February 2018 FLYPAST 63INTER WAR 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
TURBULENT SKIESTURBULENT SKIES
long as there was no general
insubordination.
A series of post-war conferences
drew arbitrary borders where there
had been none. The imposition
of central authority, coupled with
a new set of taxes, was widely
resented. These were not the only
sources of friction; the region
embraced a multitude of religions
and ethnic groups. There was also
a growing awareness of the value
of natural resources, especially oil,
and nationalism fuelled by broken
agreements over nationhood.
In 1919, news of the intendedmandate resulted in a demand for
immediate independence, which
was rebuffed. Imam Shirazi, the
Grand Mujtahid of Karbala, began
to organise the tribes and in early
August he issued a fatwa (religious
ruling) calling for a holy war against
the British.SANDSTORMS AND SNOW
At this time there were just two
RAF general purpose units in
Mesopotamia, 6 Squadron (with
Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8s
and Bristol F.2b Fighters) and 30
Squadron (RE.8s and
DH.9As), both based
at BaghdadWest. Around 7,200 British and
53,000 Indian Army troops were
spread over several garrisons, many
protecting tax collectors.
The first sign of unrest was
December 13, 1919, when the
outpost at Dair-al-Zaur was
threatened by a force of 2,000 men.
The garrison was withdrawn to
Anah, which was soon besieged.
Insurrection became widespread
through the early months of- The two RAF units were
fully engaged, with 30 Squadron
bombing boats on the River Zab
and Kurdish insurgents at Zakho
and Dohak, while in May the RE.8s
of 6 Squadron attacked villages
AIR POWER OVER TURBULENT IRAQ IS NOT A NEW THING, VIC FLINTHAM SHOWS HOW IT WAS CONDUCTED IN THE 1920S
“After a scratch RAF unit of DH.9s demonstrated the value of air
support in local colonial uprisings at little cost, the RAF was given
responsibility for maintaining the peace”