This month marks the 100-year anniversary of the Battle of Basra, the decisive opening action of the World War I Mesopotamian campaign. In fall 1914, the United Kingdom dispatched an expeditionary force to modern-day Iraq, then governed by the Ottoman Empire. The force's mission was to protect the critical oil facilities south of Basra.
The strategic city of Basra sits on a flat alluvial plain, nestled beside the Shatt al-Arab River, a waterway formed by the convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers 65 kilometers (40 miles) to the north. As well as serving as the portal to the gulf, and the maritime infrastructure that serves it, Basra grants access to Iraq's southern oil and natural gas fields, estimated to contain 80 percent of the country's energy reserves. The confluence of these factors is what makes Basra so significant, from a military, industrial, energy and commercial perspective.
The Indian Expeditionary Force "D," commanded by Brig. Gen. W.S. Delamain and comprising British and Indian troops, was under orders to secure and protect the oil refineries, storage tanks and pipelines at Abadan Island. The scheme of maneuver was to drop off a battalion-sized group to clear the southern tip of the Al Faw peninsula before sweeping north. The remaining force would move up to Sanniyeh, halfway between Al Faw and Basra, and disembark. From there the consolidated force could eradicate any further resistance, secure Abadan and then sweep north to Basra if required. All the while, a small contingent of gunboats would reduce any Turks along the banks of the Shatt al-Arab and clear the waterway for troop transports.
Securing the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. refinery at Abadan was an extremely prudent move for the British, given how important refined oil was to become through the war and beyond. The Royal Navy traditionally maintained its ability to project force through a global network of coal stations, but the new generation of oil-hungry warships irreversibly altered the logistical burden and strategic focus needed to protect the evolving lines of supply.
Having achieved the initial mission, successfully routing the Turkish opposition in the south and securing Abadan, the British decision to continue to advance north to Baghdad was to prove problematic in the long run.
