I have had some Afghan figures from Empress Miniatures Jazz Age Range to play Men Who Would Be Kings for a long time. Seeing that we were now playing this more regularly and the only figures that I had that were suitable were in 20mm. I needed to get these painted and quick. This is the first of six units.
In February 1919, Amanullah Khan became the new Amir of Afghanistan. He immediately repudiated the Treaty of Gandamak, which had given the British control of Afghan foreign policy at the end of the Second Afghan War (1878-80).
Within weeks of his succession, the Amir declared full independence and proclaimed ‘jihad’, or Holy War. By encouraging revolt on the neighbouring North-West Frontier of India, he hoped to seize Peshawar and the old Afghan provinces west of the River Indus that had been captured by the Sikhs many years before.
In the immediate aftermath of the First World War (1914-18), Amanullah believed that the British and Indian troops would be too war-weary to resist. He also hoped to take advantage of ongoing nationalist unrest in India, which he himself had done much to encourage. Detachments of Afghan troops entered British India on 3 May 1919.
Unnerved by Amanullah’s alliance with the new Bolshevik regime in Russia – Britain’s traditional rival in the region – and angered by his support for nationalist agitators, the British mobilised their forces.
Sporadic fighting occurred in the tribal districts of Chitral in the far north, but this was successfully contained. Instead, the fighting on the ground focused on the main mountain passes between British India and Afghanistan
Although there was a shortage of men, artillery and machine guns, a division from Peshawar quickly defeated a larger Afghan force that had occupied Bagh and attacked Landi Kotal at the western end of the Khyber Pass. They forced the Afghans back across the border towards Jalalabad, occupying Dakka on 13 May 1919.
At Dakka, the British camp was poorly sited for defence and soon came under attack from Afghan artillery. The Afghans then launched an infantry assault, but this was defeated. The British launched a counter-attack the following day. But it was not until 17 May that the area was properly secured.
On 27 May 1919, the British successfully stormed the Afghan fortress of Spin Baldak in southern Baluchistan. The fort guarded the strategically vital road from Kandahar to Quetta. Its capture reduced the chance of an Afghan invasion by that route.
Over 200 of its 500-strong garrison of Afghan regulars, many of whom were armed only with single shot Martini-Henry rifles, were killed in the action. The British lost 18 killed and 40 wounded
The largest Afghan attack took place in the Tochi-Kurram valley area. The situation there became critical when the militia in adjacent Waziristan, stirred up by the Afghan government, mutinied against their British employers.
The figures on their movement tray
Major Guy Hamilton Russell, commander of the South Waziristan Militia, made a fighting withdrawal with 300 loyal men from Wana to Fort Sandeman between 26 and 30 May 1919. During their retreat, they sustained 40 men killed and wounded. Of the eight British officers, five were killed and two (including Russell) were wounded.
Airpower played a key role during the war. Five Royal Air Force squadrons of BE2Cs, Bristol F2Bs, De Haviland DH9As and De Haviland DH-bombers were used in strafing and bombing attacks on the rebellious frontier tribes and on targets in Afghanistan itself, including Kabul and Jalalabad.
The attacks on Afghan towns, although small in scale, helped bring King Amanullah to the negotiating table.
Amanullah Khan ordered a ceasefire on 3 June 1919. His ambitious plans to reclaim Peshawar and throw the British out of India had failed.
But the Treaty of Rawalpindi (8 August 1919) that brought the war to an end did recognise full Afghan independence and finally gave the Afghans the right to conduct their own foreign affairs. This had probably been Amanullah’s real goal. So who really won the war?
The information in this post was obtained from the UK National Army Museum.
What is left to complete: 2X8 Cavalry; 3X12 Infantry, 2 Jezzail teams; a mortar team, and a leader.