Former Ally now the Enemy: British Invasion of French Syria
194The British invasion of French Syria, was to for-stall any attempts made by the Germans and Italians to use the colony as a staging ground for operations in the Middle East, Yet, this campaign, something that was thought to be easy and quick, ended up being much more bloody then expected, and a topic worth covering in detail.
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In May 1941, Admiral François Darlan, deputy of the Vichy France state, signed the Paris Protocols with the Germans. The protocols granted Germany access to military facilities in Vichy-controlled Syria. The protocols remained unratified, But, Henri Dentz, the High Commissioner for the Levant, was instructed to allow German and Italian aircraft to refuel in Syria. Marked as Iraqi aircraft, Axis aircraft under landed in Syria, en route to the Kingdom of Iraq during the Anglo-Iraqi War, which I have a video already uploaded on the channel for. The Germans also requested permission from the Vichy authorities to use Syrian railways to send armaments to the Iraqis in Mosul.
The months prior to the Lebanon–Syria campaign saw the Middle East Command, Under General Archibald Wavell stretched to the limit. Faced with an ongoing campaign in North Africa and with his forces significantly depleted following disasters in Greece and Crete, Wavell learnt of Churchill’s desire to invade Syria and Lebanon, something that Wavell personally opposed. There were several reasons for Churchill’s desired invasion, chief among these being the possibility for Lebanon and Syria to be used as a base for the Germans, should they be allowed to enter the area by the sympathetic Vichy French, to launch further attacks on the Allies. This would threaten vital Allied oil supplies in Iraq and Iran, as well as Haifa in Palestine. This fear was exacerbated by the coup of the pro-Axis Rashid Ali in Iraq on 3 April 1941, threatening oil supplies through Haifa. Had the Germans effectively supported the revolt, it may have posed an even greater threat to security in the unstable region. Should Germany secure a strong foothold in the region, the political and diplomatic repercussions both there and in Egypt and Turkey posed a potential threat to the Allies. This was due to the possibility that increased German influence in the region could encourage greater opposition to the Allies there. Why Wavell knew that his forces were stretched extremely thin with the fighting in North Africa., he had no choice but to agree to the demand, so appointed General Henry Maitland Wilson, to over-see the operation.