Evening star., 1941-08-26
British Take Big Oil Refinery
In Selling 3 Vital Iran Points;
Air roops Cut Communications
Seven Axis Ships
Captured in Port;
Russians Advance
Nv the Associated Press.

LONDON, Aug. rs. - sum
scourged Indian and British
troops controlled three vital
strategic points in Iran today
after brief skirmishes-Bandar
Shahpur, Qasr-I-Shirin and
Abadan, occupying at the latter
one of the worlds three largest
oil refineries.
Air-borne troops, flying fighters
such as Germany used in her bloody
conquest of Crete, took part in the
British thrusts. Co-ordinated with
Russian drives from the north, they
swiftly throttled communications OF
the defenders.
British sources said the lightning
movements of these air-borne troops
were believed to have saved the large
foreign colonies of Iran. including
numerous Americans and British,
from possible harm and to have
prevented sabotage Of vital oil prop
critics.
SCFCh hAlS SSA&Su.
A communique reported that four
German merchant ships, two OF
them beached and two damaged,
and three slightly damaged Italian
vessels were seized at Bandar
Shahpur. The crews of these tank
ers and freighters apparently were
caught by surprise.
A spokesman said Iran has
ignored repeated British protests
that Iran was violating international
law in harboring the craft, which
he declared would be useful to the
British later. He forecast swift
capture of the Trans-Iranian Rail-
way.
1t was emphasized in Simla, India,
that the British government was
conducting the campaign, although
the Indian command. headed by
Gen. Sir Archibald P. Wavell, is
directing land operations.
The advancing Tommies are using
naval and air protection to hold
Bandar Shahpur, southern terminus
of the Trans-I -Iranian Railway, which
leads directly to Teheran, the mod
ern capital on the mountain slopes
20 miles south of the Caspian Sea.
Pipe Line Terminus Taken.
Indian troops who dashed across
the Tigris River occupied Abadan
and its island oil refinery, thus gain
ing possession of the southern end
of the pipe line from the rich oil
fed at Masjid-I-Sulaiman.
CThe Abadan refinery is COM
parable in size to the oil-proc-
essing plant at Port Arthur,
Tex. and production is normally
between 100000 and 100000 bar
rels a day. The refinery could
produce enough fuel to keep the
entire British Navy in operationD
Other British and Indian units,
Including tank and armored car de-
tachments, crossed the Iraq frontier
at Khanaqin, secured the oil install
lation at Naft-I-Shah and took the
town of Qashr-I- Shirin.
Gen. Wavell's desert fighters now
hold the western and southern ter
minals of Trans only two modern
highways.
A threat of invasion OF India
seemed to British observers to be
removed by the Russian-British ac-
ton against Iran. Since Afghan
istan forms the longest barrier be-
tween India and Iran it was assumed
that British operations would all
be primarily directed from Iraq.
Arid Baluchistan only has common
frontiers with India and Iran.
Air Troops Guard Families.
Air-borne troops we're flown into
Iran to protect the families OF
Britons employed by the Anglo
Iranian Oil Co. Details of their
operations, presumably involving use
of both parachutists and aerial
transports for landing of ground
troops, were not disclosed.
The r. A. F. strafed three planes
ION a hostile landing ground" in
Iran as the planes were taking of
"to attack our troops" the Middle
East command of the Royal Air
Force reported in Cairo.
The nationality of the hostile
craft was not mentioned, but they
were described as of the Hawker
type, a British make, indicating the
likelihood that they were Iranian.
Some fighting at Abadan" was
authoritatively acknowledged.
Generally, however, resistance by
Iranian forces on the second day
of the simultaneous tish-Russian
drives into modern Persia was very
slight, an authoritative source de-
ciared.
Quick capitulation of Iran and
establishment of an all-weather
route for transport of war supplies
to Russia we're forecast by British
observers.
.-f