Wwii: the African and Mediterranean Theatres of War Essay

WWII: The African and Mediterranean Theatres of War Essay The battle for northerly Africa was a struggle for control of the Suez Canal and get to to anele from the midsection East and raw materials from Asia. Oil in finicky had execute a critical strategic commodity ascribable to the increase mechanization of modern armies. Britain, which was the first major farming to correction a completely mechanized army, was particularly unfree on the Middle Eastern oil. The Suez Canal also provided Britain with a worth(predicate) link to her overseas dominionspart of a lifeline that ran done and through the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, the North African commove and the nautical campaign for the Mediterranean were extensions of each other in a in truth(prenominal) real sense. The struggle for control of North Africa began as earlyish as October 1935, when Italy invaded Ethiopia from its colony Italian Somaliland. That move do Egypt very wary of Italys imperialistic aspirations. In reaction, the Egyptians granted Britain leave to invest relatively large forces in their territory. Britain and France also concord to take off the responsibility for chief(prenominal)taining naval control of the Mediterranean, with the principal(prenominal) British can located at Alexandria, Egypt. Italy was the wild plank in the Mediterranean strategic equation at the showtime of WWII.

If the Italians remained neutral, British access to the vital sea lanes would remain nigh assured. If Italy sided with Germany, the powerful Italian navy had the capability to close the Mediterranean. The navys main base w as at Taranto in southern Italy, and operati! ons from in that respect would be back up by Italian occupation force units flying from bases in Sicily and Sardinia. Italy did remain neutral when Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. When Germany invaded France in June 1940, however, Benito Mussolini could not resist the opportunity to press stud his share of the spoils. On June 11, 1940, six days after the British evacuation at Dunkirk, France, Italy tell war on Britain and France. Britain...If you requirement to get a spacious essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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