Operations in Waziristan 1919 – 1920. Confidential. Serial No. 224.

Description

This highly detailed 1921 confidential British-Indian general staff report, produced by the Survey of India, documents the Waziristan military operations of 1919–1920 along the volatile frontier of the Northwest Boundary. The publication includes a frontispiece, 31 plates, seven maps (three of which are pocket-folded), and eight folding panoramic illustrations that chronicle both the terrain and troop dispositions. The maps provide tactical clarity on routes, native strongholds, topographic obstacles, and British positions. At the same time, the accompanying text analyzes operational strategy, lessons learned, and the emergent use of air power in tribal warfare.

Waziristan (now in Pakistan) had long been viewed by the British as a strategically critical and persistently unstable frontier region, inhabited by fiercely autonomous Waziri and Mahsud tribes. The 1919–1920 campaign followed the Third Anglo-Afghan War, during which boundary tensions and local insurrections compelled renewed military intervention. This report presents not just the operational narrative but also the institutional mindset of early 20th-century colonial warfare, combining detailed cartography with doctrinal reflection.