Comments by "John Burns" (@johnburns4017) on "Why did Churchill and De Gaulle invade Syria in 1941?" video.

  1. To say Churchill did all this to cajole/impress the USA is fanciful. This Syria invasion was in June 1941. The situation in May/June was: ♦ There was legitimate concerns at protecting the oil in the Middle East, as the Axis was desperate for oil. ♦ In May 1941 the Italian fleet could not put to sea as they had no oil. ♦ What remained of the German surface fleet was quietly retired to port through lack of oil. ♦ The Germans held all of Greece. ♦ A pro-Axis coup in Iraq was in April 1941. British forces suppressed it, securing the oil in Iraq. ♦ Turkey showed no sign of joining in on the Axis side - they initially assessed Germany would be beaten unable to match the troop numbers from the British Empire. ♦ Were the Axis to invade Turkey as a springboard into the Middle East? To invade Syria they needed a large naval invasion force which they never had. Turkey would be via land, or short water hops. ♦ The British knew of the German build up for the invasion of the USSR in June 1941. The Germans would go for the Soviet oil fields near Iran/Turkey/Iraq. ♦ Operation Crusader was being planned to gain Libya - with troop and armour build ups. ♦ The British had an oil refinery in Iran. ♦ The British had an oil refinery in Haifa, Palestine (Italians bombed it in 1940), in easy bombing range from Syria. ♦ An oil pipeline from the Gulf to the Med at Palestine was being built. That the Axis would make a lunge for the Middle East was a legitimate concern - they were involved in the coup in Iraq. They were already trying to get there via Egypt. Pro Nazi Vichy controlled Syria. Securing the countries south of Turkey/USSR was essential. There was a possibility that Vichy France would collaborate closer with the Axis, allowing the Axis a firm hold in the Middle East in Syria. Vichy was not to be trusted, as they allowed the Japanese into Indochina near to British Malay/Burma, also breaking an agreement in making a separate peace with Germans in France. As the securing of Syria started the Germans invaded the USSR. Only a matter of weeks after the conclusion in Syria the British and Soviets invaded Iran to secure the refinery and oil pipeline into the USSR. This secured oil for British forces in the North Africa/Middle East and the USSR. All this securing the Middle East paid dividends. At the end of 1941 the British controlled all the Middle East and all the coast from Turkey to Libya. The Axis had been driven back 500km in North Africa in Operation Crusader, with the British expecting to rid them from North Africa quite soon controlling all the southern Med coast. The Germans had been stopped and pushed back at the Battle of Moscow. 40% of the tanks used were supplied under British lend lease. The British were planning an invasion of Sicily in 1942. Once North Africa and the Middle East were secure, with British convoys using the Med, the British could concentrate in aiding the Soviets 100%. The British and Soviets were expecting to defeat the Germans. In Dec 1941 the Japanese attacked the British, Dutch and Americans. The Royal Navy moved many ships to the Indian Ocean from the Mediterranean. Ground troops to face the Japanese were moved from the theatre. This was bad timing as the British were expecting to rid the Axis from North Africa and gain control of all the southern Med coast. This seriously weakened British forces against the Axis. The Axis took advantage to counter-attack the weakened British. The British took another year or so to defeat the Axis in North Africa.
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  2. A potential German invasion from the USSR in the north into the oil rich Middle East was real by August/Sept 1941. The Germans were not certain to get at the Soviet oil in the Caucasus, as the Soviets would sabotage the wells - which they did. This entailed expanded British troop deployment to keep the Germans/Axis away from the oil fields and an Indian Ocean port, until they were defeated at Stalingrad. Throughout 1942 British Commonwealth troops were fighting, or seriously expecting to be attacked, in: ♦ French North Africa; ♦ Libya; ♦ Egypt; ♦ Cyprus; ♦ Syria: where an airborne assault was expected, with preparations to reinforce Turkey if they were attacked; ♦ Madagascar: fighting the Vichy French to prevent them from inviting the Japanese in as they had done in Indochina; ♦ Iraq; ♦ Iran: the British & Soviets invaded Iran in August 1941. Those spread-out covering troops were more in combined numbers than were facing Japan and Rommel in North Africa.
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  3.  @allangibson2408  Getting parts for Italian tanks was difficult.
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  4. Hore-Belisha. The Belisha beacon was named after him. Hore-Belisha would overrule the Army high command, which was not wise. He was Secretary of State for War from 1937 to early 1940. Pre war he was of the view that Continental wars should be avoided. The defence of the UK should be via the navy and an expanded air force. That is why in 1940 the BEF was so small, only 9% of allied forces facing the Germans. But the Royal Navy all but destroyed the German surface fleet in Norway with the RAF defeating the Luftwaffe over Dunkirk and Britain. Then Britain had to expand its army entailing training, equipment, etc.
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  5. It could have only been food, wood and the likes. No arms for sure.
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