Battle of Bagh

Battle of Bagh (1919)
Part of Third Anglo-Afghan War
Date 9-11 May 1919 [1] Location Bagh, Landi Kotal, North-West Frontier of the British India Result Afghan victory Territorial changes Afghanistan captures the town of Bagh [2]
Belligerents
Afghanistan	United Kingdom Indian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Amanullah Khan Mir Zaman Khan Nadir Khan	Gen. Andrew Skeen Gen. George Crocker
Units involved
Royal Afghan Army Afghan infantry battalions Afghan Tribesmen	British Indian Army Royal Air Force 7/11 Gorkha Rifles [2] 15th Ludhiana Sikhs [2]

The Battle of Bagh was fought between British and Afghan forces in British India's Northwest Frontier during the Third Anglo-Afghan War. On 3 May 1919, British troops suffered a setback in the northern theatre when Afghan forces captured the town of Bagh in Landi Kotal. Despite efforts to reinforce and launch a counterattack, the British failed to recapture Bagh on 9 May 1919. The attack, led by Brigadier-General George Crocker, involved the 1/15th Sikhs and the 1/11th Gurkha Rifles, but the majority of the brigade was held in covering positions and unable to support the advance effectively. As a result, the attack stalled, and the British forces had to dig in short of their objective. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Aftermath

The British regained the Tangi Springs, restoring water to Landi Kotal. In Peshawar, a planned uprising by Ghulam Haidar was thwarted by British Indian police, leading to Haidar and 22 rebels surrendering.

At Landi Kotal, General Fowler took command on 9 May. With 2 Infantry Brigade arriving on 10 May, Fowler launched an attack on 11 May, driving Afghan forces to retreat towards Loe Dakka. The retreating Afghans were bombed by 31 Squadron aircraft. British casualties were eight killed and 31 wounded, while Afghan losses were about 100 killed and 300 wounded. ^[2]

References

1. Jaques, Tony (2006-11-30). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity Through the Twenty-first Century [3 Volumes]. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 94. ISBN   978-0-313-33536-5.
2. Macro, Paul (2019). Action at Badama Post: the Third Afghan War ; 1919. Oxford Philadelphia: Casemate. ISBN   978-1-61200-760-1.
3. Roy, Kaushik (29 November 2020). Frontiers, Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies in South Asia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1000084238.
4. Bhasin, Vijay Kumar (1984). Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan: Its Background and Implications.
5. Das, Chand N. (1997). Hours of Glory: Famous Battles of the Indian Army, 1801-1971. Vision Books. ISBN   8170940699.