British Assault
Britain had hoped that the Shah would put down the militant threat to vital British oil interests. Failing that British troops would assist their Iranian brothers-in-arms. Only as a last resort would the army be sent in through Iranian military resistance to achieve that goal. Reality though had forced a fourth tier where immediate action was required, without the planned co-ordinated multi-thrust advance.
As darkness fell on Abadan calm returned to the refinery with the departure of the Swordfish and the rioters, and the bruised Iranian army regrouped. But on the Iraqi side of the Shatt al-Arab the Basra waterfront was abuzz with activity. The plan to capture the Iranian refinery had already been drafted as Operation Demon (ii), and now was hurriedly implemented as well as related Operations to secure Khorramshahr.
Advancing from the Iraqi eastern bank of the Shatt al-Arab, three battalions of infantry, together with armoured cars of The Guides Cavalry and field artillery, crossed from Basra onto the Iraqi eastern bank of the Shatt al-Arab, and moved on Khorramshahr and Iran’s main naval base.
Using an assortment of naval vessels, motorboats and barges another two battalions of the 24th Indian Infantry Brigade were embarked, and slipped down the Shatt, detouring behind Om Al-Rasas Island to mask their presence from Khorramshahr, headed for the creeks and jetties of the Abadan waterfront. In the predawn gloom the British troops landed at Abadan, but they were not unnoticed. An Iranian machine gun position spotted hostiles on the main jetty and opened fire, raising the alert to the Iranian garrison. Elsewhere heavy fire caused one British squad to abort its landing spot, being pinned down using merchant ships for cover. But these actions were soon overwhelmed as a steadily increasing number of troops moved ashore, forcing the Iranian defenders to pull back from the waterfront and Abadan.
Further up the Shatt, the frigate HMS Falmouth joined the HMS Shoreham in attacking Khorramshahr from the water. Iran’s remaining sloop, the Babr was surprised and hit by multiple salvos, turning into a blazing hulk without the chance to return fire. Now on alert, the Iranian training ship Ivy was able to open fire on the Kenyan launch Baleeka, but was racked by gunfire and neutralised. On shore Iranian troops also opened fire on the British vessels, but without concern for preventing damage to facilities the British ships had no hesitation about shelling the Iranian naval barracks. British landing parties captured two Iranian gunboats still docked, and as the sun rose more troops poured ashore, securing the waterfront.
In Khorramshahr, Rear Admiral Bayendor found his small fleet wiped out and the naval base itself ablaze. In addition to the battle along the river bank, British troops and armoured cars had reached the western edge of the city. With Khorramshahr under heavy attack and Abadan falling, Bayendor could see that his position was hopeless, and made orders for a withdrawal toward Ahvaz. He divided his troops to mount a delaying action in the city, while other units were tasked to protect the naval munitions depot and vital roadpoints that would allow the army units retreating from Abadan to join the withdrawal.
Bayendor and other senior officers moved their command post to a radio communications facility to maintain contact with Tehran. As a prepared position with an anti-tank ditch, Iranian troops halted the advance of the British infantry there. However the arrival of British armoured cars with artillery and mortar support bought the fighting to close quarters, and eventually the Iranians began to fall back. As they pulled back to their next defensive position, Bayendor fell to British gunners. Aided by effective artillery from the Iranian 6th Division artillery, the Iranian troops made another stand at their position several hundred metres back. But, surrounded and with no senior officers the Iranian captain commanding the defenders soon surrendered his 150 men.
![[ img ]](https://i.imgur.com/lWCKQsW.png)
Save for snipers and pockets of holdouts, by the end of the day Abadan and Khorramshahr had fallen to the British forces, while the battered Iranian army and naval units beat a retreat to Ahvaz – itself still a battleground between the military and rioters.