IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3273

The volume contains a chronological list of brief summaries of papers relating to the activities of the Indian Expeditionary Force D (also known as the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force) between 16 and 31 March 1917. This is accompanied by appendices containing copies and extracts of these papers, which include: telegrams, tables, and memoranda containing instructions and reports.

The volume mostly relates to:

• Reinforcements and labour requirements of Force D
• Supplies for Force D, including: river craft, weapons, ammunition, rations, trains, and railway construction materials
• Lists of sick and wounded soldiers
• Prisoners of war
• Updates from the Tigris line, especially at Baghdad, Samarrah [Samarra], and Bakuba [Baqubah, also rendered in text as Bakubah]
• Updates from the Khanikin [Khanaqin] front, especially at Khanikin, Shahroban [Al Miqdadiyah], and the area around the Dialah [Diyala, also rendered in text as Dialha] river
• Updates from the Euphrates line, especially at Samawah [As Samawah] and Fallujah [Al Fallujah, also rendered in text as Felujah]
• Updates from the Russo-Turkish fronts in the Caucasus region and in Persia [Iran]
• Turkish [Ottoman] forces: movements; intelligence from deserters; reported difficulties with supplies and communication; details of commanders; re-organisation of troops; and distributions on week ending 20 March (ff 39-40) and week ending 27 March (f 120)
• Discussions about co-operating with Russian forces on certain operations
• Discussions about Force D’s priority being the consolidation of their position in Baghdad, including: planned communications with the population; approaches to taking over from the Turkish administration; and the completion of railway connections to the city
• Possibility of advancing along Euphrates to Samawah
• Intelligence provided by the Caucasus Military Agency
• Intelligence about German troops
• Reports of the Royal Flying Corps
• Progress of railways construction
• Situation in Persia, particularly discussions around the decision to return the Bushire [Bushehr] force to the command of the Commander-in-Chief in India.

The volume also contains:

• Appreciations [reports] from the Directorate of Military Operations summarising the situation in Mesopotamia on 18 March (ff 21-24) and on 25 March (ff 76-77)
• Two diaries of information from 3 March (ff 83-99) and 10 March (ff 100-111), covering: climate and floods; prisoners of war; inland water transport; the Army Ordnance Corps (Basrah [Basra]); aviation; sanitary reports; tribal confederations of the Tigris; customs duties in Iraq; photographs; and railways in Mesopotamia.

A summary and index to the contents of this volume can be found at the start of IOR/L/MIL/17/5/3272.

Whilst the volume contains copies of earlier material dating from 15 January 1917 onwards, the bulk of the material dates from March 1917.