Challenge: Russia attacks India

During the 19th century one of Great Britains biggest concern was that the Russians would attack India. I myself have a pretty hard time imagining this ever happening. But is it completly ASB?

So the challenge: whit any PoDs after the Napoleonic wars have a Russian Invasion in India. It doest have to conquer it just be a challenge to the British there - so not defeated right away either. Whats the best they could do?
 
Raids in the Kashmir are a possibility I would say.

The big game changer here is Afghanistan. If the Russians manage to work with them, either through Protectorate or more likely an alliance, they could raid North India.

The question is, what do the Russians have to offer the paranoid Afghans (but is it paranoia if they're really out to get you?)
 
This is one of the reasons i have a hard time imagining this. During the last 2-3 centuries Afghanistan has been invaded around 4-5 if not more by the strongest powers of the world. Not one managed to conquer and pacify the region.
 
If Russia builds a railway south instead of the TSR they'd stand a better chance of supporting an invasion of Afghanistan and then into India.

Here's a good article on the importance and potential of railways to impact the Great Game.

http://www.andrewgrantham.co.uk/afghanistan/railways/the-great-game/

Russian railways now stretched from Orenburg to Tashkent and Samarkand. “The further extension can only be accomplished in peace, or with the consent of the Amir, which is hardly likely to be given; or during a war with Afghanistan. The bridging of the Oxus [Amu-Darya] is estimated to take four months to complete”. It was estimated that after reaching the Amu-Darya it would take the Russians 16 months to extend the railhead to Doshi. The report also considered that an extension of the Trans-Caspian railway from Kushka into Afghan territory would only be possible with consent or in war time. Rails were stacked at Kushka, and it was estimated that the line could be laid to the Helmud in 18 months.

“The extension of Russian or Persian railways through Afghanistan should be more strongly resisted than ever” said the report. The author speculated that the German-backed Baghdad railway could be extended to the Afghan frontier, but handwritten annotations on the Public Record Office’s copy of the booklet suggest officials thought this somewhat unlikely.

The author concluded that “The present attitude of the Amir concerning them [i.e. railways] may change rapidly, as it has recently with regard to roads in Afghanistan. Thus the construction of these two lines [Trans-Caspian from Kushka, an extension from Samarkand] is probably only a matter of time.”
 
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SRBO

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This is one of the reasons i have a hard time imagining this. During the last 2-3 centuries Afghanistan has been invaded around 4-5 if not more by the strongest powers of the world. Not one managed to conquer and pacify the region.

They made the mistake of not doing the job properly

Afghanistan and the surroundings have a terrain extremely favorable for the defender, but every invader just assumes the land is not worth the effort and just goes around. However if you absolutely must go through, like Russia, they'd probably go all in and finish the job
 
Yes, extending the Samarkand Railway (which I hadn't even heard about until about a year ago), would be the only practical way to do this. Well, even that's not 'practical', how about the only way that attempting it would be remotely feasible.

They'd probably have to pacify Afghanistan first (so the necessary supply lines aren't constantly cut), and that probably means a decade(s) long occupation first, bribing tribal headmen to stay loyal, decimating valleys/tribes that revolt, etc. You'd probably end up wiping out about half of the Afghan population.

Meanwhile, of course, Britain is going to be building a railway across the Hindu Kush (great fun, that), and building their own alliances. The British have a massive advantage, though. Their bases in India are much closer, they have a much larger pool of man power, and they have far, far more industrial might for producing the iron and steel and weapons and even clothing for their armies.

The 'amusing' thing is that this could end up with Afghanistan being a loyal British province!
 
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