Your mouth still smells of milk, how can I ask
You to take on this seasoned warrior’s task,
To fight with lion warriors, and beat
Them back until they scatter in defeat?
- From the Shahnameh
At the beginning of the war, the New Persian Empire was at a great disadvantage. The Shah held the vast majority of military and civilian industries, and boasted a far greater military force. International trade was under control by the loyalists, who held all the ports. Given these factors, foreign diplomats in both Tehran and Bandar e’Abbas estimated that the fascist government would topple within the year, if not sooner. The Soviet Union gave orders to troops on the border with Iran to prepare for a flood of refugees and runaways when the fascist state crumbled.
In Tehran itself, Arash Buzarjomehri and the fascist leadership were well aware of their precarious situation. The coup had been a gamble to begin with, and one that could easily be lost; if they delayed too long, the Shah would easily surround their forces and overrun their positions. The command of the entire fascist military was granted to Hasan Arfa, the great hero who had slain the Shah’s communist minister. Arfa and his staff were in agreement that the fascists would be the first to move, and move aggressively: speed and maneuver would help lead to an early victory. Arfa suggested taking the majority of Persian forces and making a mad drive, right between the gaps in the Shah’s forces, for Bandar e’Abbas. It was a strategy he dubbed “lightning war,” and with which he believed Persia’s inferior numbers could be used for an advantage. Historians later nicknamed the plan as the New Persian Empire’s “Drive to the Gulf.”
The offensive began in August. General Arfa moved the 3rd and 5th infantry brigades down through the eastern side of Iran. It was in the Kerman district, on 16 August, that the Persians ran into the Shah’s forces for the first battle of the civil war. The royalist 2nd infantry brigade were dug into the sands, and prepared for the attack. The Persian armies attacked along the northern front, but soon found their firepower ineffective. Casualties rose quickly. Arfa radioed for the Imperial Gendarmerie, which had aligned with the fascists, to come from the west. Even with this move, the Shah’s men continued to hold the line. The Persian air force dominated the sky, and attempted to bomb the royalists from above. It wasn’t until 4 October that the royalists finally slipped away in the middle of the night, heading southward. The fascists pursued, encountering other loyalist troops that likewise put up a hardy defense before retreating southward due to pressure.
The fighting dragged on close to the end of the year, and for the Persian Fascists, the civil war had thus far been an embarrassment. The royalists had only lost over 700 men, while the fascists lost more than 2,000. A battle that should have, at worst, lasted a few weeks, had instead taken an entire month to resolve. The Persian soldiers had performed below average in battle, with the royalists having an amazing advantage. It was suspected by some that the British were supplying the Shah with weapons and material, just as they had in 1921. Indeed, British advisers were present among the Shah’s men, assisting them out of fear that a Fascist Iran would align itself with Nazi Germany, their support was kept limited only out of fear that the Soviet Union would take their interference an excuse to invade.
Arash Buzarjomehri was disheartened by the performance of the Persian army thus far, and was determined to improve the state of the military. He pressed for a greater focus into the army. For Chief of Army, he hired Hassan Majid Firooz, a fascist officer with as great an emphasis on offensive as Arash desired. Persia’s military researchers attempted to improve the artillery weaponry, which had been woefully ignored for the larger part of Iran’s history. Advisers were likewise sent to the front-lines to investigate what strategies worked, what didn’t, and what lessons could be learned. Industrial officials were commanded to focus on improving the equipment of the New Persian Empire's army.
On 9 December, after much heavy fighting through the open terrain, Arfa finally arrived at Bandar e’Abbas. As the 5th Brigade approached, they came under heavy fire from not one, but two enemy units. The fascists attempted to probe around the city, but only suffered mounting losses, each day. After only a few days of fighting, Arfa reviewed his situation. Any chance of breaking through the enemy defenses into the city itself was out of the question. Furthermore, his supply line amounted to a thin corridor northward, flanked by enemy troops – if he fought too long, it would give them a chance to cut his troops off from the rest of the army. He had pressed the attack in the hopes of taking the city and negating this dilemma, but even this had proved futile. With much regret, Arfa ordered the 5th Brigade to withdraw north. The “Drive to the Gulf” had ended in failure.
The Shah gloated at this event. He radioed a message to his supporters, announcing that his headquarters had been defended, and the fascists were on the run. British and Soviet agents sent word to their respective governments that the fascists were on their last legs, and would most likely crumble by the end of next year.
Arfa also had other concerns. Word had arrived from the north: royalist forces, in a surprising move, had reached Tehran, and were now launching an attack!
