Edit: Thanks to Omar04 and Tannenberg for pointing out that Islamabad didn't exist yet. This update has had some minor retcons and so has the next chapter, which should get posted later today.
The entry of the Soviet Union into the war forced British strategists to confront something about which they had been having nightmares for over a century- an imminent Russian threat to India. On the surface, there was still mountainous Afghanistan dividing the two, but it was clear that one side would have to violate Afghan neutrality at some point. The British army in India was small but skilled and consisted of a mix of white and native soldiers. It had last seen action in a border skirmish twenty years ago, and as such wasn’t considered prime material. Nonetheless, its strategic focus had been on repelling the Russian bear, and that was what it was situated to do. At the start of the war, only one brigade was in position on the Northwest Frontier of present-day Pakistan (referred to ITTL by its colonial name of Sindh Punjab), but by the end of September, that number had swelled to four. These were all volunteer units with little military skill, but they knew the area well and it was hoped that they’d put up such a strong defence in the mountains that the heartland of India would have time to prepare its defences. Meanwhile, a further six brigades- the Fifth through Tenth (1)- were stationed in India proper. Naturally, these forces would swell throughout the conflict, but it was essential that they do so rapidly. The notion of sending South African, Australian, or New Zealander units to India was discussed, but in the autumn of 1939, nothing came of the proposal.
As the British nervously analysed their strength in India, the Soviets made plans to strike. The Central Asian Front (renamed from Central Asian Military District on September 20) consisted of the Fourth Cavalry Corps and 27th Mechanised Corps and was under the overall command of General Iosif Apanasenko. Given that Central Asia was extremely remote and mountainous, with little in the way of railroads to connect it to the rest of the USSR. Nonetheless, Apanasenko would do what he could. There was also a diplomatic aspect which, while not in the general’s hands, would prove immensely useful to him. On October 13, 1939, Molotov flew to Kabul to meet with Afghan king Mohammed Zahir Shah. While the king was personally inclined towards neutrality, he was also aware that with the Red Army massing on his country’s border, being too pushy about neutrality could lead to… unpleasant consequences. Thus, it was agreed that while Afghanistan would not actually declare war on the British, it would permit free passage through its territory for the Red Army. Stalin was not too pleased to hear this but recognised that there was nothing his country could gain from invading and making an enemy of Afghanistan. Thus, on October 15, orders were sent to Apanasenko to enter Afghanistan and make for the border with British India, codenamed Operation
Ulyanov.
The main objective of Operation
Ulyanov was to capture Rawalpindi. To this end, the 18th, 20th, and 21st Mountain Cavalry Divisions advanced through the Swat gap into Sindh Punjab through the night of October 19-20, capturing the village of Tarnab without a shot being fired. As the three divisions expanded the Soviet bridgehead, the other half of the Central Asian Front came through the mountains, with local Pashtun people being “persuaded” to guide the Red Army through the high mountains with their trucks full of troops. Meanwhile, the four brigades of the British army on the Northwest Frontier held their positions in Rawalpindi, fortifying the town and waiting for reinforcements and supplies to arrive. Thus, the handful of British troops (mostly Pashtun militia) in Peshawar were overwhelmed, and after a brief fight surrendered on the twenty-third.
The road to Islamabad resembled the following: some nine kilometres to the southeast of Peshawar, the Swat and Indus rivers met, creating a forty-kilometre strip of land which was divided not by mountains but by the far more surmountable river. From there, a narrow valley led to the prize: the great city of the Northwest Frontier, Rawalpindi. Casualties from the first phase of
Ulyanov had been quite light, with only a hundred killed and wounded total. The next step, meanwhile, was to capture the town of Mardan, which if not neutralised could pose a flanking threat. Again, the brief Mardan campaign demonstrated the British strategy of trading space for time, as over the next three days the Soviets encountered minimal resistance. By November 1, then, a small but significant chunk of Pakistan had been bitten off by the Soviets. Peshawar, Nowshera, and Mardi were all gone.
Here, the Red Army paused to regroup. Although the British were offering negligible resistance at this stage, the terrain was already playing merry hell with the Soviet supply columns. Given that as many men as possible needed to be at the front, it fell more often than not to hired Afghani guides to get men and equipment through the treacherous journey to the front. Over the first two weeks of November, the 27th and 55th Rifle Division arrived from eastern Poland and Moscow respectively, having walked all the way from Kabul, given that there was no rail capacity to get them any further. Meanwhile, the British had received the recently mobilised Australian Sixth Brigade (2). Granted, they were still at a major disadvantage numerically but had the advantage of falling back towards their supply centres.
The second stage of Operation
Ulyanov commenced on November 7, with the Red Army striking at two points separated by twenty-five kilometres: the small towns of Garhi Matani and Hassan Pur. As before, the villages were very lightly defended, and both fell by the end of the day. The Soviet intention rapidly became clear as, over the next two days, their forces inched closer and closer, closing the remainder of the territory behind them in a sack which was quickly tied up. The airbase at Minhas fell on the eleventh, which meant that for the first time, Red Air Force bombers and fighters could actually take off from somewhere decent. All of this was all very well and good, but there was just one small problem… no substantial British units had yet been encountered.
In Moscow, Stalin was quite pleased with the way things were going thus far, but also rather insistent that a more substantial triumph be gained. To this end, he ordered General Apanasenko to advance more quickly and capture Rawalpindi within two weeks. When given a direct order like that from Joseph Stalin, failing to come through could be…
disadvantageous for one’s health, and Apanasenko was not blind to that fact. Thus, he ordered his forces to move more rapidly, and within three days found himself at the gates of Rawalpindi.
By this point, it was November 15, and it had been almost a month since the Red Army entered British territory. The five regular brigades in Rawalpindi had been augmented by several hundred Pashtun militiamen, many of whom were afraid of the state atheist Soviets stamping out Islam in the area. As Islamabad was screened from the north by mountains, the only angle of approach the Soviets could take was from the west, and it was in that direction that the city’s defences were oriented. The Battle of Rawalpindi was fought several miles to the west, as the Red Army burst through one rather
ad hoc belt of defences after another. By the end of the day, the five British brigades had clearly lost, and with them, any and all hope that northern Sindh Punjab could hold out. Even as the hammer and sickle were hoisted over Rawalpindi, British forces were in full retreat to the south.
However, the Battle of Rawalpindi revealed several flaws in Soviet tactics. For a start, the day had been won by means of mass, inefficient, human wave attacks. Too much strain had been placed on the foot soldiers and cavalry, while the armour had been broken up and used as mere infantry support, in contrast to the German methods used in Poland. The Great Purge of 1937 had sapped the Red Army of much of its tactical skill and killed off many good commanders, and now the USSR had to pay the price. Although outnumbered heavily, it was clear that the British would be able to put up a real fight in India…
Comments?
- OTL, many of these units were sent to North Africa. ITTL, this doesn’t happen, as they’re needed at home
- ITTL, the Australians mobilise somewhat faster, as their troops are needed in India