A Secret Expedition to Afghanistan in World War One

The Kaiser's Mission to Kabul: A Secret Expedition to Afghanistan in World War One - Jules Stewart - I. B. Taurus, 2014.

ISBN: 978 1 78076 8755 232pp

The amazing thing about this year's centenary of the start of World War One is the sheer amount of new information, stories and accounts that are seeing the light of day. It makes you realise how much you don't know, even about a topic you might be reasonably familiar with.

This book covers one such story, even if, with hindsight, it might seem obvious that Germany should seek to embarrass Britain in Afghanistan. This chapter in the ‘Great Game' took place in 1915 when a secret expedition, led by Oskar von Niedermayer and Werner von Hentig, set out overland by devious routes, trying not to draw attention to themselves, to persuade the amir of Afhanistan, Habibullah Khan, to declare war on Britain and invade British India, thus diverting troops that Britain could otherwise use elsewhere against German forces. The journey there itself is a tale of intrigue and adventure, and the divisions between the ‘military' part of the expedition and the ‘diplomatic' part compound the difficulties. Inevitably word slipped out to the British and the Viceroy of India put great pressure on the amir to resist German blandishments.

The mission was, as is obvious by the fact it is so relatively unknown, a complete failure but that does not mean that this book is either boring or anticlimactic. Studying the mission sheds a great deal of light on the role of Persia and Turkey in WW1, as well as highlighting some of the difficulties faced by the British in India. There does seem a certain familiarity too in the divisions and ruthlessness of Afghani politics during 1915-18! The book reminds us how difficult and dangerous travel was in many parts of the world at that time, and the trials and tribulations faced by members of the expedition before some of them return to Berlin are horrendous. This book provides an interesting insight into a largely forgotten area of WW1, and an insight into some of the intrigue that went on out of sight of the major conflicts.