The Iraq War (1941)

[NormanStewart]

The Pittsburgh Press (May 22, 1941)

BRITISH FORCES IN WESTERN IRAQ SEIZE IMPORTANT STATION ON OIL PIPELINE
…
Entire Iraqi garrison made prisoner, report says
…

Near East warfare centers on Palestine and Transjordan, British mandates in the Biblical land of the River Jordan, and on Iraq. Black arrows give directions of possible Axis attacks, with thrusts from Syria and Iraq most likely, in retaliation for airfield bombings. White arrow shows British reinforcements path. Map also shows Rutbah, in Western Iraq, near where the British have captured an important oil pipeline station.

London, May 22 (UP) –
British forces have taken a key post on the Iraq oil pipeline and have captured the entire garrison, it was said authoritatively today.

The post, known officially as “H-2,” is about 25 miles northeast of Rutbah in Western Iraq.

It is one of the posts on the Mosul-Haifa pipeline. Another, H-1, is misway between it and Hadritha, where the pipeline from Mosul is divided, one branch going to Syria.

The post was captured Monday, it was made known, though news of the capture came only today.

Authorities said that in their capture of Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad, also Monday, British troops took 327 Iraqi troops prisoner, including 27 officers, and seized a considerable quantity of stores and equipment.

---

Berlin, May 22 (UP) –
Damascus dispatches to the official German news agency DNB today said that a communiqué issued by the Iraqi High Command

The communiqué was quoted as reporting:

On the south front, our troops, supported by irregular national forces, attacked British positions for hours. Artillery caused heavy losses in lives for the enemy.

Our air force carried out several reconnaissance flights over Cinedebbane and other regions. Our observer planes attacked Cinedebbane with bombs and machine guns. Hits were observed and fires were caused. A gladiator [British] plane which attempted to prevent our action was shot down.

[payneja]

@NormanStewart

a British communiqué said that Imperial forces in Iraq had occupied the town of Fallujah and found an important bridge intact after a “short engagement” with the Iraqis.

If memory serves me correctly that is the same bridge where those Blackwater contractors were killed in 2004.

[NormanStewart]

Don’t remind me of that… It’s still horrifying to even think about.

[payneja]

Yeah, searching for an image of the bridge that I could post here was surprisingly difficult.

[NormanStewart]

Not that. I’m talking about the killings and the pictures I saw in the news.

[payneja]

That’s what I mean. You try to search for an image of the bridge and that’s almost all that pops up.

[NormanStewart]

Oh. Just curious, where were you when that happened?

[payneja]

In Korea with about a month left before I DROS’ed back to the States. I had orders for Ft. Irwin and because the 11th ACR there was supposed to be a non-combat unit I thought I missed my chance to go to war. Little did I know…

[NormanStewart]

My now-wife and I were preparing for our then-upcoming Italian vacation (which was on May of that year) when I heard the news and saw the pictures. Suffice to say, I was truly horrified, not just because it’s war, but also I had (and still have) this fear of burnt bodies.

[payneja]

It’s not the way I would prefer to shuffle off this mortal coil.

[Chewbacca]

I was working in central Paris at the time. Quite horrifying time. The area were I worked had bomb threats every few days but these were kept out of the news.

[NormanStewart]

@Chewbacca

The area were I worked had bomb threats every few days but these were kept out of the news.

Jeez, I wonder from whom.

[Chewbacca]

Yeah, but keeping them out of the news didn’t stop it.

I actually spent memorial day 2004 in Chateaux Theirry attending the Marine memorial service and the cars were parked for many many miles. Very impressive (the first time I did one)

[NormanStewart]

The Pittsburgh Press (May 23, 1941)

CAPTURE OF BAGHDAD IS BELIEVED NEAR

Ankara, Turkey, May 23 (UP) –
British diplomatic sources said today that British occupation of Baghdad was only a matter of days, and that British forces in Palestine were ready to march into Syria if necessary.

Informants said the Iraqis have 12,000 men concentrated before Baghdad, but they would probably retreat in the direction of Basra, in the south.

Turkish political quarters, although they believe recent developments in Iraq were favorable to the British, remained anxious lest the Germans march through Turkey in an attempt to reach Iraq.

---

Berlin, May 23 (UP) –
An official news agency dispatch from Damascus asserted today that Iraqi forces had recaptured Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad.

Earlier, an Iraqi copmmuniqué, quoted by the agency, had said that Iraqi troops were pursuing “fleeing British divisions” in the Fallujah area.

