The Iranian operation - a joint British-Soviet operation of the Second World War to occupy Iran, codenamed "Operation Consent" (eng. Operation Countenance) was carried out from August 25, 1941 to September 17, 1941. Its purpose was to protect the British-Iranian oil fields from their possible capture by German troops and their allies, as well as to protect the transport corridor (southern corridor), along which the allies carried out lend-lease supplies to the Soviet Union. These actions were taken due to the fact that, according to the assessments of the political leadership of both the UK and the USSR, there was a direct threat of involving Iran on the side of Germany as an ally in World War II.
Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi refused Britain and the Soviet Union their request to station their troops in Iran. Motivating its participation in this military operation against Iran, the Soviet government referred to paragraphs 5 and 6 of the Treaty between Soviet Russia and Iran of 1921, which provided that in the event of a threat to their southern borders Soviet Union has the right to send troops to the territory of Iran. During the operation, Allied forces invaded Iran, overthrew Shah Reza Pahlavi, and took control of the Trans-Iranian Railway and Iran's oil fields. At the same time, British troops occupied the south of Iran, and Soviet troops occupied the north.
In 1942, the sovereignty of Iran was restored, power passed to the Shah's son, Mohammed.
Mechanized units of the Red Army cross the Iranian border, 25 Aug. 1941 A young member of the crew of a BA-20 light armored car (judging by the shape of the hatch cover).
The entry of units of the Red Army in the city of Tabriz. Light tank T-26… Infantry on foot…
Artillery - horse-drawn ...
... cavalry - as it should be ...
In the foreground is a British military vehicle marked "57"
The headquarters of the Red Army, housed in the only hotel in Qazvin.
Alright, the allies have arrived!"
Meeting of the Soviet avant-garde with the British "flying column" from the area of Qazvin. The Soviet side is represented by the BA-10 medium armored car, the British - by the Gurkha arrows on wheels. And, of course, military correspondent Allan Michie, who captured the “meeting at military road» for history.
Soldiers of the Iranian army, who laid down their arms (August 29-30, the unit received an order from the country's government to stop resistance), still in full combat gear, are watching the advance of the Soviet-British troops. On the faces of the soldiers, hostility or depression is not very noticeable ..
The command of both sides is trying to find a common language. It is possible that the commanders of the Red Army who served in Central Asia could learn English, given the traditional clash of British and Russian/Soviet interests in the region. The Soviet fighter on the left is armed with a PPD submachine gun.
Soviet infantry, armed with Tokarev self-loading rifles, near the city of Qazvin. By the way, by characteristic features the faces of many fighters are easily recognizable as natives of the Central Asian republics of the USSR, whose percentage in the Red Army units in Iran, apparently, was high.
Let's smoke, towaristch!
The local population of Qazvin.
British war correspondent Alan Michi talks with the commander of the Red Army, who was wounded in a skirmish with Iranian troops. Although, by general assessment, the resistance was episodic, the irretrievable losses of the Red Army for the entire operation amounted to about 40 people.
Official photographs on the topic: "Soviet-British Brotherhood in Arms".
The Soviet and British command bypass the parade units of the Red Army units at a joint parade in Tehran on the occasion of the successful completion of the operation, Sept. 1941. In a word, the oil fields of Iran were taken under control by the Allies, and the southern route for supplies to the USSR under Lend-Lease was open and safe.
Relations between Russia and Great Britain have never been simple. british empire to early XIX century, playing a leading role in the world and bearing the title of "mistress of the seas", she looked at the growth of ambitions and the strengthening of the power of the Russian empire with jealousy and anxiety. The conclusion of temporary tactical alliances did not cancel the growth of competition, which was most clearly manifested in the struggle for influence in Central Asia. This rivalry, stretching for a whole century, was called the "Great Game".
Formally, the "Great Game", sung by Kipling, ended with the collapse Russian Empire. In fact, competition in Central Asia has also spread to Soviet-British relations.
In 1940, Hitler, aware of this confrontation, tried to persuade the USSR to a military alliance, offering to join the German-Italian-Japanese agreements on the division of spheres of influence. The Fuhrer of the Third Reich tried to seduce Stalin the prospect of final victory in the "Great Game", which promised the USSR access to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
However, the government of the USSR did not succumb to these generous promises, rejecting the German proposals.
