Andrew Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780300208559
- eISBN:
- 9780300222203
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300208559.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This book presents a new account of the long-overlooked achievement of British-led forces who, against all odds, scored the first major Allied victory of the Second World War. Surprisingly neglected ...
More
This book presents a new account of the long-overlooked achievement of British-led forces who, against all odds, scored the first major Allied victory of the Second World War. Surprisingly neglected in accounts of Allied wartime triumphs, in 1941 British and Commonwealth forces completed a stunning and important victory in East Africa against an overwhelmingly superior Italian opponent. A hastily formed British-led force, never larger than 70,000 strong, advanced along two fronts to defeat nearly 300,000 Italian and colonial troops. This book draws on an array of previously unseen documents to provide both a detailed campaign history and a fresh appreciation of the first significant Allied success of the war. The book investigates such topics as Britain's African wartime strategy; how the fighting forces were assembled (most from British colonies, none from the U.S.); General Archibald Wavell's command abilities and his difficult relationship with Winston Churchill; the resolute Italian defense at Keren, one of the most bitterly fought battles of the entire war; the legacy of the campaign in East Africa; and much more.Less
This book presents a new account of the long-overlooked achievement of British-led forces who, against all odds, scored the first major Allied victory of the Second World War. Surprisingly neglected in accounts of Allied wartime triumphs, in 1941 British and Commonwealth forces completed a stunning and important victory in East Africa against an overwhelmingly superior Italian opponent. A hastily formed British-led force, never larger than 70,000 strong, advanced along two fronts to defeat nearly 300,000 Italian and colonial troops. This book draws on an array of previously unseen documents to provide both a detailed campaign history and a fresh appreciation of the first significant Allied success of the war. The book investigates such topics as Britain's African wartime strategy; how the fighting forces were assembled (most from British colonies, none from the U.S.); General Archibald Wavell's command abilities and his difficult relationship with Winston Churchill; the resolute Italian defense at Keren, one of the most bitterly fought battles of the entire war; the legacy of the campaign in East Africa; and much more.
Andrew Stewart
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780300208559
- eISBN:
- 9780300222203
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300208559.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Military History
This concluding chapter discusses how the campaign in East Africa was a great success both for the British and Commonwealth forces and the commanders who led them. A massive pincer movement through ...
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This concluding chapter discusses how the campaign in East Africa was a great success both for the British and Commonwealth forces and the commanders who led them. A massive pincer movement through Italian Somaliland and Ethiopia converged with another that had advanced through Eritrea, and ended with a final series of assaults against a remote Italian mountain fortress. With a speed and comprehensiveness that was not foreseen in the original plan, an eventually significant victory came about gradually through the development of events and the overwhelming of a confused and progressively shattered opponent. This was the unanimous view of the small number of published eyewitness accounts where it was described as a military masterpiece of its time, whilst another conclusion stated that the campaign would go down in military history as a classic.Less
This concluding chapter discusses how the campaign in East Africa was a great success both for the British and Commonwealth forces and the commanders who led them. A massive pincer movement through Italian Somaliland and Ethiopia converged with another that had advanced through Eritrea, and ended with a final series of assaults against a remote Italian mountain fortress. With a speed and comprehensiveness that was not foreseen in the original plan, an eventually significant victory came about gradually through the development of events and the overwhelming of a confused and progressively shattered opponent. This was the unanimous view of the small number of published eyewitness accounts where it was described as a military masterpiece of its time, whilst another conclusion stated that the campaign would go down in military history as a classic.
Peter Kornicki
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- September 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197602805
- eISBN:
- 9780197610916
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197602805.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Military History
After the war came to an end, British linguists in Burma and Malay were busy screening Japanese surrendered personnel in order to identify war crimes suspects. Also, they interviewed Japanese ...
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After the war came to an end, British linguists in Burma and Malay were busy screening Japanese surrendered personnel in order to identify war crimes suspects. Also, they interviewed Japanese commanders to gain a historical understanding of the war in South-East Asia, for the Japanese forces had destroyed all their records. The British Commonwealth Occupation Force reached Japan in 1946 and was given responsibility for policing the Occupation of Japan in the south-western part of the country. Few of those who participated felt that the Occupation was worthwhile. For the Tokyo Trials, Allied interpreters were not used: instead, members of the Japanese Foreign Ministry acted as interpreters, though their work was supervised by American linguists.Less
After the war came to an end, British linguists in Burma and Malay were busy screening Japanese surrendered personnel in order to identify war crimes suspects. Also, they interviewed Japanese commanders to gain a historical understanding of the war in South-East Asia, for the Japanese forces had destroyed all their records. The British Commonwealth Occupation Force reached Japan in 1946 and was given responsibility for policing the Occupation of Japan in the south-western part of the country. Few of those who participated felt that the Occupation was worthwhile. For the Tokyo Trials, Allied interpreters were not used: instead, members of the Japanese Foreign Ministry acted as interpreters, though their work was supervised by American linguists.
