The operation, which will be discussed in this article, is poorly studied in Russian historiography. There are understandable objective reasons for this - the beginning of the Great Patriotic War was full of dramatic, bright pages. Therefore, the Iranian operation - a joint British-Soviet operation of the Second World War to occupy the territory of the Iranian state under the code name Operation Countenance, which ran from August 25 to September 17, 1941, remained among the "blank spots" this war. But we must also know this page of the national military art. It is especially important to know this in light of the fact that some publicists, like Yulia Latynina, are trying to create a myth about Moscow's attempt to annex the Azerbaijani part of Iran to the Azerbaijan SSR, the Soviet Union waging a "war of conquest" with the aim of occupying Iran. And this was during the difficult time of the retreat of the Red Army under the blows of the Wehrmacht, when the armies involved in the Transcaucasian Front were urgently needed in the European part of Russia.
Background
The main prerequisites that prompted the operation were the issues of global geopolitics and the strengthening of security:
- protection of oil fields of the Union (Baku) and England (Southern Iran and the regions of Iran bordering on Iraq);
- protection of the transport corridor of the allies, since a significant share of supplies under Lend-Lease subsequently went along the route Tabriz - Astara (Iran) - Astara (Azerbaijan) - Baku and further;
- the danger of the establishment of the forces of the Third Reich in Iran against the background of the emergence and rise of "Iranian (Persian)" National Socialism.
It should be noted that in addition to the factors of "black gold" and communications of strategic importance, although they were the main ones for the reaction of Moscow and London to the refusal of Shah Reza Pahlavi to deploy Soviet and British troops on the territory of Iran, there were other knots of contradictions, such as the Kurdish and Azerbaijani issues. … So, until the beginning of the 20th century, Persia was ruled not by Iranian (Persian) dynasties, but by the Azerbaijani Safavids (from 1502 to 1722), the Turkic Qajars (from 1795 to 1925). For many centuries, the Turks were the elite of Persia, so, starting from the 13th century, the Azerbaijani cities of Tabriz, Ardabil, Hamadan, Qazvin were the forge of the ruling dynasties, rulers, military, noble and scientific elite.
At the beginning of the 20th century, along with other areas of life, the Turkic element played a major role in the political life of the country - almost all political parties in Iran were represented or led by immigrants from the provinces of South Azerbaijan. Political activity, economic activity of Azerbaijanis, Armenians and Kurds (Azerbaijanis and Armenians were often the majority or half of the population of large cities) largely determined the life of Persia-Iran. As a result, we can say that the "titular nation" felt disadvantaged.
In 1925, as a result of a palace coup, Reza Pahlavi came to power in Persia and founded a new, "root" dynasty of Pahlavi. It was then that Persia was declared Iran ("the country of the Aryans"), and at an accelerated pace began to move along the path of Europeanization, "Parthianism" (the Parthians were a Persian-speaking people who created the Parthian state - in the period from about 250 BC to 220 AD) and Aryan imperialism. Before the National Socialists came to power in Germany, the Italian leader Benito Mussolini was an example for the Iranian elite. But the example of Germany became closer to Iran - the idea of "purity of the Aryans" came to the liking of youth organizations and officers.
Thus, despite the strong position of British capital, which played a key role in the Iranian economy, the geopolitical bias towards the Third Reich became stronger and stronger. In addition, since 1933 Berlin has been taking relations with Iran to a new qualitative level. The Reich begins to take an active part in the development of the economy, infrastructure of Iran, the reform of the armed forces of the monarchy. In the Third Reich, Iranian youth are being trained, the military, whom Goebbels' propaganda called "the sons of Zarathushtra." German ideologists declared the Persians "pure-blooded Aryans", and by special decree they were exempted from the Nuremberg racial laws. In December 1937, the leader of the Hitler Youth, Baldur von Schirach, was magnificently received in Iran. For the guest of honor, in the presence of the Iranian Minister of Education, solemn events were organized at the Amjadiye and Jalalio stadiums with the participation of Iranian boy scouts, students and schoolchildren. Iranian youth even marched with a Nazi salute. Then von Schirach visited the area of Manzarie, where the German was shown a training camp of Iranian boy scouts. And on the eve of the end of the visit, the head of the Hitler Youth was received by the Shahinshah of Iran Reza Pahlavi.