Aryan friend, comrade and brother to Aryan
In June 1941, the Great Patriotic War began, and the situation in the world changed dramatically.
The Soviet Union and Great Britain, no matter how suspicious they may be of each other, found themselves in the same boat. Competition was replaced by allied relations, because it was extremely difficult to cope with the "brown plague" alone.
In the same Central Asia, where the USSR and Great Britain recently struggled to expand their spheres of influence, the states now have one for two serious problem called Iran.
Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. Berlin. 1937. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
In 1925, as a result of the coup Shah of Iran became Reza Pahlavi who founded a new ruling dynasty. Actually, Iran, that is, the "country of the Aryans", the former Persia became precisely under Shah Reza Pahlavi. The state began to pursue a policy of Europeanization at an accelerated pace, focusing on the regime Benito Mussolini. However, with the coming to power in Germany Adolf Hitler Iran has reoriented itself to this regime. The ideas of "Aryan superiority", "purity of the nation" fell in love with the Iranian youth, the officer corps and the political elite. This was largely due to the fact that before Shah Reza Pahlavi came to power in Iran, representatives of national minorities - Azerbaijanis and Kurds - played an important role in the country, which was extremely negatively perceived by representatives of the indigenous ethnic group.
For the time being, the ideological rapprochement between Iran and Germany was neutralized by the influence of British business, which controlled the main sectors of the country's economy, including oil production.
However, by the beginning of World War II, Iran began to turn into a real outpost of Germany in the Middle East. The Third Reich helped to open new educational establishments, taught Iranian students, carried out a propaganda campaign in the media, pursuing the idea of "the unity of the Aryan race."
By 1941, the threat that Iran, if it did not take part in the war on the side of Germany, would provide it with material support, became absolutely real.
The transport and oil infrastructure of the country could be used against the USSR and Great Britain. German troops, who fought in North Africa, in the event of a breakthrough through Palestine and Syria, received everything necessary for a further offensive both on British possessions in the region and on Soviet Azerbaijan with the capture of the Baku oil fields and subsequent access to Derbent and Astrakhan. In addition, such a breakthrough would be guaranteed to cause the Turkish army to enter the war on the side of Germany, which would make the situation of the USSR and Great Britain catastrophic.
USSR sent three armies against Iran
Almost from the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in June 1941, Soviet-British negotiations began on joint actions in Iran.
At the same time, Soviet intelligence, counterintelligence and units of the Transcaucasian Military District began preparations for military operations on the territory of Iran.
Chief of Staff of the Transcaucasian Military District Fyodor Tolbukhin was ordered to develop a plan of operation Soviet troops against Iranian units.
The plan for a joint Soviet-British operation, code-named "Consent", provided for the occupation of Iran, in which the country was divided into the north, which came under the control of the USSR, and the south, which was supposed to be controlled by Great Britain.
It was not about the complete division of the state - the occupation was seen as a temporary measure to curb German influence.
The Soviet Union allocated three armies for the operation. 44th under command A. Khadeeva(two mountain rifle divisions, two mountain cavalry divisions, a tank regiment) and the 47th under the command V. Novikova(two mountain rifle divisions, one rifle division, two cavalry divisions, two tank divisions and a number of other formations) from the ZakVO. They were reinforced by the 53rd Combined Arms Army under the command S. Trofimenko, it was formed in the Central Asian Military District (SAVO) in July 1941. The 53rd Army included a rifle corps, a cavalry corps and two mountain rifle divisions. In addition, the Caspian military flotilla also took part in the operation. At the same time, the 45th and 46th armies covered the border with Turkey. ZakVO at the beginning of the war was transformed into the Transcaucasian Front under the command of Lieutenant General Dmitry Kozlov.
From the British side, an army group in Iraq participated in the operation under the command of Lieutenant General Sir Edward Quinan. In the Basra area, two infantry divisions and three brigades (infantry, tank and cavalry) were concentrated, part of the troops were preparing to attack in the northern direction - in the region of Kirkuk, Khanagin. In addition, the British Navy took part in the operation, which occupied Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf.
The Iranian army was inferior to the allied forces both in quantity, and in preparedness, and in technical equipment.
Occupation by treaty
Nevertheless, the USSR and Great Britain made attempts to resolve issues through diplomacy.
On August 16, 1941, Moscow handed over a note and demanded that the Iranian government immediately expel all German subjects from the territory of Iran, as well as give permission for the deployment of the Soviet-British contingent in the country.
