SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 14 AUGUST, 1946 4097 shortly afterwards our troops took possession Eamichliye to a point where the road Mosul- of the town. The railway and all railway in- Deir-ez-Zor crosses the Iraq-Syria frontier. .stallations up to the Turkish frontier had -been (iii) Lt. General Quinan was to submit captured intact as well as several bridges which his plans for holding the Northern Frontier had .been prepared for demolition. of Iraq against hostile advance through On 8th July, a column was sent to capture Anatolia or Iran. The construction of per- Hassetche, the seat of the local Government, manent defences in this area was to be con- in the Bee du Canard. Here the French de- fined to denying, where possible, the main cided not to fight and the town and fort were • lines of approach by armoured fighting occupied without opposition. vehicles into Iraq from Turkey or Iran with On gth July Ras el Ain was found to be the object of slowing up an advance and clear of French troops. Lack of motor trans- forcing it into unsuitable country. Plans in port made furtiher advance impossible. 5th detail were also to be prepared for an ad- Battalion I3th Frontier Force Rifles therefore vance into Turkish or Iranian territory in remained in occupation of the Bee du Canard order to seize defiles suitable for delaying covering the railway and the remainder of the action and to carry out extensive demoli- column returned to Mosul on I4th July. tions. 26. On return, of the Headquarters of I7th (iv) A suitable force was to be held in Indian Infantry Brigade to Mosul, the Head- readiness to enable the occupation of quarters of the aoth Indian Infantry Brigade Abadan and Naft-i-Shah to be carried out at moved to Baghdad, being better placed there short notice. to control its detachments dispersed in the (v) Basra base was to be developed to oilfields and on the Kirkuk-Haifa pipe line. maintain ten divisions and thirty squadrons The loth Indian Division (less 20th Indian Royal Air Force. Um Qasr and Koweit were Infantry Brigade) remained in Syria until re- to be developed as subsidiary ports. leased for operations in Iran, it reverted to command of the General Officer Commanding Situation in Iran. Troops in Iraq on loth August. It was main- 29. The policy to be adopted in view of the tained throughout from Iraq and this strained unsatisfactory attitude of the Iranian Govern- to the utmost the very limited resources in ment to the representations made regarding the motor transport. expulsion of Axis nationals from Iran had been under consideration by His Majesty's Govern- Reversion of Command to India and issue of ment and the Soviet Government during the Revised Directive. early weeks of July and on 22nd July Lt. 27. Meanwhile, in view of the collapse of General Quinan was instructed to be prepared the Rashid Ali regime and the improved situa- to occupy Abadan and Naft-i-Shah and at a tion in Iraq, His Majesty's Government con- later date the oilfields in South West Iran. sidered that control of the operations' should On 24th July intimation was received that His revert to India as soon as possible as she had Majesty's Government had approved of the a greater interest and stake in them. It was proposals for the application of Anglo-Soviet therefore decided that the Commander-in- diplomatic pressure backed toy a show of force Chief, India, should take over control of all on the Iranian Government in order to secure land forces in Iraq as soon as he was able to the expulsion of Axis nationals (from their meet the administrative commitment. country; should diplomatic pressure fail force At 0300 hrs. on i8th June the control of was to be used. operations in Iraq passed back to the Com- Instructions were therefore issued (to Lt. mander-in-Chief, India, and Lieut.-General General Quinan to make preliminary arrange- Quinan took over command of all the land ments for:— forces in that area. (i) The concentration of a striking force On 5th July, General Sir Claude Auchinleck, on the Iranian Frontier in the Basra Area who until then had been Commander-in-Chief, of: — India, became Commander-in-Chief, Middle One Indian Infantry Division. East Forces, in succession to General Sir One mechanized cavalry brigade. Archibald Wavell, who took up the appoint- Two Indian Armoured Regiments. ment of Commahder-in-Chief, India, on nth To be supported by one Army Co-opera- July. tion squadron R.A.F. 28. The outbreak of war between Germany The object of this force was to occupy and Russia and the conclusion of operations the oilfields and refinery at Abadan. in Syria resulted in a changed situation in (ii) The assembly of a naval/irttitary Iraq. A revised directive was therefore issued force at the head of the Persian Gulf con- to Lt. General Quinan on 2Qth July. The in- sisting of three or four sloops and two> com- structions contained in this directive were to panies of infantry, to occupy Bandar the following effect:— Shahpur and seize the port and shipping. (i) Lt. General Quinan was instructed that Lt. General Quinan was informed that the his object in general was to hold Northern above forces were to be ready to move into Iraq against any' enemy attack developing Iran in the second week in August but that through Turkey and/or Iran, and to develop troops "were not to be concentrated in the Basra facilities for the maintenance and employ- area until further orders were issued. He was ment in Iraq of- a force which might in cer- further instructed to be prepared to send a tain circumstances amount to ten divisions small force to seize the Naft-i-Shah oilfields and (some armoured) and thirty squadrons to detail one infantry battalion for the occupa- Royal Air Force. tion of Bushire. (ii) The operational boundary of British For the purpose of this operation the 4th Ak Force in Iraq was extended to include Cavalry Brigade (later'renamed Qth Armoured the area in Syria East of a line adjoining Brigade) from Palestine had been placed at A 2