ABSTRACT
The first phase of the Mesopotamian campaign and the first action of the war in Mesopotamia began on November 3, 1914 with the capture of a small village at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway. A second objective of the Indian Army's invasion of Mesopotamia and capture of Basra was to eliminate the possibility of Germany shipping arms and supplies from Berlin to Ottoman forces to Baghdad. The next objective of this first phase of the campaign was an advance up the Shatt al-Arab waterway to take control of the strategically important village of Qurna. Sir Arthur Barrett, commanding the 6th Division at the start of the invasion of Mesopotamia, fell ill and left Basra for India. This second phase of the war in Mesopotamia began slowly, with the new commanding general undertaking a year-long reorganization and rebuilding of the entire army before advancing toward Baghdad.