Shah Reza Pahlavi refused and three days later announced mobilization, bringing the size of the Iranian army to 200 thousand people.
The final decision to start the operation was made on August 21, although the shah hesitated and was ready to make concessions. Reza Pahlavi even turned to the United States for help, but the president Roosevelt informed the Shah that the demands of the USSR and Great Britain were quite logical, and refused.
On August 25, 1941, the USSR sent a note to Iran stating that the Soviet Union intended to take advantage of clauses 5 and 6 of the Treaty between Soviet Russia and Iran of 1921, allowing the Soviet side to send troops to Iran in the event of a military threat.
On the same day, Operation Consent began.
Tehran Conference of Allied States in World War II: USSR, USA and Great Britain. From left to right - Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. November 1943. Photo reproduction. Photo: RIA Novosti
Little victorious war
The British Navy attacked the Iranian port of Abadan and took control of it. British ground forces launched an offensive from Iraqi territory, occupying oil-bearing areas and encountering virtually no active resistance.
Iranian aviation was destroyed by the British Air Force, even failing to provide significant resistance.
By August 27, the British had broken enemy resistance at the Paytak Pass and occupied the Nafti Shah oil fields.
From the territory of the USSR, the offensive was launched by the 47th Army with the support of the Caspian Flotilla. Five hours after the start of the offensive, Soviet troops entered the capital of South Azerbaijan, the city of Tabriz.
By the end of August 27, 1941, the formations of the Transcaucasian Front had fully completed all the assigned tasks. Iranian soldiers began to surrender without exception.
In the following days, Soviet and British troops from the north and south were rapidly advancing towards Tehran, where all the combat-ready units of the Iranian army were retreating.
In an absolutely hopeless situation for himself, Shah Reza Pahlavi dismissed the pro-German government, and the new cabinet hastened to conclude an agreement with Great Britain and the USSR. On August 29, the Iranian army capitulated to the British troops, and on August 30 to the Soviet ones. The active phase of Operation Consent was completed.
On September 8, 1941, an agreement was signed that determined the location of the allied forces on the territory of Iran. As planned, Iran was divided into Soviet and British occupation zones. The Iranian government undertook to expel from the country all citizens of Germany and its allied countries, adhere to strict neutrality and not interfere with the military transit of countries anti-Hitler coalition.
The allies came to the conclusion that Shah Reza Pahlavi, with his worship of the Fuhrer, was an unreliable person, deciding to replace him with a more loyal figure. Such was considered Shah's son, Mohammed. On September 15, Allied forces occupied Tehran, and the next day the shah abdicated in favor of his son.
Want is not harmful
While maintaining formal sovereignty, Iran was under the control of the allies until the very end of World War II. The secret services of the USSR and Great Britain carried out a large-scale "cleansing" of the country's territory from German agents, which made it possible to hold a conference of leaders of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition in Tehran in 1943.
The struggle for influence in Iran continued after the Second World War, passing with varying degrees of success. The Shah's regime, with the support of the United States, subsequently managed to completely get rid of the Soviet influence, which was especially pronounced in South Azerbaijan. However, the Americans did not keep up - in 1979, the Islamic Revolution turned Iran from one of America's main allies into one of the most principled opponents.
However, we have deviated from the topic. Concluding the story about the operation "Consent", it is impossible not to mention the losses. During the military operation in Iran, the allies lost up to 100 people killed and several hundred wounded and sick. The losses of the Iranian army in killed exceeded 1 thousand people.
The German outpost in Central Asia was quickly and decisively eliminated.
In 2009 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad instructed his administration to assess the damage from the Soviet-British-American (the Americans joined in 1943) occupation during the Second World War in order to demand compensation. But, apparently, this step was more propagandistic than practical.
Vladimir MayevskyThere are still many pages in the history of the Second World War, which, in contrast to Battle of Stalingrad or the Allied landings in Normandy are little known to the general public. These include the joint Anglo-Soviet operation to occupy Iran, codenamed Operation Sympathy.
It was carried out from August 25 to September 17, 1941. Its purpose was to protect Iranian oil fields and fields from their possible capture by German troops and their allies, as well as to protect the transport corridor (southern corridor), along which the allies carried out Lend-Lease supplies to the Soviet Union. In addition, Britain feared for its position in southern Iran, especially the oil fields of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, and was concerned that Germany could penetrate through Iran into India and other Asian countries that were in the British sphere of influence.
