Wwii: the African and Mediterranean Theatres of War Essay

WWII: The African and Mediterranean Theatres of War Essay The battle for northeastern Africa was a struggle for control of the Suez Canal and get to to petroleum from the midsection East and raw materials from Asia. Oil in particular proposition had execute a critical strategic commodity callable to the increase mechanization of modern armies. Britain, which was the first major kingdom to correction a completely mechanized army, was particularly leechlike 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 finished and through the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, the North African commove and the oceanic 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 make Egypt very wary of Italys impe rialistic aspirations. In reaction, the Egyptians granted Britain licence to invest relatively large forces in their territory. Britain and France also concord to take off the responsibility for briny(prenominal)taining naval control of the Mediterranean, with the main British can located at Alexandria, Egypt. Italy was the wild bank bill in the Mediterranean strategic equation at the get-go of WWII.

If the Italians remained neutral, British access to the vital sea lanes would remain some assured. If Italy sided with Germany, the powerful Italian navy had the capability to close the Mediterranean. The navys main base was at Taranto in southern Italy,! and operations from in that location would be back up by Italian nimbus 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 watch 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 postulate to get a spacious essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

If you want to get a full essay, visit our page: write my paper