Anzali Operation

Last updated

The Anzali Operation was a naval and amphibious action carried by the Caspian Flotilla during the Russian Civil War.

Contents

Anzali Operation
Part of the Southern Front of the Russian Civil War
Date18 May 1920
Location
Result Soviet victory
Belligerents

Flag of Russia.svg White Russia

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Flag RSFSR 1918.svg  Russian SFSR
Commanders and leaders
British Raj Red Ensign.svg Hugh Bateman-Champain   White flag icon.svg Flag RSFSR 1918.svg Fedor Raskolnikov
Strength
10 auxiliary cruisers
other auxiliary ships
4 auxiliary cruisers
4 destroyers
1 transport
minor ships
Casualties and losses
All surrenderednone
Iran relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Bandar-e Anzali
Location within Iran
Caspian Sea relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Bandar-e Anzali
Bandar-e Anzali (Caspian Sea)

Background

The Russian Civil War in Caspian Sea saw previous confrontation between the Soviet Russian Caspian Flotilla against the British Caspian Flotilla, the latter supporting the White movement as part of the Allied intervention. British/White Russians scored a victory during the Battle of Alexandrovsky Fort, but the harbor was reconquered in April 1920. [1]

Action

The Soviet Russian Caspian Flotilla gathered a considerable force to attack Anzali. The task force was composed of four auxiliary cruisers (Proletariy, Rosa Luxemburg, Pushkin, Bela Kun), four destroyers (Karl Liebknecht, Delnyi, Deyatelnyi, Rastoropnyi), two gunboats (Kars and Ardagan) the transport Gretsiya and other minor units. Complete surprise was achieved, a naval shelling in early morning nearly hit the main British headquarters and British resistance from the 2000-strong garrison stationed was quickly stifled. Subsequently, negotiators were sent by the British by boat to agree on capitulation terms.

The Persian governor formally accepted the Soviet Russian presence, the British/White detachment fled the city on ground and the entire flotilla was seized without much resistance. Seized ships included: auxiliary cruisers President Kruger , America, Europe, Africa, Dmitry Donskoy, Asia, Slava, Mylutin, Opyt and Merkur, the motor-torpedo-boat carrier (previously seaplane carrier) Orlenok, the seaplane-carrier (previously m.t.b. carrier) Volga , four seaplanes, four motor torpedo boats, ten merchants, a number of support, auxiliary and minor units in addition to large amount of supplies and ammunition. [2]

Aftermath

The Anzali Operation marked the ending of the Russian Civil War naval confrontation on Caspian Sea. [3] The action also established the short-lived Persian Socialist Soviet Republic, with little British resistance, while a detachment of 800 Cossacks surrendered to the Soviets and Persian communists "Jangalis". [4]

Related Research Articles

<span title="German-language text"><i lang="de">Kriegsmarine</i></span> Naval warfare branch of Germanys armed forces (1935–1945)

The Kriegsmarine was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war Reichsmarine (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches, along with the Heer and the Luftwaffe, of the Wehrmacht, the German armed forces from 1935 to 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warship</span> Ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare

A warship or combatant ship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a nation. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are typically faster and more maneuverable than merchant ships. Unlike a merchant ship, which carries cargo, a warship typically carries only weapons, ammunition and supplies for its crew. Warships usually belong to a navy, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soviet Navy</span> Maritime service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces

The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with the opposing superpower, the United States, during the Cold War (1945–1991). The Soviet Navy played a large role during the Cold War, either confronting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in western Europe or power projection to maintain its sphere of influence in eastern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flotilla</span> Formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet

A flotilla, or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanian Naval Forces</span> Military unit

The Romanian Naval Forces is the principal naval branch of the Romanian Armed Forces and operates in the Black Sea and on the Danube. It traces its history back to 1860.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caspian Flotilla</span> Military unit

The Caspian Flotilla is the flotilla of the Russian Navy in the Caspian Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltic Sea campaigns (1939–1945)</span>

