REVIEW BY JONATHAN EATON
Despite the vast literature on the First World War, there remain important aspects of the conflict that have yet to be fully explored. In recent years, a series of valuable treatises have expanded our understanding of the conflict beyond the Western Front. In his new book, Nick Higham makes a significant contribution by shedding light on an extraordinary and little-known episode around the Caspian Sea in the closing days of WWI.
In the early 20th century, Baku (now capital of Azerbaijan) was a significant source of oil, producing around 50 per cent of global supply in 1901. Following the Bolshevik Revolution and withdrawal of Russian forces from the international conflict in 1918, the British Government feared Baku’s oil reserves would fall within the German orbit through being seized by Ottoman Turkey. Even more concerningly, such an attack could theoretically serve as a prelude for further Turkish expansion into Afghanistan and Persia, potentially leading to the fomentation of rebellion among the Muslim population in India as a direct threat to British colonial interests.
To secure Baku’s oil installations and strengthen the Caucasian Front as Russian forces began to withdraw, the British sanctioned the creation of a military mission comprised of officers and non-commissioned officers selected from among the forces serving on the Western Front and Middle East. Named the ‘Dunsterforce’ after its commander, the mission was to mobilise and direct local forces to hold Baku and the surrounding areas.
