On Combating the Bolsheviks in Transcaspia

Between 1918 and 1919 there was a Anglo-Indian force of some thousands in modern day Turkmenistan lead by General Wilfrid Malleson (one of the last players of the Great Game). This force had many names (the East Persian Cordon was one as was the Malleson Mission) but its ostensible job was to: "combat German and Turkish propaganda and attempts to organise men, railways and resources towards assisting hostile enterprises, aggression or active operations against us or our Allies. In reality what this very much amounted to was combatting the local Bolshevik forces on the ground much as another British force was doing in Vladivostok.

Malleson fought several battles with the 'Bolos' near and around Ashkabad and won each of them inflicting grievous casualties. Rumours were put about (mostly by Malleson's own agents) that he intended to march on the Soviet Central Asian capital of Tashkent, so convincing were these rumours that British secret agents inside the city broke their cover in order to inform him how best to assault the city, additionally Damagatsky, the Soviet Commisionar for Foreign Affairs in Tashkent put out feelers about obtaining political asylum.

Now my question is this, considering how frail the Bolshevik rule was in Central Asia at the time, that there were several White Russian leaders in the area, that the Bolshevik's were at this time cut off from reinforcements, that the British force totally outclassed the Bolshevik's and they could and did draw on local anti-revolutionary elements, what happens if Malleson assaults and takes Tashkent routing the Soviets in Southern Central Asia?

My thoughts are thus: if those in charge in India don't recall Malleson when they realised he had overstepped his mark (his orders contained nothing about capturing territory slightly larger than Egypt) that you could end up with British/White Russian/Turkman protectorate stretching from Ashkabad in Turkmenistan to Kashgar in Xinjiang to Tashkent in Uzebekistan (perhaps even spreading into Kazakhstan or the Caspian Sea). Certainly the British had the ability to do it, were backed up by the natives and had the support of Afghanistan. As for the long term repercussions I would be intrested to hear your thoughts.
 
Noone? :( I guess this was a little ambitious for a first post. I thought if the idea got enough attention I might even try a timeline on it.
 
It's interesting and reminds me of Color-Copycat's TL with the White Russian warlords in Central Asia, just minus the airships and female soldiery.

Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about the history of Central Asia.
 
You should read this one: Corte sconta detta arcana.
Is a graphic novel with Corto Maltese during the Russian Revolution on the tracks of the Trans-Siberian. A quite interesting character interacting with historical figures.
 
I enjoyed reading the Sargent account of the Malleson mission. Previously, I had heard of it but only had a vague idea of how the story played out.

If you decide to write a timeline, I will follow it.
 
I'd done a lot of reading about the Russian Civil War, the Great Game, and Lenin's ambitions in Asia, but I can't remember a whole lot of it.

A puppet White regime in Central Asia supported from British India? Would it be a Russia-in-exile (with the Turks as subject peoples), an explicitly Turkish state, or something else?

Given how British dockworkers went on strike over shipping ammunition to help the Poles fight the Reds during the Russo-Polish War, sustaining this state in the long run could provide politically unpopular with the British left, especially if it gets really unpleasant and reactionary.

If the British eject the Reds from at least part of Central Asia, what kind of effects might this have the Menshevik government in the Caucasus? If the White state has a port on the Caspian, aid could be sent across if the Soviets attack per OTL. However, if the Soviets have already taken control of Azerbaijan and Armenia, that presents a rather severe problem. Maybe if the British can use this White statelet as a basis for keeping some kind of united Caucasian alliance together...

Hmm...if the rise of Hitler doesn't get butterflied away, this could be part of TTL's Molotov-Ribbentropp Pact, which risks British and Soviet troops fighting in 1939-40. Depending on its size, it could also be a base for an Anglo-French attack on Baku that might be more effective due to the shorter range needed to get there. For that reason, it might be left out of M-R as Stalin would rather Germany do all the fighting with the Western Allies.

If this state survives M-R and Hitler topples France and then attacks the USSR per OTL, continued support of this state would be a bargaining chip in the negotiations between the Allies. Perhaps the British sell out the Whites in exchange for Soviet concessions elsewhere in Europe?
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
The Turkic peoples were trying to establish independent states at the time, mostly through the Emirate of Bukhara and the Khanate of Khiva. The Kazakhs seem to have been up to something too (the Alash autonomy), although the rebellions in Central Asia seem to have been quite disorganized and disconnected from each other. There was also the quite Islamist oriented Basmachi movement that seem to have been a thorn in the side for both Czarist Russia and the Reds. And the Basmachi revolt was backed by the super villain Enver Pascha!!:eek:
 
Heres my idea of where to take this (which I'll write up better later).

POD: Going against his orders and in a fit of rage General Malleson orders the units under his command to advance on Tashkent instead of merely insinuating he might.

