The Kaiser's Mission to Kabul

World War 1 is invariably portrayed as the trench warfare of the Western front, however that was only part of the story. In order to stretch British Empire forces various intrigues were being played out across the globe and this book details one of them.

The demands for manpower meant that any diversion of troops to a secondary theatre could have catastrophic effects on the primary theatre, The Western Front.

With this in mind the Germans sent a mission to Afghanistan to foment an attack on India.

The author covers in great detail the German mission and the physical endurance the mission required just to reach Afghanistan via Allied controlled territories. The mission's exit from Afghanistan to Germany was similarly difficult and reads like a John Buchan novel. The book also covers further missions to Afghanistan in World War 2.

I did find the writing style somewhat dry and repetitive at times, but this is a valuable contribution to a little known arena of World War 2 where written accounts are either out of print or in very short supply.

Just before the beginning of World War I, the Kaiser of the German Empire, Wilhelm II, decided it would be a good idea to cause trouble between Russia and Britain.  (These two empires were headed by his cousins Nicholas II and George V, also grandsons of Queen Victoria.)  What better way to foment problems in Asia than to become friends with the Afghani Emir (Shah, King).  Afghanistan was the last remaining independent Moslem country in Asia (Siam/Thailand was independent but majority Buddhist).  It sat right between the newly Russian conquered central Asian kingdoms and India (Kashmir and the Punjab).  India had the largest Moslem population in the world and was ripe for revolution.

The Kaiser had made a state visit to Kabul and was mightily impressed by his welcome.  Rumors were that the Kaiser had converted to Islam and was going to make it the German Empire’s State Religion.  The German General Staff was happy to go and help train the Afghani Army and bring it up to modern European standards.  When war broke out in 1914, a mission was sent to Kabul to try and convince the Emir to declare war on both Russia and Britain on the side of Germany.

The two men were sent to Afghanistan by the Kaiser, to present the idea of raising rebellion in both Central Asia and along the Indian border.  Then as now, the border area (then Indian, now Pakistani) was known as the North-West Frontier Province.  It had never been subdued by the Indian Princelings who claimed the area.  Every time an Army was sent in, most didn’t come back.  Just as today, the Pathans that inhabit the area, resent anyone coming into their territory.  

Both of the men to head the mission had lived in Asia for many years, and both spoke Farsi (Persian), the language of the Afghani court.  The problem they had was getting to Afghanistan through Persia, a British sphere of influence.  The story starts with a little history of the two Germans and then tells the story of how they finally made it to Kabul. They spent two years trying to convince the Emir to declare war, but were unsuccessful. Having to split up, they returned to German by a diversity of ways.

The last part of the book is a follow up on the men who went to Kabul, and on those they had talked with and worked with there, and the British and Russians who spied on them.
All in all well written and researched, plus well plotted and presented.

Zeb Kantrowitz                                 zworstblog.blogspot.com