It must be said that this was one of the few successful operations of the Red Army against the background of the dramatic events of the summer of 1941 on the Soviet-German front. For its implementation, three combined arms armies were involved (44th, under the command of Major General A. A. Khadeev, 47th, under the command of Major General V. V. Novikov and the 53rd separate Central Asian Army, under the command of General - Lieutenant S. G. Trofimenko) significant aviation and Caspian flotilla forces.
It should be noted that it was this operation that became the first joint military action of countries that, due to changing geopolitical conditions, switched from years of confrontation to cooperation and became allies in the war with Germany. And the development and implementation of the Soviet and English parties joint operation on the introduction of troops into Iran, the implementation of a coordinated policy in the region, became the actual basis for closer cooperation in the future, when parts of the American army were also introduced into Iran.
The allies, whose interests did not coincide in everything, at that moment were striving for one thing: to prevent, firstly, the threat, and a very real one, of a pro-German military coup in Iran and a breakthrough of the Wehrmacht forces there; secondly, it is guaranteed to ensure the transit of weapons, ammunition, food, medicines, strategic raw materials, fuel and other lend-lease cargoes necessary for the USSR for war and victory through Iranian territory, and, thirdly, to ensure that the neutrality initially declared by Iran gradually transformed into large-scale cooperation and transition to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.
It must be said that the influence of Germany in Iran was enormous. With the transformation of the Weimar Republic into the Third Reich, relations with Iran reached a qualitatively different level. Germany began to take part in the modernization of the Iranian economy and infrastructure, the reform of the Shah's army. In Germany, Iranian students and officers were trained, whom Goebbels' propaganda called nothing less than "sons of Zoroaster." The Persians were declared pure-blooded Aryans and exempted from the Nuremberg racial laws by a special decree.
In the total trade turnover of Iran in 1940-1941, Germany accounted for 45.5 percent, the USSR - 11 percent and Britain - 4 percent. Germany firmly infiltrated the Iranian economy, and built relations with it in such a way that Iran practically became a hostage of the Germans and subsidized their ever-increasing military spending.
The volume of German weapons imported into Iran grew rapidly. Over eight months of 1941, more than 11,000 tons of weapons and ammunition were imported there, including thousands of machine guns and dozens of artillery pieces.
With the outbreak of World War II and the German attack on the USSR, despite the formal declaration of neutrality by Iran, the activities of German intelligence services intensified in the country. With encouragement from the pro-German government led by Reza Shah, Iran became the main base for German agents in the Middle East. Reconnaissance and sabotage groups were created on the territory of the country, weapons depots were set up, including in the northern regions of Iran bordering the Soviet Union.
Trying to draw Iran into the war against the USSR, Germany offered Reza Shah weapons and financial assistance. And in return, she demanded from her “ally” to transfer Iranian air bases to her disposal, the construction of which German specialists had a direct bearing on. In the event of an aggravation of relations with the ruling regime in Iran, a coup d'état was being prepared. To this end, in early August 1941, the head of German intelligence, Admiral Canaris, arrived in Tehran under the guise of a representative of a German company. By this time, under the leadership of an Abwehr officer, Major Friesch, special combat detachments were formed in Tehran from the Germans living in Iran. Together with a group of Iranian officers involved in the plot, they were to form the main strike force of the rebels. The speech was scheduled for August 22, 1941, and then postponed to August 28.
Naturally, neither the USSR nor Great Britain could ignore such a development of events.
The USSR three times - on June 26, July 19 and August 16, 1941 warned the Iranian leadership about the activation of German agents in the country and offered to expel all German subjects from the country (among them there were many hundreds of military specialists), since they were carrying out activities incompatible with Iranian neutrality . Tehran rejected this demand.
He refused the same demand to the British. Meanwhile, the Germans in Iran developed their activity, and the situation became more and more threatening for the anti-Hitler coalition every day.
On the morning of August 25 at 4:30 a.m., the Soviet ambassador and the British envoy jointly visited the Shah and presented him with notes from their governments on the entry of Soviet and British troops into Iran.
Units of the Red Army were introduced into the northern provinces of Iran. In the southern and southwestern - British troops. Within three days, from 29 to 31 August, both groups reached a predetermined line, where they joined.