The Baltic Sea campaigns were conducted by Axis and Allied naval forces in the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the connected lakes Ladoga and Onega on the Eastern Front of World War II. After early fighting between Polish and German forces, the main combatants were the Kriegsmarine and the Soviet Navy, with Finland supporting the Germans until 1944 and the Soviets thereafter. The Swedish Navy and merchant fleet played important roles, and the British Royal Navy planned Operation Catherine for control of the Baltic Sea and its exit choke point into the North Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MAS (motorboat)</span> Boat used by the Italian Royal Navy

Motoscafo armato silurante, alternatively Motoscafo antisommergibili and commonly abbreviated as MAS, was a class of fast torpedo-armed vessels used by the Regia Marina during World War I and World War II. Originally, "MAS" referred to motobarca armata SVAN, Società Veneziana Automobili Navali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British campaign in the Baltic (1918–1919)</span> 1918–1919 British naval intervention during Russian Civil War

The British campaign in the Baltic 1918–1919 was a part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. The codename of the Royal Navy campaign was Operation Red Trek. The intervention played a key role in enabling the establishment of the independent states of Estonia and Latvia. It failed to secure the control of Petrograd by White Russian forces, which was one of the main goals of the campaign.

Vorpostenboot, also referred to as VP-Boats, flakships or outpost boats, were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars. They were used around coastal areas and in coastal operations, and were tasked with – among other things – coastal patrol, ship escort, and naval combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Yugoslav Navy</span> 1921–1945 maritime warfare branch of Yugoslavias military

The Royal Navy, commonly the Royal Yugoslav Navy, was the naval warfare service branch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was brought into existence in 1921, and initially consisted of a few former Austro-Hungarian Navy vessels surrendered at the conclusion of World War I and transferred to the new nation state under the terms of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The only modern sea-going warships transferred to the new state were twelve steam-powered torpedo boats, although it did receive four capable river monitors for use on the Danube and other large rivers. Significant new acquisitions began in 1926 with a former German light cruiser, followed by the commissioning of two motor torpedo boats (MTBs) and a small submarine flotilla over the next few years. When the name of the state was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929, the name of its navy was changed to reflect this. In the late 1920s, several of the original vessels were discarded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Fleet (Russia)</span> Russian Navy fleet

The Pacific Fleet is the Russian Navy fleet in the Pacific Ocean.

HMS <i>Kruger</i> Flag ship of the British Caspian Flotilla during the Russian Civil War

HMS Kruger was the flagship of the British Caspian Flotilla during the Russian Civil War. It was originally a screw steamer with steel hull named President Kruger and used for oil cargo with limited facilities to accommodate passengers. It belonged to Caucasus and Mercury Partnership with home port of Baku. It was seized by David Norris on 14 August 1918 along other boats of Caspian basin. According to Lionel Dunsterville, Kruger was "a fine ship and as fast as anything on the Caspian, with the exception of the gunboats, and she had accommodation sufficient for my staff, the clerks, and the office, as well as about 300 men normally ; at a pinch she could carry 800 men by utilizing all deck space."

The Battle of Alexander Fort, was a naval battle fought in the Caspian Sea during the Russian Civil War at the naval military base of Fort Alexandrovsky.

The Romanian Navy during World War II was the main Axis naval force in the Black Sea campaigns and fought against the Soviet Union's Black Sea Fleet from 1941 to 1944. Operations consisted mainly of mine warfare, but there were also escort missions and localized naval engagements. The largest naval action fought by the Romanian Navy was the 26 June 1941 Raid on Constanța, and its most extensive operation was the 1944 evacuation of the Crimea.

The 4th Region or the Northern Fleet is the flotilla of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy in the Caspian Sea.

HMS <i>Aladar Youssanoff</i>

HMS Aladar Youssanoff was a Russian a cargo-tanking steel steamship for the transportation of dry cargo, as well as oil and kerosene in bulk which was seized by the British Royal Navy and used as seaplane tender in 1919 alongside HMS Orlionoch.

References

  1. John Guard. "The Royal Navy in the Caspian Sea 1918-1920". gwpda.org.
  2. "Soviet Naval Battles during Civil War (re-done)". soviet-empire.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
  3. Institute of Strategic Studies of the Caucasus, The Caucasus & Globalization, Volume 1, CA & CC Press, 2006, page 177
  4. Steven R. Ward, Immortal, Updated Edition: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces, Georgetown University Press, 2014, page 127