Part 3/12:
By mid-1918, Dunsterville was stationed at Enzeli, a port on the Caspian Sea, engaged in delicate negotiations with local Bolshevik authorities. Meanwhile, Colonel Bicherakov, alongside his Cossacks—who claimed Bolshevik sympathies—hoped to halt advancing Ottoman forces by capturing the Kura Bridge and Baku’s Red Army. The Ottoman aim was clear: seize Baku, control its vast oil reserves, and command the Caspian Sea, opening pathways into Afghanistan and possibly deeper into Asia.
For Britain, holding Baku would mean closing off Central Asia to enemy forces, cutting off their supply lines, and dominating vital railway routes. As the situation intensified, the conflicting interests of these factions created a delicate, often chaotic, situation on the ground.