WW2 - Importance of North Africa Flashcards
Where did the Suez canal link to?
India
What did British military leaders worry about before 1939 with the Mediterranean?
- Danger Italy might pose if it allied with Germany in the war
When did Italy join WW2?
28th May 1940
What did Italy do when they first joined WW2?
- Invaded southern France
- Had soldiers in France’s North African colonies
(Modern-day Libya, bordering Egypt)
Where was a major naval base for Italy?
Taranto
Where did Britain have entrance to the Mediterranean?
Gibraltar
Who was the Spanish dictator?
Franco
Where did Britain have control of in North Africa?
- Suez canal
- Unofficial control of Egypt
- Controlled Palestine
- Colony in Somalia
- Dominated Iraq and Transjordan
Importance of the Mediterranean?
Key to defence of oil supplies from the East
What dominated military thinking in 1940?
Defence and routeway to the Empire
What was important about the Suez canal after 1942?
Route to India:
- If a North African attack by Germany broke into Egypt, then German forces might link up with Russia and the middle east.
When did Russia and Germany go to war?
1941
By 1942 the Russian forces had been driven south
Who did Britain struggle against in Italy?
Could easily beat Italians
German Afrika Korps
Who was the commander of the German Afrika Korps?
General Erwin Rommel
What did Churchill also hope would come from North African war?
He hoped for a Balkan front:
- Greece
- Yugoslavia
- Turkey
How did Churchill achieve his Balkan front?
He sent troupes into Greece when Italy invaded in 1940.
What was the point of the Balkan front?
Draw German resources into the open and open the prospect of greatly increased British influence in South-East Europe.
When did Churchill first attack Turkey?
1915
What did Churchill call Turkey?
“the soft underbelly of Europe”
How was the attack on Turkey in 1915 different to 1940-41?
British forces were forced out of Greece and the Balkans
When was Egypt under threat?
1941
Problems faced by the German Afrika Korps?
- Rommel was short of men
- Supplies were short
- Forced back after the battle of El Alamein
When did Britain need to start taking the USA into account?
December 1941
What did the USA favour over Churchill’s persistence with the Mediterranean?
Rapid expansion into Northern France
American general:
George Marshall
Why did George Marshall disagree with Churchill in his protection of the Mediterranean?
- Wasting resources
- Take pressure off Russia and establish a new western front
- great German Atlantic fortifications had not been built yet in 1942.
- success of the war depended on the survival of Russia and also engaging in and defeating the main German forces
- Mediterranean was a distraction and of limited strategic importance, especially once Rommel’s invasion of Egypt had been halted.
