Further Military Development
The New Year brought a shakeup in the ruling cabinet. The old Foreign Minister had been blamed for the early failures in securing German weapons, especially since it was soon revealed he was a dedicated Anglophile. He was quickly ousted on trumped up charges of corruption and shuffled off to one of the Shah’s modern prisons. The previous Minister of Security and Chief of the Air Force were allowed to resign with their dignity intact and were soon replaced by Ali Mansour and Sadegh Khan Koopal.
The international scene became much more tense as Germany made two major diplomatic plays. First, they peacefully annexed Austria at the end of February, unifying both Germanic nations. This was followed by a much more aggressive demand: the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. Hitler claimed the Czechs were abusing the ethnic Germans within their borders and demanded the German-majority Sudetenland be allowed to secede. A conference was held in Munich, attended by Hitler, Chamberlain, Daladier, and Mussolini, wherein they decided the Czechs must accede to Hitler’s demands. Sold out by their allies, the Czechs gave in, sacrificing their most defensible terrain. However, Hitler promised this was the extent of his demands, and Chamberlain proclaimed that he had secured ‘peace in our time’. The Shah was uncertain what to make of this action, although it seemed the German star was rising even as the French and British lacked the stomach for war. Whether Hitler would remain true to his word was another question entirely.
On a more personal note, Reza Shah was deeply saddened to learn his friend, Ataturk, had died on November 12 after a long period of worsening health. One of the great men to emerge in the post-war era had passed on, reminding the Shah of his own mortality. It seemed a new era was coming, and the Crown Prince would need to be ready. Fortunately, he had done well in his military studies and graduated as a second lieutenant. Mohammad Reza was soon promoted to captain and appointed inspector of the army. As part of his duties, he was tasked with inspecting various civil and military installations, giving him a taste of a ruler’s duties.
Mohammad Reza (left) receiving his commission from his father (right) upon graduation from the Officer Cadet College.
The Iranian military made substantial improvements in its doctrine and training over the course of 1938. Work began on developing a coherent infiltration doctrine that could be taught to the troops, with the expectation that it would be complete by early 1939. Similarly, the initial grand battleplan doctrine was completed in November and was disseminated to the officers of the IIGF. This was followed by further improvement in basic infantry training and further work on officer training. The Iranians were a few years behind on infantry training but were catching up on officer training, largely thanks to a jumpstart provided by sending officers to foreign academies.
This was followed by further improvement in the equipment of the IIGF. Another batch of vz.24 rifle kits were completed (
Note: 1934 small arms tech), and the remaining machinery to begin full-scale production within Iran had nearly all arrived (
Note: Starting 1936 tech). Additionally, all the German support equipment finished its training and was deployed to the 2, 3, 4, and 5 Infantry Divisions in early January, mid-March, mid-June, and late August, respectively. With these regiments deployed, the Iranians now had a full corps of modern infantry with the supporting heavy equipment necessary for modern warfare. In addition to the cavalry corps and its tanks, the IIGF was quickly becoming a serious force in the region. Even more importantly, Reza Shah had no intentions of ending his build-up and ordered a mixture of small arms, helmets, light artillery, and much more from the Germans with the goal of equipping another two infantry divisions. The first of these would be deployed by late November, although they would have to wait for their heavier weapons. The Foreign Ministry secured Italian weapons to support these divisions, primarily modern mountain guns and 47mm anti-tank guns. The Italians had been persuaded to part with their modern weapons thanks to a generous shipment of oil (
Note: I bought licenses but in OTL the Italians often gave modern equipment for raw materials). It would take some time for these weapons to enter service, but the Shah was very pleased by how smooth the negotiations had gone.
Note: I replaced the 1936 small arms tech with the vz.24 for flavor purposes. It surprisingly didn’t appear in the tech tree, so I thought it was a nice addition.
Italian Cannone da 47/32 anti-tank gun, a license produced version of an Austrian design from Bohler. A relatively modern piece similar in performance to the British 2-pounder or German 37mm, although it also has an HE shell available, allowing it to act as a close support gun. The biggest complaint was the lack of a gun shield and inability to be towed by trucks. Unfortunately for Italy, this gun remained in service throughout the entire war, becoming increasingly outdated.
Italian Obice da 75/18 75mm howitzer. This artillery piece was designed in 1934 and had two versions. The mountain gun could be broken down into packs while the standard did not break down. In OTL it was sold to Portugal and various South American countries in exchange for raw materials Italy badly needed. Therefore, I thought it seemed somewhat realistic the Italians would do the same with Iran.
1938 was a significant year for the IIGF as it rapidly grew in size, experience, and equipment. More technical troops were now being trained to utilize modern equipment, something that had never been before happened in Iran. Much of this could be attributed to the introduction of conscription in 1925 finally beginning to bear fruit. This law required all able-bodied men over 21 to serve 2 years in the military and another 4 years in the reserves. These men were first conscripted from the peasantry, followed by the tribes, and finally the urban population.
As much as conscription provided the manpower and training to strengthen the regime, its most important effect was on the development of a true Iranian identity. Conscription allowed the introduction of birth certificates and mandatory family names, allowing the central government to keep track of much more of its citizens.
Part of conscription’s goal was to pull people out of traditional nomadic environments and expose them to a greater Iranian identity they would be trained to aspire to. This included paying respect to a common flag, the Shah, and interacting with other men from across the country. Two-thirds of all conscripts spent their first 6 months learning Persian in order to better integrate them. Through conscription, simple peasants and unruly tribesmen were turned into citizens of an Iranian nation, something larger than any had ever aspired to.
Iranian military policemen arrest a deserter
Note: All of the information on Iranian conscription is historical, and it makes an interesting parallel to Japan in the late 1800s/early 1900s where they heavily pushed Japanese nationalism/superiority, worship of the emperor, and fanatical loyalty. They also had 'history lessons' intended to assert Japan's prime position and duty to conquer in the conscripts' minds. In this respect, Iran's conscription feels much less like brainwashing like the Japanese model, although the general goal and methods are very similar.
