Battle of Malakand Pass

Battle of Malakand Pass
	Part of the Chitral Expedition
Date	3 April 1895
Location	Malakand Pass, British India
Result	British Victory
Belligerents
British Empire United Kingdom; British Raj;	Chitralis
Commanders and leaders
Maj. Gen. Robert Low; Brig. Gen. Bindon Blood	Umra Khan
Units involved
1st Gordon Highlanders; 1st Bedford Regiment; 37th Dogras; Pro-British Chitralis	tribesmen
Strength
c.16,000	12,000+ tribesmen
Casualties and losses
11 killed, 51 wounded	500+ killed

The Battle of Malakand pass took place in the Malakand Pass between a British expeditionary force commanded by Robert Low, a General of the British Indian Army against tribal Chitralis during the Chitral Expedition.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Background

Following the siege on Chitral Fort by Chitrali forces led by Umra Khan, British authorities in India organised a military relief force, numbering at around 16,000 British and Indian soldiers, to push back the rebel tribesman laying siege to the fort. In order for the relief force to reach the fort, they had to cross over the Malakand Pass to reach into the Swat and Jandol areas. The British had limited geographical information on the area and had to travel over mountain paths to reach their destination, encountering hostile tribesmen along the way.^[6]

The Battle

British forces had encamped below the Malakand pass by early April. Initially, the pass was defended by only a few rebel tribesmen. However, once the British intention became clear, considerable numbers of additional tribesmen made their way to the mountain pass, numbering in the thousands.^[6]

The battle took place over the course of five hours on 3 April 1895, when British and Indian forces began to fight their way up the mountain pass, with artillery supporting their movements from nearby mountain tops. By this time, an estimated 12,000 tribesmen, half of which were armed with firearms, were defending the pass. Over the course of five hours, 11 British soldiers and over 500 tribesmen were killed.^[6]

Aftermath

Following the battle, the tribal forces retreated to the Swat valley and were pursued by the British Bedford regiment and the British-Indian 37th Dogras regiment as far as Khar, Bajaur.^[6]

References

^ "British Intervention in Chitral 1895". onwar.com.
^ Fincastle, The Viscount; Eliott-Lockhart, P. C. (2012-02-02). A Frontier Campaign: A Narrative of the Operations of the Malakand and Buner Field Forces, 1897–1898. Andrews UK Limited. p. 55. ISBN 9781781515518.
^ Churchill, Winston (2010-01-01). The Story of the Malakand Field Force. Courier Corporation. p. 61. ISBN 9780486474748.
^ Raugh, Harold E. (2004-01-01). The Victorians at War, 1815-1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History. ABC-CLIO. p. 48. ISBN 9781576079256.
^ Churchill, Winston (1902-01-01). The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan. Courier Corporation. p. 213. ISBN 9780486447858.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Siege and Relief of Chitral". BritishBattles.com.

[1] "British Intervention in Chitral 1895". onwar.com.

[2] Fincastle, The Viscount; Eliott-Lockhart, P. C. (2012-02-02). A Frontier Campaign: A Narrative of the Operations of the Malakand and Buner Field Forces, 1897–1898. Andrews UK Limited. p. 55. ISBN 9781781515518.

[3] Churchill, Winston (2010-01-01). The Story of the Malakand Field Force. Courier Corporation. p. 61. ISBN 9780486474748.

[4] Raugh, Harold E. (2004-01-01). The Victorians at War, 1815-1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History. ABC-CLIO. p. 48. ISBN 9781576079256.

[5] Churchill, Winston (1902-01-01). The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan. Courier Corporation. p. 213. ISBN 9780486447858.

[BritBat-6] "Siege and Relief of Chitral". BritishBattles.com.

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