The Battle of Kakhka - World War One Mod

28 August, 1918
The Battle of Kakhka, 28th August 1918. (Best fought against
a human opponent, or as Bolshevik against an Allied AI).
The British Army intervened in Persia almost
from the outset of the World War 1, to prevent the loss of its
oil supplies to pro-German factors in the Persian Government,
and later, to the Turks. Following the collapse of the Russian
Army after the October Revolution, the Turks increased pressure
on the Caucasian front, heading towards Baku and the Caspian
Sea. The British were already supporting "White" Russian elements
against the Bolsheviks in North and South Russia, so further
intervention along the Persian frontier was pretty inevitable
following the establishment of Bolshevik rule in Trans-Caspia
in early 1918. In June 1918 the British Military Mission to Turkestan
was formed at Meshed under General Malleson, to liaise with White
Russian forces in Trans-Caspia. On July 14th 1918 the White forces
staged a coup, and over the following ten days the Bolsheviks
were pushed out of Trans-Caspia and back across the River Oxus.
A provisional Menshevik government was installed, and the Trans-Caspian
Army formed. On the 24th July the Bolsheviks counterattacked
pushing the Trans-Caspian forces back to Bairam Ali on the eastern
edge of the Merv oasis. The Trans-Caspian government were now
panicking and sending urgent requests to Malleson for assistance,
so, on 11th August, he despatched the machine gun section 19th
Punjabi Rifles to Bairam Ali to assist in its defence. However,
under increasing Bolshevik pressure the retreat continued back
to Dushak. On the 19th, a company of Punjabi infantry was sent
to join the Trans-Caspian forces at Dushak. Following their arrival
on the 20th, it was decided that the position there was also
unsuitable for defence, so the combined Trans-Caspian and British
forces moved back to Kakhka. On 26th August they were joined
by the remaining two companies and headquarters of the 19th Punjabis.
On the 28th August the Bolsheviks attacked Kakhka, a small village
grouped around a railway station. The Trans-Caspian troops had
been deployed expecting an attack from the right (south) flank,
with the bulk of their troops on the ridge to the south and their
guns behind the ridge. Their armoured train was on the track
to the west of the ridge, but their troop trains were in Kakhka.
The only troops north of the line were 200-400 Turkman cavalry
in the old fort. Colonel Knollys of the 19th Punjabis saw immediately
that the left flank was in fact the most exposed, and deployed
his troops accordingly. One company of the 19th with the machine
gun section was positioned north of the railway, on the western
edge of Kakhka. The other two companies were held in reserve
between the village and the stream. (Many thanks to the Russian
Civil War Yahoo group for the information on this action).