diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/TranslogRecoveryPerformer.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/TranslogRecoveryPerformer.java
index 60d3cfc71b6..bbe613b61c9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/TranslogRecoveryPerformer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/TranslogRecoveryPerformer.java
@@ -21,11 +21,14 @@ package org.elasticsearch.index.shard;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.Query;
 import org.apache.lucene.search.join.BitDocIdSetFilter;
 import org.elasticsearch.ElasticsearchException;
+import org.elasticsearch.Version;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Nullable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.bytes.BytesReference;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.collect.Tuple;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.lucene.search.Queries;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentHelper;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentParser;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.aliases.IndexAliasesService;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.cache.IndexCache;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.engine.Engine;
@@ -37,6 +40,8 @@ import org.elasticsearch.index.mapper.MapperUtils;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.mapper.Mapping;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.mapper.Uid;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.query.IndexQueryParserService;
+import org.elasticsearch.index.query.ParsedQuery;
+import org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryParsingException;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.translog.Translog;
 
 import java.util.HashMap;
@@ -160,7 +165,24 @@ public class TranslogRecoveryPerformer {
         if (types == null) {
             types = Strings.EMPTY_ARRAY;
         }
-        Query query = queryParserService.parseQuery(source).query();
+        Query query;
+        try {
+            query = queryParserService.parseQuery(source).query();
+        } catch (QueryParsingException ex) {
+            // for BWC we try to parse directly the query since pre 1.0.0.Beta2 we didn't require a top level query field
+            if ( queryParserService.getIndexCreatedVersion().onOrBefore(Version.V_1_0_0_Beta2)) {
+                try {
+                    XContentParser parser = XContentHelper.createParser(source);
+                    ParsedQuery parse = queryParserService.parse(parser);
+                    query = parse.query();
+                } catch (Throwable t) {
+                    ex.addSuppressed(t);
+                    throw ex;
+                }
+            } else {
+                throw ex;
+            }
+        }
         Query searchFilter = mapperService.searchFilter(types);
         if (searchFilter != null) {
             query = Queries.filtered(query, searchFilter);
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShardTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShardTests.java
index 97e988f819f..da7f17ce48d 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShardTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/index/shard/IndexShardTests.java
@@ -19,22 +19,26 @@
 package org.elasticsearch.index.shard;
 
 import org.elasticsearch.ElasticsearchException;
+import org.elasticsearch.Version;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.stats.IndexStats;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.IndexMetaData;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.MutableShardRouting;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.ShardRouting;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.ShardRoutingState;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.bytes.BytesArray;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.logging.ESLogger;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
 import org.elasticsearch.env.NodeEnvironment;
 import org.elasticsearch.env.ShardLock;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.IndexService;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.engine.Engine;
+import org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryParsingException;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.translog.Translog;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.translog.TranslogConfig;
 import org.elasticsearch.indices.IndicesService;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.DummyShardLock;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.ElasticsearchSingleNodeTest;
+import org.elasticsearch.test.VersionUtils;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -329,4 +333,33 @@ public class IndexShardTests extends ElasticsearchSingleNodeTest {
         client().admin().indices().prepareUpdateSettings(shard.shardId.getIndex()).setSettings(settingsBuilder().put(TranslogConfig.INDEX_TRANSLOG_DURABILITY, durabilty.name()).build()).get();
         assertEquals(durabilty, shard.getTranslogDurability());
     }
+
+    public void testDeleteByQueryBWC() {
+        Version version = VersionUtils.randomVersion(random());
+        assertAcked(client().admin().indices().prepareCreate("test")
+                .setSettings(SETTING_NUMBER_OF_SHARDS, 1, SETTING_NUMBER_OF_REPLICAS, 0, IndexMetaData.SETTING_VERSION_CREATED, version.id));
+        ensureGreen("test");
+        client().prepareIndex("test", "person").setSource("{ \"user\" : \"kimchy\" }").get();
+
+        IndicesService indicesService = getInstanceFromNode(IndicesService.class);
+        IndexService test = indicesService.indexService("test");
+        IndexShard shard = test.shard(0);
+        int numDocs = 1;
+        shard.state = IndexShardState.RECOVERING;
+        try {
+            shard.recoveryState().getTranslog().totalOperations(1);
+            shard.engine().config().getTranslogRecoveryPerformer().performRecoveryOperation(shard.engine(), new Translog.DeleteByQuery(new Engine.DeleteByQuery(null, new BytesArray("{\"term\" : { \"user\" : \"kimchy\" }}"), null, null, null, Engine.Operation.Origin.RECOVERY, 0, "person")));
+            assertTrue(version.onOrBefore(Version.V_1_0_0_Beta2));
+            numDocs = 0;
+        } catch (QueryParsingException ex) {
+            assertTrue(version.after(Version.V_1_0_0_Beta2));
+        } finally {
+            shard.state = IndexShardState.STARTED;
+        }
+        shard.engine().refresh("foo");
+
+        try (Engine.Searcher searcher = shard.engine().acquireSearcher("foo")) {
+            assertEquals(numDocs, searcher.reader().numDocs());
+        }
+    }
 }