Iranian youth organizations were created in the country on the German model. In 1939, Boy Scout units became compulsory organizations in Iranian schools, and Crown Prince Mohammed Reza Pahlavi became their supreme "leader". By the outbreak of World War II, Boy Scout organizations had been transformed into paramilitary groups of Iranian youth, modeled on Hitler's Germany. The Germans perfectly understood the importance of the education system for the future of the country, so the Reich took an active part in the opening of new Iranian educational institutions. Even the Second Reich, before the First World War, opened a German college in Tehran, and missionary schools were established in Urmia and Khoy. In the mid-1930s, the Iranian education system came under the full control of German educators and instructors who came to the country at the invitation of the government. The Germans began to lead departments in most educational institutions in Iran, and managed the educational process in agricultural and veterinary institutes. In Iranian schools, the programs were based on Germanic models. Much attention was paid to the study of the German language - 5-6 hours a week were devoted to it. The children were indoctrinated with the ideas of the "superiority of the Aryan race", the "eternal friendship" of Iran and Germany.
On the initiative of the Iranian government in the second half of the 1930s, the Organization for the Orientation of Public Opinion was established. It included representatives of the Iranian Ministry of Education and Tehran University, public and cultural figures of the country, leaders of Boy Scout organizations. This organization has established close ties with German propagandists. Compulsory lectures were held for pupils, students, employees, where they promoted a positive image of the Third Reich. Iranian media also took part in this activity.
Germany accepted students from Iran, so almost all Iranian doctors received German education. Many students who received German education, after returning to their homeland, became German agents of influence. Germany was also the main supplier of medical equipment to the country.
As a result, by the beginning of World War II, the Third Reich had won a strong position in Iran, and in fact the country was turning into a German base in the region of the Near and Middle East.
By 1941, the situation with Iran and its "Aryan bias" for Moscow and London developed as follows: there was a real threat that the oil and transport infrastructure of Iran, built on British capital, would be used by the Third Reich against the USSR and Britain. So, only one refinery in Abadan in 1940 processed 8 million tons of oil. Aviation gasoline was produced in the entire region only in Baku and Abadan. In addition, if the German armed forces broke through from North Africa to Palestine, Syria or reached the Baku-Derbent-Astrakhan line in 1942, the entry of Turkey and Iran into the war on the side of Germany would be a settled issue. Interestingly, the Germans even developed an alternative plan, in case Reza Pahlavi became stubborn, Berlin was ready to create "Great Azerbaijan", uniting North and South Azerbaijan.
Preparation of the operation
After the Third Reich attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, Moscow and London became allies. Negotiations begin on the topic of joint actions in Iran to prevent the invasion of the Germans into this country. They were led by the British Ambassador Cripps at meetings with Molotov and Stalin. On July 8, 1941, the Directive of the NKVD of the USSR and the NKGB of the USSR No. 250/14190 "On measures to prevent the transfer of German intelligence agents from the territory of Iran" was issued; it was de facto a signal to prepare for the Iranian operation. The planning of the operation to seize Iranian territory was entrusted to Fyodor Tolbukhin, who at that time was the chief of staff of the Transcaucasian Military District (ZakVO).
Three armies were allocated for the operation. 44th under the command of A. Khadeev (two mountain rifle divisions, two mountain cavalry divisions, a tank regiment) and the 47th under the command of V. Novikov (two mountain rifle divisions, one rifle division, two cavalry divisions, two tank divisions and a number of other formations) from composition of the ZakVO. They were reinforced by the 53rd Combined Arms Army under the command of S. Trofimenko; it was formed in the Central Asian Military District (SAVO) in July 1941. The 53rd Army included a rifle corps, a cavalry corps and two mountain rifle divisions. In addition, the Caspian military flotilla (commander - Rear Admiral F. S. Sedelnikov) took part in the operation. At the same time, the 45th and 46th armies covered the border with Turkey. At the beginning of the war, the ZakVO was transformed into the Transcaucasian Front under the command of Lieutenant General Dmitry Kozlov.