It must be said that the Soviet Union had every legal basis to react decisively to such a development of events near its southern border in accordance with Article VI of the Treaty between the USSR and Persia of February 26, 1921. She said:
“Both High Contracting Parties agree that in the event that third countries attempt to carry out an occupation policy on the territory of Persia by means of armed intervention or to turn the territory of Persia into a base for military actions against Russia, if this threatens the borders of the Russian the Federal Socialist Republic or its allied powers, and if the Persian Government, after a warning from the Russian Soviet Government, does not itself prove to be strong enough to avert this danger, the Russian Soviet Government will have the right to send its troops into the territory of Persia in order to take the necessary military measures in the interests of self-defence. Upon elimination of this danger, the Russian Soviet Government undertakes to immediately withdraw its troops from the borders of Persia.
Shortly after the start of the entry of allied troops into Iran, there was a change in the cabinet of ministers of the Iranian government. The new Iranian Prime Minister Ali-Forughi gave the order to end the resistance, and the next day this order was approved by the Iranian Majlis (parliament). On August 29, 1941, the Iranian army laid down its arms in front of the British, and on August 30 - in front of the Red Army.
On September 18, 1941, Soviet troops entered Tehran. The ruler of Iran, Reza Shah, had abdicated a few hours earlier in favor of his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and, together with another son, a staunch supporter of Hitler, fled to the British zone of responsibility. The Shah was sent first to the island of Mauritius, and then to Johannesburg, where he died three years later.
After the abdication and departure of Reza Shah, his eldest son Mohammed Reza was elevated to the throne. Official representatives of Germany and its allies, as well as most of their agents, were interned and expelled.
On January 29, 1942, the Treaty of Union between the USSR, Great Britain and Iran was signed. The allies pledged to "respect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Iran". The USSR and England also pledged to "defend Iran with all the means at their disposal against any aggression on the part of Germany or any other power." For this task, the USSR and England received the right "to maintain on Iranian territory land, sea and air force as much as they deem necessary." In addition, the allied states were granted an unlimited right to use, maintain, protect and, in case of military necessity, control all means of communication throughout Iran, including railways, highways and dirt roads, rivers, airfields, ports, etc. Within the framework of this agreement, through Iran began to deliver allied military-technical cargo from the ports of the Persian Gulf to the Soviet Union.
Iran, in turn, committed itself to "cooperate with allied states by all means available to him and in all possible ways so that they may fulfill the above obligations.
The treaty established that the troops of the USSR and England should be withdrawn from the territory of Iran no later than six months after the cessation of hostilities between the allied states and Germany with its accomplices. (In 1946, the troops were completely withdrawn). The Allied Powers assured Iran that they would not require its participation armed forces in hostilities, and also pledged at peace conferences not to approve anything that would prejudice the territorial integrity, sovereignty or political independence Iran. The presence of allied troops in Iran, the neutralization of German agents (*), the establishment of control over the main communications in the country significantly changed the military-political situation on the Soviet southern borders. The threat was removed to the most important oil region - Baku, which produced about three-quarters of all oil produced in the USSR. In addition, the military presence of the allies had a deterrent effect on Turkey. And the Soviet command got the opportunity to withdraw part of the forces from the southern borders and use them on the Soviet-German front. All this testified to the effectiveness of the cooperation of the great powers, united in the struggle against fascist aggression.
A bit from the history of Iranian Azerbaijan
South Azerbaijan is a northwestern province of Iran, bordering in the northeast and north along the Araks River with Soviet Azerbaijan, which was part of USSR. In the west and southwest, the province has borders with Turkey and Iraq. In connection with the division of Azerbaijan by state into Northern (AzSSR) and Southern (Iranian), the ruling circles in Tehran for a long time demanded that the Soviet Union rename Soviet Azerbaijan, for example, into the Arran SSR.
The ancient city of Tabriz was the administrative center of Iranian Azerbaijan. The territory, where about five million Azerbaijanis lived, was divided into two “ostanas” (that is, provinces) - East and West Azerbaijan.
During World War II, Soviet troops were stationed in these Iranian provinces.
According to a former Soviet diplomat, by 1944, “the Soviet embassy in Iran, on Moscow’s directives, was asked to pay even more attention to internal affairs Iran and preparations for the capture of Iranian Azerbaijan. The activities of the agents have intensified. Party workers from Soviet Azerbaijan were sent to Iran. After oil deposits were discovered in the northern provinces, they intended to consolidate the Soviet presence in Iran for a long time.
