I like the idea of Afghanistan being one of the points of contention during the buildup to world war two. Well done!
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Chapter 6: Poland’s Defeat
The Second World War began with the breaking of a nation. Poland’s defiance of Hitler’s demands could not be allowed to survive the opening days of the conflict. Within days of the war’s start over one hundred thousand German soldiers crossed the Polish border in complete disregard of the British and French guarantees to support Poland in a conflict. The act stunned the French leadership and the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. War had finally been declared and the words of the French Marshall Ferdinand Foch had finally come true. Demands were issued that Germany immediately remove its armed forces from Polish territory. When these demands went unanswered the British, French and Afghan governments declared war on Germany. On the 10th of September Zahir Shah made this announcement over the national Afghan radio service.
- Zahir Shah decleartion of war against Germany. 10th of September, 1939.
With the powers of Europe distracted the USSR chose to strike as well. The Finnish nation shared a similar history to Afghanistan in many ways. Finland had been conquered from the Kingdom of Sweden and created as a buffer state in 1809 to protect St Petersburg from attack. It had acted for the most part autonomously from the Russian Empire until the beginning of the 1900’s, when the Russian government began to make attempts to assimilate Finland into Russia. With the collapse of the Russian Empire in the First World War, Finland seized its chance and declared independence from Russia. With chaos in Europe the USSR seized its own chance and declared war on the nation of Finland. On the 11th of September the small village of Mainila in the Soviet Border reported that it was being shelled from an unknown enemy. The Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov claimed that the attack had come from Finland’s side of the border. Before Finland had the chance to respond to these accusations Stalin declared war. It would be years before evidence that the attack may have come for the Soviet side would be discovered. Though surprised by the initial invasion the Finish managed to not only halt the Russian advance, but in the north they even reversed it. With the loss of the Saint Petersburg line, the situation remained grim.
- The Winter War. 29th of September, 1939.
Stalin’s neutrality in the Afghan-Persian conflict a year ago had originally been seen as either an attempt at improving relations with Afghanistan, or that their attentions had been focused on the build-up of power to response to Germany. It appears neither had been true and now members of the Afghan government were becoming painfully aware of the similarities between Finland and their own situation. In the following weeks a growing group would demand that an immediate peace treaty with Germany be signed and that Afghanistan give up all its pro-European policies. This group would later be known as the Afghan Nationalist Jirga*, (ويا القومي الأفغاني). This group was headed by religious figure known as Farshad Mo’Barak. Farshad represented a growing isolationist movement that since the signing of an alliance with Britain, by preaching anti-European messages and blaming the Massacre of Farrah on the British Empire. Zahir Shah became aware of this movement existence by Shah Mahmud Ghazi, the current Head of Intelligence. Zahir asked the Ghazi to monitor the movement. While the movement was not an immediate concern the events of Europe were. In the head of the mid-day sun he received a message from the British ambassador. Poland had fallen.
- Germany Annex’s Poland. 3rd of October, 1939.
The situation in Europe had been expected. With the shock of the war ending the British and French governments stepped up their naval presence. Across the world the British Empire began to mobilise its Empire no matter how far is may be. Within days of Poland’s defeat members of the Commonwealth joined the war against Germany. South Africa remained neutral.
- The Commonwealth Join the War.
In the last days of 1939 the Winter War ended. The Soviet Army had failed to achieve its objectives in forcing the Finish government to surrender. It had suffered huge casualties and become an international embarrassment. It had unfortunately highlighted a reoccurring issue with the Allies. Both Poland and Finland had been promised help and both had failed to receive it. Zahir was grateful that the Allies hadn’t for it would have meant a war that would surely see Afghanistan lose. For Germany the war could only have gone better if it had lasted longer. The Allies shown to be powerless and the Red Army an embarrassment. This embarrassment for the Red Army was not entirely a bad thing. Stalin’s purges of officers had been a leading factor and his power base had been hurt, more importantly though the experience of this Winter War would be more than a boon in the coming years. On the 23rd of December the USSR accepted the Finnish terms of surrender and ended the war.
- The Winter War ends.
With the end of the Winter War Europe settled into an unmoving stale mate. Neither side attempting to break the Maginot Line until the beginning of spring. For Afghanistan this was a time of preparation. More men were being mustered each day to join the Afghan Army, while in few factories Afghanistan possessed the first ships of the Afghan Navy were being created. It was the 3rd of March, 1940 when Zahir proudly announced to his cabinet that the first ever Afghan ship had been created. The Parsa’Mitra (Devine Friend.).
- The Royal Afghan Navy, created 3rd of March, 1940.