The British formed an army group in Iraq under the command of Lieutenant General Sir Edward Quinan. In the Basra area, two infantry divisions and three brigades (infantry, tank and cavalry) were concentrated, part of the troops was preparing for an attack in the northern direction - in the Kirkuk and Khanagin areas. In addition, the British Navy took part in the operation, which occupied Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf.
Iran could oppose this power with only 9 divisions. In addition, the Iranian troops were much weaker than the Soviet and British formations in terms of technical armament and combat training.
Simultaneously with the military training, there was also diplomatic training. On August 16, 1941, Moscow handed over a note and demanded that the Iranian government immediately expel all German subjects from Iranian territory. A demand was made to deploy British-Soviet forces in Iran. Tehran refused.
On August 19, the Iranian government canceled the leave of servicemen, an additional mobilization of 30 thousand reservists was announced, the number of the army was increased to 200 thousand people.
On August 21, 1941, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of the USSR informs the British side of its readiness to start the Iranian operation on August 25. On August 23, 1941, Iran announced the beginning of the expulsion of Reich citizens from its territory. On August 25, 1941, Moscow sent a final note to Tehran, which said that given clauses 5 and 6 of the 1921 Treaty between Soviet Russia and Iran in force at that time (they provided for the introduction of Soviet troops in the event of a threat to the southern borders of Soviet Russia), For "self-defense purposes" the USSR has the right to send troops to Iran. On the same day, the entry of troops began. The Iranian Shah asked the United States for help, but Roosevelt refused, assuring the Shah that the USSR and Britain had no territorial claims to Iran.
Operation
On the morning of 25 August 1941, the British Navy gunboat Shoreham attacked the port of Abadan. The Iranian coast guard ship "Peleng" ("Tiger") was almost immediately drowned, and the rest of the small patrol ships departed with damage deep into the harbor or surrendered.
Two British battalions from the 8th Indian Infantry Division, under cover of aviation, crossed the Shatt al-Arab (a river in Iraq and Iran formed at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates). Having met no resistance, they occupied the oil refinery and key communication centers. In the southern Iranian port of Bander Shapur, a British Navy transport "Canimble" landed troops to control the oil terminal and the infrastructure of the port city. At the same time, the movement of British Indian units began in Baluchistan.
British forces were advancing from the coast northwest of Basra. By the end of August 25 they occupied Gasri Sheikh and Khurramshahr. At this time, Iranian troops were rolling back to the north and east, offering almost no resistance. The air was completely dominated by the British and Soviet air forces, the shah's aviation - 4 air regiments, were destroyed in the first days of the operation. The Soviet Air Force was mainly engaged in intelligence and propaganda (scattering leaflets).
The British also attacked in the north from the Kirkuk area. Eight British battalions under the leadership of Major General William Slim quickly marched along the Khanagin-Kermanshah road, by the end of the day on August 27, the British broke the enemy's resistance at the Paytak Pass and occupied the Nafti-Shah oil fields. The remnants of the Iranian troops defending this direction fled to Kermanshi.
On the border with the Soviet Union, the 47th Army, under the command of General V. Novikov, dealt the main blow. Soviet troops advanced in the direction of Julfa-Khoi, Julfa-Tabriz, bypassing the Daridiz gorge and Astara-Ardabil, intending to take control of the Tabriz branch of the Trans-Iranian railway, as well as the area between Nakhichevan and Khoi. It was a well-trained army, the personnel were adapted to local conditions and engaged in combat training in a similar terrain. The army was supported by the Caspian flotilla, since part of the troops moved along the sea.
Within 5 hours, units of the 76th Mountain Rifle Division entered Tabriz. They were followed by units of the 6th Panzer Division, advancing on a front 10 km across the Araks River, in the Karachug - Kyzyl - Vank area. The tank units were helped to force the river by the soldiers of the 6th pontoon-bridge battalion. The division's tanks, crossing the border, moved in two directions - to the border with Turkey and to Tabriz. The cavalry crossed the river along previously explored fords. In addition, troops were thrown into the rear to capture bridges, passes and other important objects.