In November-December 1945, after an uprising led by the communists, the autonomy of Azerbaijan within Iran was proclaimed. On November 20, 1945, the People's Congress of Azerbaijan opened in Tabriz, a kind of Constituent Assembly, whose delegates were locally elected representatives. On December 12 (“Azer 21st”), the Mejlis - the National Assembly of Azerbaijan - began its work. On the same day, he formed the National Government, consisting of ten ministers, to which power was transferred to the territory of the northern Iranian provinces. The new government was headed by Seyid Jafar Pishevari, the leader of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, founded in September 1945. After negotiations between the head of the new government and the commander of the Shah's troops in Azerbaijan, General Derakhshani, the latter signed an agreement on surrender. Thus, the “People's Democratic State of South Azerbaijan” began its existence.
According to the opinion Soviet historians, in December 1945, no public education. There was a point of view that “People's power in Azerbaijan did not have a number of important features inherent in a sovereign independent state(the common constitution, foreign policy service, monetary system were preserved, the national territory, citizenship, coat of arms, etc. were recognized)” .
All these arguments are correct only insofar as they concern state symbols. Unlike Gilan, which rebelled in 1921, where its own emblem was developed (an image of the Persian “lion and sun” with a hammer and sickle placed above them), the new government of Iranian Azerbaijan did not leave any evidence of its own system of state symbols, except, perhaps, the national hymn.
As for the rest, the policy of isolation from the Shah's Iran was consistently pursued. On the agenda was the issue of establishing diplomatic relations with foreign states. Our own armed forces were rapidly formed on the basis of the people's militias - fedai. By the Decree of the Azerbaijan National Government of December 21, 1945, the creation of “ People's Army” . A guarded border was also created, separating the territory of the Pishevari government from the rest of Iran. In Qazvin, a border town, "on one side of the barrier stood a light tank and several soldiers under the command of an officer of the Shah's troops, on the other side - the same soldiers, but under the command of a man in a leather jacket."
Organized and its own financial system. One of the most important measures of the National Government was the nationalization of banks. A week before the “Azer 21st” revolution, almost all banks were merged and transferred under the leadership of the new government. The difficulties with food that Iran experienced due to the rejection of the northern provinces, which were the traditional supplier of food to the central regions of the country, were skillfully used. In order to cover the estimated deficit, the National Government introduced a system of taxation in the form of payment for the Javaz for the right to export food from Iranian Azerbaijan.
Autonomy in South Azerbaijan lasted for about a year. Under the terms of the tripartite agreement of January 29, 1942, concluded between Iran, the Soviet Union and Great Britain, at the end of the war, the USSR undertook to withdraw its troops from Iranian territory. Agreeing under the pressure of the allies on the withdrawal of Soviet troops, Moscow stipulated that after their departure, the Pishevari government, friendly to the USSR, would remain in Azerbaijan.
However, the Tehran government, having received a reprieve, did not tolerate the separatist-minded local governments in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan for long. 1.25 million fogs were allocated to overthrow the National Government of Azerbaijan, and shortly after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Iran in the spring of 1946, troops were sent to the northern provinces. According to the Irane Ma (Our Iran) newspaper, 9 infantry battalions, 1 cavalry regiment, 1 engineer battalion, 2 tank companies, 1 air company, 9 mortar companies, a platoon of armored vehicles, 2 anti-aircraft platoons, several flamethrowers and 1 motorized gendarme regiment under the leadership of the American General Schwarzkopf (well, why not “Desert Storm”?).
According to the Soviet consulate in Tabriz, more than twenty thousand "Iranian-Azerbaijanis" passed through the border into the USSR. These were people who actively supported the Pishevari regime and did not want to stay in their homeland. A couple of years later, semi-official reports appeared in the Soviet embassy in Tehran that Pishevari died somewhere near Baku during a car accident and was buried with honors in Baku. There were also rumors that this catastrophe was not accidental.
The autonomy of Iranian Azerbaijan ceased to exist. According to ill-wishers, "the entire revolutionary saga, or rather the adventure of Pishevari's coup, was started by Moscow authorities in the interests of mastering Iranian oil."
