The Berlin-Baghdad Railway In British Intelligence Reports (July-August 1917)

Abstract

The Berlin-Baghdad Railway was a project built on the territory of the Ottoman Empire from the late 19^th century onwards, with Germany as the contractor state. The railway became a symbol of the expansion of German imperialism and its interests in the Middle East. From the 1890s onwards, Great Britain saw the railway project as a strategic, economic and military threat. The railway line was interpreted as an attempt to bring the Ottoman Empire under German influence and to increase Germany’s military, political and economic power in the Middle East. During the First World War, the Baghdad Railway was closely monitored by Great Britain as an infrastructure system that would allow Germany to easily deliver troops and ammunition to the Ottoman territories, and it was treated as a strategic issue.

This study is based on British intelligence reports titled Intelligence Mesopotamia (Iraq), covering the period from July 18 to August 22, 1917. As these intelligence reports are derived from 1917 records, they provide insights into both the development of the Baghdad Railway during World War I and the military movements of the Ottoman army in the regions corresponding to present-day Syria and Iraq. The primary objective of the research is to analyze the content of British intelligence reports within an analytical framework, re-evaluating the critical importance of the Baghdad Railway on the Mesopotamian front during World War I through British documents, and to address the gap in the existing literature. The British intelligence documents from 1917 contain information on the construction process of the railway, the Ottoman military organization’s regional movements, and intelligencegathering activities regarding these developments. Therefore, this study is based on the intelligence collected by British authorities concerning the Ottoman Empire’s railway construction activities, engineering projects, and military operations in Syria and Iraq. British local intelligence reports documented the Ottoman Empire’s military strategies and infrastructure projects, tracking critical developments through field agents. The efforts to gather information on railway construction and its progress were aimed at assessing the enemy’s military logistics capacity and strategic plans. These intelligence documents are significant as they highlight the military and strategic importance of railway construction. The research methodology follows a sequence of source review, classification, analysis, critique, and synthesis.

There is no study that would require the approval of the Ethical Committee in this article.

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