Zahir would also announce that he planned to do something rulers of Afghanistan had never even dreamt of. The Afghan Army was to be reorganised, generals were given new postings, and two new generals were also included in the command structure. Men who had proven themselves in the Afghan-Persian war. Zahir’s reason for this new planned command structure surprised even the British Empire. The Kandahar army with other eighteen thousand soldiers would travel to Europe and join the Allied Armies at the Maginot Line. This news was received with shock and several cabinet ministers immediately pointed out what position Afghanistan would be without these men. A member of the cabinet demanded to know is Zahir understood Afghanistan’s position would be if he sent these men to Europe. His response would become one of the most famous phrases from the Second World War period.
- Zahir Shah, 3rd of March, 1940 Cabinet meeting. Taken from Afghanistan in WWII.
- The new Command structure.
On the 9th of March the Gibraltar Garrison reported that ship baring an unknown flag had been sighted. The message was relayed to Allied command that evening. The ship when asked for the ships heading and origin, the garrison leader was surprised to be responded to as London, England and the origin Afghanistan. The news was received and the Gibraltar Naval force even sent two destroyers as escort. On the 13th of March 1940, The Parsa’Mitra docked in naval base of Portsmouth. For the first time in history Afghan soldiers stepped foot on the British Isles.
- The Kandahar Army lands in Portsmouth. 13th of March, 1940.
Zahir led a thousand Afghan soldiers in a military parade through the heart of London. During his brief stay in London Zahir meets with Neville Chamberlin to discuss ways to improve Anglo-Afghan relations and Winston Churchill. The meeting with Chamberlin ends in after an hour. The meeting with Churchill lasts long into the night and is widely regarded as one of the longest overrunning of meetings in the Second World War. Two days of shore leave were allowed for the Afghan soldiers, afterwards they were transported by The Parsa’Mitra, to Dunkerque. The Kandahar Army was placed under the regional command of Field Marshall de Roux of the French Army. He would see put them to the test.
*Pashutn for gathering.
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Wow lots of new people!
Sorry this took so long to get out. Hope it was worth it.
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Chapter 7: The Battle for France
By blood, we are immersed in love of you.
The youth lose their heads for your sake.
I come to you and my heart finds rest.
Away from you, grief clings to my heart like a snake.
I forget the throne of Delhi
when I remember the mountain tops of my Afghan land.
If I must choose between the world and you,
I shall not hesitate to claim your barren deserts as my own.
-Ahmad Shah Durrani, Love of a Nation.
The Battle for France began officially on the 7th of September, 1939. The invasion of Poland had led to the official declaration of war by the United Kingdom of Great Britain, France and Afghanistan. On that same day the French army advance to the Maginot line and then into Saar until they met the Siegfried Line. It was a thin line held by only 43 Germany division compared to the French army of 93 division. Maurice Gamelin, Commander of the French Army called for an offensive to be made, to shatter this line and force their way into Germany. The French Government instead decided that they would rather fight from a defensive standpoint and force the German government to the table through economic embargo. This would later be known as the Saar Offensive and would be last offensive by France into German territory. With the fall of Poland 3rd of October and the German Army reinforced their lines and further attempt at breaking through from Maginot would no longer be in the Allies advantage.
What followed was a long period of several months where both sides were caught in an uneasy stalemate. Field Marshall de Roux was the French General in charge of the defence along the Belgium border. While the lower countries of Belgium and The Netherlands still declared their neutrality, they had promised that they would join the German aggression was pointed their way. Field Marshall de Roux was at ends with how to deploy what many in Europe were considered a joke, token force. The German and USA newspapers would show comedic cartoons, depicting the French and British to be desperate enough to call for anything to help. With this in mind he positioned the Afghan Expeditionary Force along a small three province line from Dunkerque to the Army base at Lile.
- Afghan Troops along the Belgium border.
In Afghanistan Zahir Shah’s decision to send the Kandahar army to Europe was causing outrage among the more traditional and conservative populace. This disturbance was spearheaded by the Afghan Nationalist Jirga party. Though no evidence of the core party members being involved in any of the dissident actions, it was widely assumed by all that Farshad Mo’Barak was the cause of the demonstrations in the cities. While the populace did not support Zahir’s actions, the majority still supported his right to rule if only due to the successful Afghan-Persian war. Zahir found this period to be one of the most difficult of his rule.
- A quote from Zahir Shah’s diary
Not all news was bad though and on the 23rd of March the Afghan industry started producing new support equipment. This new equipment was prioritised to the Kandahar Army in Europe.
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