THE FIRST EXPEDITION TO BAKU
Kuchik Khan bars the road--Turk and Russian movements--Kuchik Khan's
force broken up--Bicherakoff reaches Baku--British armoured car crews
in Russian uniforms--Fighting around Baku--Baku abandoned--Captain
Crossing charges six-inch guns.
In a previous chapter I pointed out that Kuchik Khan was in military
possession of the Manjil-Resht road, and that the Russians under
Bicherakoff were concentrating at Kasvin preparatory to trying
conclusions with this amiable bandit--the cat's-paw of Turkish-German
intrigue--who was barring Bicherakoff's route to the Caspian and to
Russia.
At the end of May, in order to bring about a more effectual
co-operation between his own force and that of the Russian commander,
General Dunsterville transferred his headquarters from Hamadan to
Kasvin.
The original purpose of the Dunsterville Mission, it will be
recollected, was to fight Bolshevism by the organizing of Armenians
and Georgians and, if possible, Tartars, in the Southern Caucasus.
This had now become difficult of realization, owing to {204} the
series of bewildering and kaleidoscopic changes in Transcaucasia
which had profoundly affected the entire political and military
situation. For example, the virus of Bolshevism had infected the
Russian troops in Baku; the Germans had landed at Batum and, by
making peace with the Georgians, were placed in possession of Tiflis.
The Turks had arranged a peace pact with the Armenians which left
their armies free to invade north-west Persia, prosecute a vigorous
campaign against the Nestorians of Urumia, and, finally, overrun the
Caucasus as a preliminary to co-operating with the Germans in their
contemplated advance on Baku. Now the Bolshevik leaders in Baku
refused to recognize the right of either of the rival belligerent
groups--the Central Powers or the Entente--to spoil the flavour of
their military hotch-potch in any way. It suited the blasé Russian
palate, and that should be sufficient. The Bolsheviks, at all
events, were consistent to the extent that, while they opposed the
advance of the Germans and Turks towards Baku, they more than once
resolutely refused to accept the proposed aid of British troops to
help them in overcoming the forces of the Central Powers.
[Illustration: DRILLING ARMENIANS AT BAKU.]
Negotiations with Kuchik Khan had ended abortively. The leader of
the Jungalis was quite prepared to permit Russian troops to withdraw
from Persia if they wished, and to pass through his "occupied
territory" to their port of embarkation on the Caspian. But British,
"No!" They had no business {205} in Persia at all, he argued, and if
they were desirous of going to Russia, they would have to find some
other road.
The haughty tone of this communication angered the Russian General,
and he sent Kuchik Khan an ultimatum, calling upon him to evacuate
the Manjil position with all his followers, or be prepared to take
the consequences. As Kuchik ignored this, a combined Russian-British
force was sent against him on June 12th. Two of the British armoured
cars which the year previously had formed part of the Locker-Lampson
unit in Russia proper, were present at the attack. After a brief
bombardment, a white flag was hoisted on the Manjil bridge position,
and two German officers issued from the trenches to parley. They
offered, on behalf of Kuchik Khan, to come to terms with the Russians
and allow them to pass, provided a similar concession was not
demanded by the British. Bicherakoff's reply was to dismiss the
impudent _parliamentaires_, and to intimate that Kuchik Khan and his
whole force could have fifteen minutes in which to lay down their
arms and surrender. Nothing happened, so at the end of the
stipulated period the advance was ordered, and the Russians and
British stormed the enemy trenches and speedily disposed of the
Jungalis holding them. Kuchik and a portion of his army, with his
two German military advisers, escaped for the time; but, after
another drubbing had been administered to him, the crestfallen
Jungali leader was glad to make {206} peace, dismiss his German staff
officers and drill instructors and release McLaren and Oakshott, two
Englishmen, who had spent months in captivity.
The road to Resht and Enzeli was open at last, and Bicherakoff moved
to the Caspian without delay and set about embarking his command for
Baku. As a leader, Bicherakoff was popular amongst his men; and in
the Caucasus he enjoyed deserved prestige as a soldier. He was
pro-Russian--that is to say, anti-Bolshevik; and it was felt that his
own personal influence, no less than the presence of his troops at
Baku, would serve as a powerful antidote to Bolshevik activity in
Southern Caucasia.
Bicherakoff's contingent embarked at Enzeli on July 3rd. A British
armoured car battery accompanied the Russians, and, in order not to
ruffle unduly the susceptibilities of the Bolsheviks, British
officers and men wore Russian uniforms. But these they discarded on
landing at Baku. Bicherakoff, who made a favourable impression
locally and was well received by the inhabitants of the great oil
centre, lost no time in seeking out and engaging the Turks, who were
menacing Baku from two sides. A good deal of heavy fighting went on
during the middle of July, and the British armoured cars rendered
signal services, being engaged almost daily in close-quarter fighting
with the Turks, enfilading their infantry and breaking up their
threatened attacks, and, on another occasion, repulsing a cavalry
charge with heavy loss to the enemy.
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Bicherakoff, however, soon found that the local troops were not to be
relied on, even when they professed their readiness to fight under
his flag and against the Turks. On July 29th the Turks, who seemed
bent on getting possession of Baku at any cost, succeeded in
capturing Adji-Kabul station, a short distance south-west of Baku.
Using this as a pivot, they swung northwards in order to complete the
envelopment of Baku.
The Russian commander now became anxious for his own safety.
Realizing his powerlessness to carry on an effective offensive, and
fearing lest he should be shut up in Baku when the Turkish encircling
movement became complete, he hurriedly abandoned the town, and with
his British armoured car auxiliaries went off north by rail towards
Derbend and Petrovsk, to operate against the Bolsheviks and Dageshani
Tartars who were terrorizing the country bordering on the Caspian.
In the attack on Petrovsk, the armoured car unit led under the
command of Captain Crossing. Their fire threw the Bolshevik troops
into confusion, and, when the latter broke, the cars pursued them
through the town, capturing several hundred of their number. A
battery of six-inch guns which had subjected the attacking force to
an annoying fire was with extraordinary temerity engaged by the
armoured cars and put out of action by the simple, but dare-devil
expedient of dashing up within range and shooting all the gunners.
This splendid and heroic deed won {208} for Captain Crossing--"the
super-brave Crossing," as Bicherakoff designated him--the Cross of
St. George, and the Order of St. Vladimir for Lieutenant Wallace; nor
in the distribution of awards for gallantry were the men who
accompanied the two officers in the armoured car charge against the
guns forgotten by the grateful Russian commander.
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