August 5, 1940 - Temporary League Field Headquarters, Quetta
General MacDonald raked his fingers through his thinning hair and watched the last officers of the Afghan Field Force settle into their seats around the conference table.
Only five days before we enter Afghanistan, and I’m only now getting all my commanders sat down. Damn the League bigwigs and their timetables!
MacDonald stood up and drew the attention of the officers, starting with introductions. The Czechs were led by Lieutenant General Helidor Pika; the Yugoslavs by Colonel Stevan Radovanovic, and the Irish 1st Brigade by Colonel Desmond Whelahan. Several translators sat by their commanders, though most of the officers knew English, French, German, or sometimes Italian.
“All right, gentlemen,” MacDonald said, once introductions finished. “Let’s get down to business. Most of you know the task at hand, but for those who don’t, here’s what we face.” MacDonald nodded to his adjutant, who changed the first slide in the machine. “This charming gentlemen is General Khosro Parwiz. He led the Nationalists during the Persian Civil War, and when they lost a year ago, he and his loyalists fled into Afghanistan, where he’s got extensive support from a number of the local warlords. Parwiz is mostly a political creature, but he’s no slouch as a stategist, as his campaigns in the Civil War showed. My staff has compiled a packet of information dealing with everything immediately available on Parwiz’s career, as well as all the details we know of his campaigns in the Civil War.”
MacDonald nodded again to change the slide. “Parwiz commands the loyalty of between six to seven thousand troops of the former Persian Nationalist Army. Most of that force is located in the region of Herat, in northwestern Afghanistan, while smaller encampments are located across the border from the Persian town of Zabol - here, in the southwest, around Chakhansun. There is also an encampment at Farah, here. These forces, under the overall command of Parwiz, are crossing the border into Persia, attacking civilians, and generally making a muck of things.
“For various political reasons which we shan’t get into, neither the Persian Army nor their Indian puppeteers have gone after them, instead pressuring the Afghani government, and then the League, to take care of the job. That’s how this problem got dumped on us.” MacDonald waited for the translators to catch up before he continued. “Prior to the Civil War, Parwiz developed a network of contacts and supporters in western Afghanistan, courting a number of the tribal leaders, who now provide him with support. In exchange, Parwiz’s troops join the clans in their little internecine conflicts with the other locals. So far, it’s worked out well for most of these little warlords.
“This chap - sorry we don’t have a better photograph - is one of Parwiz’s closest local contacts. He’s a tribal leader out of Herat by the name of Ismatula Zadran. We don’t know much about him, but we do know he commands a significant force of tribal soldiers, estimated to run between eight to twelve thousand men, although those men are poorly armed and trained. His son, Daud Sardar Zadran, is estranged from his father and known to have his own band of fighters in the mountains east of Herat, where he cooperates with his father-in-law, Hakim Mojadeddi, one of Ismatula Zadran’s rivals.
“Here’s another of Parwiz’s local allies: Khaled Hashem Maqsoodi. He’s based in Farah, and has between five and eight thousand tribal fighters. We don’t know much about Maqsoodi, either, but intelligence suggests he’s a pragmatist; he’ll support Parwiz so long as it serves his purposes, but he’ll likely change sides if he thinks it’s of benefit.
“These two gentlemen, Haji Munadi, and Abdul Yacoobi, are two more tribal chieftains associated with Parwiz. Munadi’s got around two thousand tribal fighters around Chakhansun, and is reportedly quite involved in assisting in raids into Persia. Yacoobi’s a virtual unknown, but he has tendrils in Kandahar, and, as best we can estimate, a bit under two thousand fighters in Gereshk, his main headquarters.”
MacDonald stopped. “Any questions?”
Whelahan spoke up. “This seems like a tall order for the forces we have been assigned, General. By my count, we’re facing anywhere between twenty to thirty thousand troops with only around ten thousand men. They know the terrain and can blend in with civilians...”
MacDonald nodded. “Unfortunately, that’s true. However, In the open field, we’ll have clear advantages in both armour and artillery, as well as access to technological items such as radios, which are not used by and large by our enemies. When it comes to numbers, the Afghan king, Mohammed Zahir Shah has pledged to send three full divisions of the Afghan National Army, and we will coordinate our campaigns with them. A number of countries are assisting in the reequipping of the Afghan Army - though the Indians aren’t happy about that, I believe. While they’re not up to the caliber of our own troops, I hope they’ll help even the balance in terms of numbers.
“I need to emphasize here that the League of Nations has not provided us with a decisive mandate in Afghanistan, but our respective governments have all agreed - in full agreement with the Shah and his government - to aggressively attack both Parwiz, his troops, and his local supporters. I do not intend to sit on the defensive and let them attrite us in guerrilla warfare, and with our field force only being funded for a single year, we don’t have the time to sit around.”
Colonel Radovanovic raised his hand and spoke in broken English. “What is equipment and training for.. er, of enemies?”
MacDonald grimaced. “It appears to vary substantially based on the units involved. Some of Parwiz’s troops, particularly those closest to him in Herat, are likely equipped to nearly the same standard as our troops; they have both tanks and aircraft, and have used them in battle against the Persian Loyalists and the Indian Army. They’ve seen battle over the last three years, and they should
not be underestimated. However, many of the Nationalist troops are quite poorly equipped. A similar situation exists for their Afghan allies: we know Ismatula Zadran has been reforming his tribal army on Parwiz’s advice, and though their training and organization is improving, it is probably still inferior to the weakest of Parwiz’s troops, and likely inferior to the Afghan National Army. My staff is working on a report estimating the capabilities and equipment of the enemy, and I hope to have it for you tomorrow. Any further questions? No? Then let’s move on.
“I have a number of things to say about how this field force will work. We are drawn from several very different nations and cultures, and our diversity is a weak point our enemies will doubtlessly attempt to exploit. But our diversity is also our point of strength, as we have expertise from all across Europe at our disposal.
“So long as I am in command, I will not tolerate disagreements based on our different international backgrounds. My goal is to get as many of our troops home safely as I can, and finish the mission we’ve been assigned by our governments so that no League troops ever have to come to this place again. If anyone here plays career games, or works to the benefit of themselves at the expense of the field force, I’ll send them home. When we go home victorious, that’ll be the thing history will remember of us.
“Second. We are not here to plunder, loot, or visit atrocities on the locals. I expect each commander to keep control of their troops on this account. We will fully follow the Geneva Conventions, and I expect all of our troops to behave according to the highest traditions of our respective services. I trust I make myself clear.
“In five days, we’ll cross the border into Afghanistan and march to the city of Kandahar, where we will occupy an area near the airfield. Kandahar will serve as our temporary base, and we will meet up with the leading elements of the Afghan National Army there. At the moment, intelligence doesn’t foresee any resistance en route, but I don’t put much faith in that. Any questions?”
The commanders remained silent, and after an appropriate pause, MacDonald continued. “The intelligence staff will hopefully have a more detailed report for us by tomorrow morning, so let’s meet again tomorrow evening for dinner and further discussion. Dismissed, gentlemen.”
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