An Ever Present Danger: A Concise History of British Military Operations on the North-West Frontier, 1849-1947 (Occasional Paper, Number 33)

This Occasional Paper will examine the almost continual efforts of British and Indian soldiers both regular and irregular to combat and pacify the Pashtun tribes of the Northwest Frontier. It also will examine the tactics employed in the various campaigns. Chapter 1 deals briefly with the history of the British in India, the geography of the Northwest Frontier, the Pashtun tribes, and the First Afghan War. Chapter 2 addresses British military operations from 1849-1900 and discusses the Punjab Irregular Force PIF and its efforts to stop Pashtun raids into Punjab, as well as early punitive expeditions into the Northwest Frontier. This chapter also examines the failure to pass along the lessons of the PIF to the British and Indian regular forces as they deployed for the first time in strength into the Northwest Frontier during the Pashtun revolt of 1897. The chapter additionally investigates the renewed tactical effectiveness of the Pashtun tribes, brought about by modern and more effective weapons. Chapter 3 explores British attempts to capture the lessons of the 1897-1898 Pashtun revolt by publishing new training manuals, instituting new training programs, and folding the irregular forces into the British and Indian Regular Army. The chapter will examine the success of these programs the 1908 Khel and Mohmand campaigns, and the dire consequences of their abandonment prior to the 1919-1921 Waziristan Campaign. Chapter 4 examines the challenges confronting the British and Indian Army on the Northwest Frontier during the 1920s and 1930s. This chapter will discuss British attempts to incorporate the past lessons of hill warfare. The results of these new tactical adjustments are explored by examining the 1935 Mohmand campaign, the 1936-1937 Waziristan campaign, and British efforts to track down and kill the elusive Faqir of Ipi. The final chapter offers an analysis of lessons learned by the British on the Northwest Frontier and their relevance for the U.S. Army.