At the same time, units of A. Khadeev's 44th Army were moving in the direction of Kherov-Kabakh-Akhmed-Abad-Dort-Evlyar-Tarkh-Miane. The main obstacle on their way was the Aja-Mir pass on the Talysh ridge.
By the end of August 27, 1941, the formations of the Transcaucasian Front fully completed all the assigned tasks. Soviet troops reached the Khoy - Tabriz - Ardabil line. The Iranians began to surrender without exception.
On August 27, the 53rd Army of Major General S. G. Trofimenko joined the operation. She started moving from the Central Asian direction. The 53rd Army was advancing in three groups. In the western direction, the 58th Rifle Corps of General M. F. Grigorovich, units of the 8th mountain rifle division of Colonel A. A. Luchinsky were moving in the center, and the 4th cavalry corps of General T. T. Shapkin was in charge of the east. Opposing the 53rd Army, two Iranian divisions retreated almost without a fight, occupying a defensive line in the highlands northeast of the Iranian capital.
On August 28, 1941, units of the British 10th Indian Division occupied Ahvaz. From this moment on, the tasks of the British can be considered solved. In the northern direction, Major General Slim was going to take Kermanshah by storm on August 29, but the garrison commander surrendered it without resistance. The remaining combat-ready Iranian troops were pulled to the capital, which they planned to defend to the end. At this time, British troops in two columns from Akhvaz and Kermanshah marched on Tehran, and the advanced units of the Red Army reached the Mehabad - Qazvin and Sari - Damgan - Sabzevar lines, took Mashhad. After that, there was no point in resisting.
Outcomes
- Under pressure from the British envoys, as well as the Iranian opposition, on August 29, Shah Reza Pahlavi announced the resignation of the government of Ali Mansur. A new Iranian government was created, headed by Ali Furuki, on the same day a truce was concluded with Britain, and on August 30 with the Soviet Union. On September 8, an agreement was signed that defined the zones of occupation between the two great powers. The Iranian government pledged to expel from the country all citizens of Germany and other countries of Berlin's allies, adhere to strict neutrality and not interfere with the military transit of the countries of the Anti-Hitler coalition.
On September 12, 1941, the British ambassador to the Cripps Union initiates a discussion between London and Moscow on the candidacy of the new head of Iran. The choice fell on the son of Shah Reza Pahlavi - Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. This figure suited everyone. On September 15, the allies brought troops into Tehran, and on September 16, Shah Reza was forced to sign an abdication in favor of his son.
- The military operation basically consisted in the rapid occupation of strategic points and objects. This confirms the level of losses: 64 killed and wounded Britons, about 50 dead and 1,000 wounded, sick Soviet soldiers, about 1,000 Iranians killed.
- The USSR was thinking about developing its success in the Iranian direction - two state formations were created in the Soviet zone of occupation - the Mehabad Republic (Kurdish) and South Azerbaijan. Soviet troops stood in Iran until May 1946 to fend off a possible attack from Turkey.
T-26 tanks and BA-10 armored vehicles in Iran. September 1941.
On the question of the "occupation" of Iran by the Soviet Union
Firstly, Moscow had the legal right to do this - there was an agreement with Persia in 1921. In addition, there was essentially no war of conquest; issues of geopolitics, protection of strategic zones and communications were being resolved. After the war, the troops were withdrawn, Iran became de facto independent, and in reality an Anglo-American puppet until 1979. Moscow did not have a plan to "Sovietize" Iran and annex it to the USSR.
Secondly, the entry of troops was coordinated with Britain and was carried out jointly with its armed forces. The British do not speak of a "conquest" war, they throw mud at only the Stalinist USSR.
Thirdly, Stalin was a man with a rare mind, which is why the USSR was forced to keep several armies in Iran and on the border with Turkey. There was a threat that the Union would be struck by an Anglo-French group in alliance with Turkey or Turkey in an alliance with the Third Reich. This threat has existed since the Soviet-Finnish war, when Paris and London were developing plans to attack the USSR. Including a strike on Baku.
