another son, a staunch supporter of Hitler, fled to the English zone of responsibility. The Shah was sent first to the island of Mauritius, and then to Johannesburg, where he died three years later.
After the abdication and departure of Reza Shah, his eldest son Mohammed Reza was enthroned. Officials from Germany and its allies, as well as most of their agents, were interned and exiled.
Photos of the Soviet-British invasion of Iran:
On January 29, 1942, the Treaty of Alliance was signed between the USSR, Great Britain and Iran. The allies pledged to "respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Iran." The USSR and Britain also pledged to "defend Iran by all means at their disposal against any aggression from Germany or any other power." For this task, the USSR and England received the right "to maintain on Iranian territory the land, sea and air forces in such quantity as they consider necessary." In addition, the allied states were granted an unlimited right to use, maintain, protect and, in case of military necessity, control over all means of communication throughout Iran, including railways, highways and dirt roads, rivers, airfields, ports, etc. Under this agreement, through Iran began to supply military-technical cargo of the allies from the ports of the Persian Gulf to the Soviet Union.
Iran, in turn, has undertaken obligations "to cooperate with the allied states by all means available to it and in all possible ways so that they can fulfill the above obligations."
The treaty established that the troops of the USSR and England must be withdrawn from Iran no later than six months after the cessation of hostilities between the allied states and Germany with her accomplices. (In 1946, the troops were completely withdrawn). The Allied Powers guaranteed Iran that they would not require its armed forces to participate in hostilities, and also pledged at peace conferences not to approve anything that would damage the territorial integrity, sovereignty or political independence of Iran. The presence of allied forces in Iran, the neutralization of German agents (*), the establishment of control over the main communications in the country significantly changed the military-political situation on the Soviet southern borders. The threat to the most important oil region - Baku, which provided about three-quarters of all oil produced in the USSR, was removed. In addition, the military presence of the allies had a deterrent effect on Turkey. And the Soviet command was able to remove part of the forces from the southern borders and use them on the Soviet-German front. All this testified to the effectiveness of cooperation between the great powers united in the struggle against fascist aggression.
