Allied military force in the Middle East during WWI
Dunsterforce
Map of the Ottoman Empire, Caucasus and Iran (Persia) in the First World War
Active
December 1917 – 17 September 1918
Country
British Empire
Allegiance
Allies
Branch
Army
Type
Infantry
Role
Detachment
Size
350 men later reinforced by 39th Infantry Brigade
Engagements
Battle of Baku
Commanders
Notable commanders
Lionel Dunsterville
Military unit
v
t
e
Caucasus campaign
Bergmann Offensive
Sarikamish
Ardahan
Van
Manzikert
Kara Killisse
Erzurum
Koprukoy
1st Trebizond
1st Bitlis
Muş
Erzincan
2nd Trebizond
Choloki
German expedition
Sardarabad
Abaran
Karakilisa
Goychay
Aghsu
Kurdamir
Binagadi
Baku
Associated articles
Dunsterforce
Norperforce
v
t
e
Persian Campaign
Dilman
Bushehr
Robat Karim
Heydar Latifiyan
Musalla
Qar-i Shirin
Qom
Kermanshah
1st Hakkari
Hamadan
Seray
2nd Hakkari
1st Urmia
Charah
Suldouze
2nd Urmia
3rd Urmia
Sauj Bulak
Occupation of Tabriz
See also: Persian famine of 1917–1919
v
t
e
Theaters of World War I
Europe
Western Front
Eastern Front
Romania
Italy
Balkans
Serbia
Middle East
Caucasus
Persia
Gallipoli
Mesopotamia
Sinai & Palestine
Hejaz & Levant
South Arabia
Central Arabia
Africa
South West Africa
Togoland
Cameroon
East Africa
North Africa
Somaliland
Asia-Pacific
Tsingtao
Samoa
New Guinea
Central Asia
Naval theatres
U-boat
Atlantic
Mediterranean
Dunsterforce was an Allied military force, established in December 1917 and named after its commander, Major-General Lionel Dunsterville. The force comprised fewer than 350 Australian, New Zealand, British and Canadian officers and NCOs, who were drawn from the Western and Mesopotamian fronts. The force was intended to organise local units in northern Iran (Persia) and South Caucasus, to replace the Tsarist army that had fought the Ottoman armies in Armenia. The Russians had also occupied northern Iran in co-operation with the British occupation of southern Iran, to create a cordon to prevent German and Ottoman agents from reaching Central Asia, Afghanistan and India.
In July 1918, Captain Stanley Savige, five officers and fifteen NCOs of Dunsterforce, set out towards Urmia and were caught up in an exodus of Assyrians, after the town had been captured by the Ottoman army. About 80,000 people fled and the Dunsterforce party helped hold off the Ottoman pursuit and attempts by local Kurds to get revenge on the Assyrians for their earlier plundering. By the time the rearguard reached Bijar on 17 August, the Dunsterforce party was so worn out that only four men recovered before the war ended. A combined infantry and cavalry brigade was raised from the Assyrian survivors to re-capture Urmia and the rest of the civilians were sent to refugee camps at Baqubah near Baghdad.
Dunsterville and the rest of the force, with reinforcements from the 39th Infantry Brigade, drove in 500 Ford vans and armoured cars about 220 mi (350 km) from Hamadan across Qajar Iran to Baku. Dunsterforce fought in the Battle of Baku from 26 August to 14 September 1918 and retreated from the city on the night of 14/15 September, to be disbanded two days later. North Persia Force (Norper Force, Major-General William Thomson) took over command of the troops in northern Iran. Troops diverted from Dunsterforce in Sweet's Column opposed an Ottoman diversion from Tabriz, on the Persian road, during September; the situation was transformed by news of the great British victory in the Battle of Megiddo in Palestine (19–25 September). The army in Caucasus was the only source of Ottoman reinforcements and had to give up divisions, ending offensive operations in the theatre.
Dunsterforce was an Allied military force, established in December 1917 and named after its commander, Major-General Lionel Dunsterville. The force comprised...
of Lionel Dunsterville at Baghdad. It was named the Dunsterforce. The military goal of Dunsterforce was to reach the Caucasus via Persia while the Persian...
(9 November 1865 – 18 March 1946) was a British Army officer, who led Dunsterforce across present-day Iraq and Iran towards the Caucasus and Baku during...
University Press. Dunsterville, Lionel Charles (1920). The adventures of Dunsterforce. E. Arnold. p. 207. Companjen, Françoise; Maracz, Laszlo; Versteegh,...
to British forces. Later, elements of the squadron served as part of Dunsterforce in 1918 and 1919, and in Kurdistan in 1919. The unit was also known as...
evacuated in 1920, apart from the Japanese who stayed until 1922. In 1917, Dunsterforce, an Allied military mission of under 1,000 Australian, British, and Canadian...
Republic of Mountainous Armenia and an Allied intervention force, nicknamed Dunsterforce, composed of troops drawn from the Mesopotamian and Western Fronts. On...
William Thomson, some 5,000 British troops, including parts of the former Dunsterforce, arrived in Baku on 17 November. Thomson declared himself military governor...
Anzali in mid-February and organized a small military force called "Dunsterforce" of Cossacks, Russians and Azeris. The British authority were concerned...
leaving Central Asia open to the Turkish Army. A special force, known as Dunsterforce after its commander, Major General Lionel Dunsterville, was formed from...
twice recommended for the Military Cross for bravery. In 1918, he joined Dunsterforce and served in the Caucasus Campaign, during which he was instrumental...
General Lionel Dunsterville CB CSI (1865–1946), British general, who led Dunsterforce Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867–1951), Finnish field marshal...
Ottoman and Persian Assyrians fled south to Hamadan, where the British Dunsterforce was garrisoned, on 18 July to escape Ottoman forces approaching Urmia...
private diaries and notes, including those kept during his command of the Dunsterforce Mission to North Persia and Baku, are transcribed from the original by...
Ottoman and Persian Assyrians fled south to Hamadan, where the British Dunsterforce was garrisoned, on 18 July to escape Ottoman forces approaching Urmia...
General Lionel Dunsterville (whose troops were lightly referred to as Dunsterforce) were further agitated by Mirza's refusal to let British forces pass...
involved. Some task forces are named after their commander, such as Dunsterforce. Task Force Tarawa, the name given the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade...
Dictatorship, the Republic of Mountainous Armenia, and an Allied force named Dunsterforce which was composed of elite troops drawn from the Mesopotamian and Western...
leaving Central Asia open to the Turkish Army. A special force, known as Dunsterforce after its commander, Major General Lionel Dunsterville, was formed from...
lack of available transport, after a large amount had been supplied to Dunsterforce for its advance across Persia, so Marshall persuaded the government to...
Great Pyramid at Cheops. During World War I, Airey was a member of the Dunsterforce in the Persia and the Middle East. By the time of his retirement, he...
Kolchak in Siberia. Later, they also served in Mesopotamia as part of Dunsterforce and the Malleson Mission, although these missions were aimed at preventing...
and, in the face of an overwhelming Ottoman-Azerbaijani offensive, the Dunsterforce fled and the Caucasus Army of Islam entered the Azerbaijani capital on...
from Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaks). British force the Dunsterforce occupied the city and helped the mainly Dashnak-Armenian forces to defend...
Global Information
British Empire