By December 11, the troops of the Iranian central government captured the territory of the autonomy. One December evening in 1946, the Shah's troops occupied Tabriz: “The Shah's open car moved slowly, surrounded by an enthusiastically welcoming crowd. People walked behind the car, holding on to its sides. Many were on their knees. The young shah, sitting in an open car, greeted the people of Tabriz. With joyful cries, genuine jubilation, the population met their shah.
In 1925 in Persia, as a result of a coup, Shah Reza Pahlavi seized power. The country was renamed Iran. After 1933, Iran established strong friendly relations with Nazi Germany. The Persians also considered themselves Aryans, which was recognized by the German Nazis. The Nazi racial theory found many adherents in Iran. In addition, the Iranian authorities were building a balance in order to counterbalance the strong position of British capital in their country with the support of the Germans.
After the start of the war between the USSR and Germany with its allies, the Soviet government established friendly relations with Great Britain, which had been at war with Germany since September 2, 1939. And one of the first serious joint actions was Operation Consent, during which Iran was divided into two occupation zones. The direct military leader of this operation from the Soviet side was General Fedor Tolbukhin. Under his leadership were three armies and the Caspian military flotilla. The 43rd and 47th armies advanced from Transcaucasia, the 53rd armies from Central Asia.
British troops entered Iran from Iraq, at that time it was a British mandated territory. In addition, British naval forces took possession of the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf. From the British side, the operation was led by General Edward Quince.
In August 1941, the USSR sent several diplomatic letters to Iran. First, the leadership of the USSR demanded that all German diplomats be expelled from Iran, which was done. At the same time, mobilization began in Iran. The number of the army reached 200 thousand people. Later, the government of the USSR notified the Tehran government about the upcoming deployment of its troops. The legal grounds for such actions are provided by the Soviet-Iranian treaty of 1921. Shah Reza Pahlavi asked for support from the United States, but President Roosevelt gave him assurances that neither the Soviet nor the British government had aggressive intentions.
25-th of August british navy entered the Iranian port of Abadan. During the ensuing naval battle, one Iranian ship sank, while the rest retreated. The British, without suffering any serious damage, proceeded to seize other Iranian ports and advance land army inland. Soviet and British aviation practically destroyed all Iranian aircraft at the airfields, preventing the Iranians from taking their planes into the air. As the Red Army advanced, airborne assault forces were thrown in to capture bridges in the rear. The Iranian army almost did not resist, the garrisons, as a rule, surrendered without a fight. But in Tehran, preparations were made for the defense of the capital, however, after the allies surrounded the capital, the capital's garrison did not fight.
1941 (August) First meeting of allies (UK and USSR) in Iran
Under diplomatic pressure, Shah Reza Pahlavi changed the composition of the government and signed a truce on August 29 with Great Britain, and on August 30 with the USSR. On September 15, Soviet and British troops occupied the capital, and the Shah signed his abdication. His son Mohammed Reza became the new shah. This step was previously agreed with the USSR at the talks in Moscow with the participation the British ambassador Cripps.
The presence of allied troops in Iran contributed to Turkey's policy of neutrality during the war. The USSR completely withdrew its troops from Iran in May 1946.
On August 25, 1941, Soviet and British troops launched an invasion of Iran. Although our and Western literature in every possible way emphasizes the “peaceful” nature of the introduction of troops into Iran, but it was a full-scale military operation, with victims, especially numerous among the civilian population.
Operation goals
Even in the First World War, the belligerents gave great importance control over Iran due to its strategic position and resources. Then the German and Turkish emissaries did their best to persuade the government of Persia (as this state was called before 1935) to oppose Russia and the British possessions in India. In response, Russian troops at the end of 1914 entered the north of Persia, British troops entered the south of the country. Russian troops were in Persia until 1917.
A similar situation developed in World War II. Again, Germany tried to use Iran to strike at the "soft underbelly" of the British Empire. With the start of Operation Barbarossa, Iran became a convenient springboard for striking at the Soviet Transcaucasus. The USSR and Great Britain, which became allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, decided to take preventive measures and occupy Iran.
The Red Army had already visited Northern Iran in 1920-1921 when it sought to ignite revolution in the East. Then the Persian Soviet Republic existed for more than a year, even trying to capture Tehran.
