The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY, 9, 1940 Allies Ready In The East

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21574, 9 February 1940, Page 6

The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY, 9, 1940 Allies Ready In The East

A (’ABLE message reporting that what is described as Britain’s “Army of the deserts" was to be reviewed on Wednesday by General Weygand, the French Commander in the Near East, is one of the first indications given of the vast preparations which have already been completed by the Allies in the Near and Middle East. The “Army of the deserts” is said to be the second largest force in the Empire, and it is possible that it will yet be further augmented. Five weeks ago it was stilted in the Christian Science Monitor, one of the most reliable newspapers in the world, that an Allied Expeditionary Force, estimated to consist of between 200,000 and 300,000 troops, had been quietly assembled in the Near East with Syria as the main base. Its presumed purpose was to stand ready to support Turkey in the event of any major expansion by Russia, or possibly Germany, in this area. It was thought in Washington, at the end of last year, that a substantial show of force by tlie Allies on this south-eastern front might prove to be one of the decisive factors in the outcome of the war. It is argued in some quarters that Britain and France made a strategic mistake in the Great War by their failure to send forces to the Near East. Had this been done it is suggested that one by one all the nations of the Balkans and the East Mediterranean, which might have supported Britain and France, were forced to come to terms with the Central Powers because there was no military support for any resistance they might have had to put up.

The presence of a large Allied force in Syria can be interpreted as a serious effort on the part of Britain and France to prevent repetition of the error that had been made in 1914-18. The force lias been built up under the direction of General Weygand, who was Chief of Staff for Marshal Foch and later High Commissioner to Syria. It consists, so reports say, of hardened colonial units drawn from British and French garrisons in Northern Africa and India, men who are professional soldiers of tlie most courageous type. This army by now will have been perfectly equipped for mechanised warfare and for transportation as rapid as conditions allow. The ultimate purpose of the force would be to operate in conjunction with the Turkish Army, tlie strength of which could be increased from a peace standing of 160,000 to 700,000 by the full use of reserves. So, in the words of an American correspondent, “General Weygand and the Turks face a strategic situation which is tense but by no means unfavourable to them.” Tlie Paris correspondent of the New York Times reports that news reaching Paris by way of Rome indicates uneasiness in the Middle East, with Iran and Afghanistan taking military preparations in expectation of a Russian-German drive iu the direction of the Persian Gulf. The Italians, however, are satisfied tiiat the Allied forces arc ready for any situation. It is stated that the Soviet has for some time been massing troops in the Caucasus, the strip of land running down between the Black and Caspian Seas to the frontiers of Turkey and Iran. This is the great oil pool of Russia, and within 100 and 200 miles of the Turkish and Iranian frontiers are tlie most important of these oilfields. This area is vulnerable to air attack and even more vulnerable to actual invasion. The importance of Iran, which is south of the Caucasus and east of Turkey, lies in the fact that its oilfields are the chief suppliers of France and Britain. The Allied pipelines run south to the Persian Gulf and west to Haifa in Palestine and Tripoli in Syria, Russia has been exerting all possible pressure on Iran, seeking, no doubt, to make that country balance Turkey. In a general way, then, it can be seen that the preparations which have been made under General Weygand appear to serve a dual purpose. They are designed to protect a source of oil supply, and also to keep watch on whatever movements Germany or Russia might make in the Balkans. Oil, of course, is more vital now than it was even in the Great War, but it has been said of 1914-18 that the Allies rode to victory on waves of oil. From the strategic standpoint, however, the situation has been altered greatly in favour of the Allies by the changed attitude of Turkey. An embarrassing foe has now become a potentially helpful friend should the war spread east.