Comments by "James the Other One" (@jamestheotherone742) on "MALTA's Impact on the North African Campaign WW2... And More! TIK Q&A 5" video.

  1.  @CSSVirginia  The folly of man is magnified when viewed through the lens of history.
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  2. @24:00 and 30:00 on. Yeah, Turkey was actually the linchpin that the Axis need but could never get to commit to its side. This was because at the time no side was doing so well that it would be a "safe bet" or would promise what it would have wanted (restoration of the Ottoman territories). The British wouldn't because they had just wrestled said territory away from them and never really needed/wanted Turkish help. They also had a non-aggression pact with the Turks so they figured their flank was secure. The Turks and Russians are traditional enemies and regional rivals so that wasn't ever going to happen. That left the Axis, well, the Germans. But the Turks were still wary from their WWI experience as an ally of Germany, and Inonu (Turkish Pres.) did not trust Hitler (for good reason!). But they though about it during the whole war but the Germans were never in the position where "Yup, they won! Lets jump on the coat tails!" like they DID joint the Allies in 1945. It is very likely that IF the Germans hadn't gotten bogged down along the Eastern Front AND the Afrika Corp had pushed the British out of Egypt and into Asia Minor AND had promised to give them the old Ottoman Empire back, it probably would have induced the Turks to join the Axis. Tactically it would have been like another Romania had signed on, but strategically it would have had major implications. The Turks would have replaced Italians as supporting characters in the "Arabian Corps", and the Germans would have been able to attack the caucuses (and their oil fields!) directly as a pincer movement. "LIberating" Iran probably would have been easy too. Of course this ultimately would have been for naught as this probably wouldn't overcome Soviet and American manpower and material overmatch, might have even involved Turkey getting nuked in 1948 or '50 for their trouble. So wound up that discretion was the better part of valor for the Turks..
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  3. No. It was a meaningless distraction of Axis resources when they needed them the most (Eastern Front).
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