For Britain, control of Iran was vital to the defense of its Asian possessions and oil production in the Persian Gulf. To this has now been added the provision of a line for the supply of military materials to the USSR. The British ruling circles were alarmed by the German readiness to turn the Middle East into their foothold. Back in April 1941, a coup took place in neighboring Iraq, and the new rulers provided Germany with air bases. In response, the British launched a military invasion of Iraq and in May 1941 occupied the country.
Invasion
The pretext for a joint invasion of Iran was the presence in the country of a certain number of German civilian specialists (in industry, communications, etc.). In July 1941, the British government issued an ultimatum to Iran to arrest or expel all Germans. The Shah ignored this demand. On August 25, 1941, the USSR and Great Britain, without declaring war and presenting any additional requirements launched a concerted military action against Iran.
Soviet troops, united in two armies of the Transcaucasian Military District and one army of the Central Asian Military District, consisted of 16 divisions, including two tank divisions. From Iraq, two divisions and three brigades of British colonial troops entered Iran. Allied air strikes on Tehran and others big cities country, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
The task of the allies was, without getting involved in protracted battles, to quickly move towards each other, capturing key cities - control and communications centers. Iran could oppose the allies with only nine divisions of comparable strength, but much worse armed and less combat-ready than those of the Russians and the British. On August 30, the first meeting of Soviet and British troops moving through the territory of Iran took place.
Control over Iran
The superiority of the allies was revealed immediately. Shah on August 29 ordered the army to stop resistance and announced his readiness to start negotiations with the allies. His delay was regarded by the Allies as a deliberate delay in order to enable the German agents to escape. On September 17, Soviet tanks entered Tehran. Shah Reza Pahlavi abdicated and was interned in South Africa. His son Mohammed Reza (overthrown by the revolution in 1979) came to the throne.
The operation cost the Allies 40 dead Soviet soldiers and 22 dead subjects of the British Empire (mostly Indians). In the Iranian army, irretrievable losses amounted to more than 800 people.
The USSR and Great Britain invariably emphasized that they did not set themselves the task of changing either the borders of Iran, or the form of its government and internal order, but only intended to ensure the loyalty of the Iranian government to themselves.
Allied military control over Iran completely cut off the possibility for Germany to strike from here any blow or even to carry out a sabotage operation against the USSR or the British Empire. Trans-Iranian Railway regularly provided supplies to the USSR under Lend-Lease. During the war, 23.8% of all cargo (by tonnage) was delivered to the USSR by this route. The Iranian route became the second most important among the supply routes to the USSR.
Stalin's attempt to annex part of Iran to the USSR
Both great powers used their military presence to secure their influence there for the long term. England (and the US) had no problem with this - they could be sure of the loyalty of the new Shah. It was more difficult for Stalin: he needed to either bring local communists to power in Iran (not necessarily under that name) or at least split off some border territories from Iran and annex them to the USSR. During 1941-1945, thanks to the Soviet occupation, a movement developed in Iranian Azerbaijan for the unification of this province with Soviet Azerbaijan.
At the Potsdam Allied Conference in July 1945, it was decided that foreign troops should be withdrawn from Iran no later than six months after the end of the war with Japan. This term expired, therefore, on March 2, 1946.
But already on September 3, 1945, the day after the end of World War II, in Tabriz, with the support of the USSR, the independence of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan was proclaimed. In January 1946, the pro-Soviet republic of Iranian Kurdistan was proclaimed in the neutral zone between the Soviet and British zones of occupation.
These actions of the separatists and the Soviet Union caused the first major conflict between the USSR and the West since the end of World War II. Great Britain, as agreed, by March 2, 1946, withdrew its troops from Iran. However, the Soviet Union was not going to leave.
Moreover, on March 4, Soviet tanks moved towards Tehran. This caused a strong reaction in the West. Stalin at that time was not yet ready to break sharply with the United States and England, as he hoped for their economic assistance in post-war reconstruction THE USSR. He achieved a delay in the withdrawal of Soviet troops and the transfer of the solution of this issue to an agreement between the USSR and Iran. According to some reports, the United States then threatened to drop atomic bomb on Baku if the USSR does not immediately withdraw from Iran.
In April, the shah agreed to the creation of a Soviet-Iranian oil consortium (later he did not comply with this agreement), and the withdrawal of Soviet troops began. To further humiliate the USSR, the US insisted on announcing the completion of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Iran by the first anniversary of the victory over Germany on May 9, 1946.