This spurns Lieut-Colonel Frederick Bailey of the Indian Political and Secret Department who was in Tashkent at the time acting as the representative of the Her Majesty's government in Central Asia (as well spying on the Bolsheviks) to take the perilous journey he made to some hills sixty miles away from Tashkent earlier than in OTL resulting in him not breaking his leg in snow while o a hunting trip, he spent two to three months resting in OTL and in this ATL he will be able to communicate with both the basmachis in the area and get hold of Malleston to provide him with intelligence. Another side result of the British march on Tashkent is that the Soviet forces guarding the passes to the Ferghana Valley where some 20,000 basmachi (anti-Soviet Muslim guerrillas led by Kurbashi Irgash, a local chieftain), Bailey manages to contact these guerrilla's who OTL he couldn't get hold of as the passes were guarded and tells them to meet up with Malleson which they do.

Meanwhile the Soviets in a fit of fear and panic are suffering problems of their own, an uprising called the Osipov Uprising/Coup happens as OTL (with the added incentive for a ensign K. P. Osipov leader of the counter revolution that he believes the British will come and back him up). This results in all local Soviet leadership being shot as OTL and the city falling to drunking relvary also as OTL with the result that by the time the British/whites/basmachis arrive the city is in chaos. When the British coalition forces enter the city they quickly restore order disarming or incorporating remnants of the Red Army and shooting Osipov and his leaders (this is done by the whites and basmachis rather than the British.

A fight now breaks out between the Muslim local whos want to establish a Islamic republic and stay out of the greater Russian Civil war and the Whites led by Paul Nazaroff a prominent Russian industrialist and geologist (he was the nominal head of the White Russian forces in Transcaspia even if some obscure Russian general was the actual head). Malleson favours the latter however he isn't given much time to make his final choice before he receives word that the Indian government is furious with his actions and is demanding he returns to India/Pakistan/Persia. Just before he leaves he manages to broker a power sharing agreement that results in considerable local autonomy and power for the Muslims while still leaving the Whites in overall charge. He also leaves considerable finance (which he had been provided with for bribes before he left Persia) with the new government as well as a great deal of his heavy weapons and artillery. Bailey also stays to lend his considerable military expertise however he is ordered that he must return by Spring.

The new White/Muslim government then takes a short time to consolidate before...what? Its only a matter of time before the Reds hit down on them hard and I'm not sure the Whites will be able to hold, if they can hold for a year of more then they could receive considerable arms from Britian/India/Persia and act as a rallying point but its a big if. I'm also not sure that the Muslims wouldn't demand more concessions from the Whites if not doing away with them entirely.

EDIT: Believe it or not Enver Pascha was working for Lenin at the time so we may see the bizarre arrangement of Lenin sending Pascha south to fight a British backed Muslim republic. In OTL he changed sides of course but I wonder if he would in ATL. If he did then I'm not sure either the British or either colour of the Russian's would like a pan-Turkic force galloping around Central Asia causing chaos and confusion.
 

Kongzilla

Banned
The Whites are going to beg, steal and borrow weapons and men from as many people as they can. I could see a few more troops from the Entente and whoever else was in Russia at the time being sent to help. White's on the Run will flood there.
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Not sure the Muslims would aim for a Republic. The Emir of Bukhara and the Khan of Khiva were there, and the Islamists of the 1910s-20s would probably prefer monarchy. Also the Whites and the Basmachis would probably not be able to ally, they hated each other.
 
I've bee thinking about this a bit more and how about this:

Continuing on from above you end up with a white state in Southern Central Asia with the Basmachis and the Whites in a temporary power sharing agreement. Some form of press in India gets word of this white rump state and this combined with Mallesons attempts to drum up support see a limited British/Czech/Persian contingent deployed there as well as international arms and support.

The Reds make several attempts over the next few years to seize the rump state, while they do not succeed they do manage to crush any Basmachi's outside the state as well as the local monarchy's. At some point during these events Enver Pascha tries to change sides but is either found out and shot or has a short lived career. The downside is anyway that the whites feel confident enough to purge the Islamists and get away with it. In the end you get a White rump state bolstered by refugee's just hanging on in the face of overwhelming odds.

In terms of butterfly's I'm thinking of a weaker Soviet campaign in Asia with a small White state around Vladivostok and perhaps with Mongolia and Xinjiang either leaning more towards the Japanese/Chinese than OTL or as near independent states.

I see no way to avoid Socialism in One Country becoming even more popular than it was in OTL, although you can bet your arse that the Soviets will be looking more East than West in this TL. Perhaps they are more successful in funding communist movements in China and India.

You might get trade union unrest in the UK (in response to great involvement in the Russian Civil War) which ends up with a more hard line Conservative/Facist-lite regime.

Anyway WW2 ends up as right wing (although not ness Nazi due to a weaker Soviet Union) Germany, the UK, White Russian Elements, Japan, Persia (with support from Spain, Italy, Portugal etc.) vs the Soviet Union, Indian Nationalists, Chinese Nationalists/Communists.
 
Top