---

Beirut, May 23 (UP) –
The Baghdad Radio today quoted the Iraqi Ministry of Propaganda as saying that:

…aid from friendly powers in increasing daily.

[NormanStewart]

FIGHTING IN IRAQ RESUMES; BRITISH CLAIM SUCCESSES

London, May 23 (UP) –
Renewal of heavy fighting in Iraq was reported in authoritative quarters today. British troops were again in control of Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad, after beating off an Iraqi counterattack.

Authoritative quarters said:

Wednesday night, rebels [Iraqis] attacked with infantry and light tank and drove back British outposts and penetrated the town.

After a heavy Royal Air Force bombing, the British troops counterattacked and forced the enemy back. The British reoccupied their positions and captured some tanks.

Mopping up is proceeding inside Fallujah and the RAF is bombing the retreating enemy.

Some floods between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are hampering movements. German planes attacked the Habbaniya airdrome with slight damage. Basra is quiet and some British civilian employees have resumed their duties.

Reliable quarters believed the Iraqis had flooded a new area between Fallujah and Baghdad. Some quarters here believed British advance forces were already near Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.

[NormanStewart]

FRENCH COLONEL, 200 MEN DESERT FROM SYRIAN ARMY
By Harold Peters, United Press staff writer

Beirut, Lebanon, May 23 –
Col. Collet, one of French Syria’s veteran desert fighters, has led about 200 of his Circassian (native) fighting squadrons across the Palestine border to join the British and Free French forces, it was revealed today.

It was denied at the same time that there had been any penetration of Syria by “Free French” troops of Gen. Charles de Gaulle. It wa said that the only activity involved the Circassian squadrons of Collet, most of them men personally picked and trained by the veteran desert fighter.

According to broadcasts by the official Beirut radio station, Collet, a Frenchman, told his 10 squadrons of Circassians that they were to engage in a night maneuver and then attempted to lead them across into Palestine.

The radio claimed that when the troops discovered that they were being taken into Palestine, “95% of them returned” to Syria.

Two French officers were said to have been killed attempting to prevent Collet from leaving Syria.

Official sources claimed that there was no other dissident activity in Syria.

Collet was the leader of a special squadron of Syrian partisan fighters which he had organized for desert warfare in the protection of France’s Mandate of Syria in the guerilla warfare which repeatedly had flared among Arab tribesmen.

The officer was a self-made soldier. He formerly served as adjutant and assistant to the French High Commissioner and represented the High Commissioner during the Sanjak Plebiscite of 1937.

Führerbefehle No. 30 (May 23, 1941)

The Führer and Supreme Commander of the German Armed Forces
OKW/WFSt./Abt.L(I Op.) Nr. 44772/41 gK Chefs.

SECRET
The Führer's Headquarters
23 May 41

By officer only

Directive No. 30
The Middle East

1. The Arab Freedom Movement is our natural ally against England in the Middle East. In this context the uprising in Iraq is of special importance. This strengthens the forces hostile to England in the Middle East beyond the Iraqi frontier, disrupts English communications, and ties up English troops and shipping at the expense of other theaters.

I have therefore decided to hasten developments in the Middle East by supporting Iraq. Whether and how it may be possible, in conjunction with an offensive against the Suez Canal, finally to break the British position between the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf is a question that will be answered only after Barbarossa.

2. In connection with my decision, I order the following for the support of Iraq:

a. Support by the air force.
b. Dispatch of a military mission.
c. Arms deliveries.

3. The military mission (cover name: Sonderstab F) will be under the command of General Felmy. Its tasks are:

a. To advise and support the Iraqi armed forces.

b. Where possible, to establish military contacts with forces hostile to England outside of Iraq.

c. To obtain experience and intelligence in this area for the German armed forces.

The composition of this organization will be regulated, in accordance with these duties, by the Chief of the High Command in the Armed Forces. Chain of command will be as follows:

a. All armed forces personnel sent to Iraq, including liaison staff in Syria, will be under the command of the head of the military mission with the proviso that orders and guidelines for the aviation units will come exclusively from the High Command of the Air Force.

b. The head of the military mission will be subordinate to the Chief of the High Command in the Armed Forces, with the proviso that orders and guidelines for the aviation units will come exclusively from the High Command of the Air Force.

c. The members of the military mission are, for the time being, to be regarded as volunteers (in the manner of the Condor Legion). They will wear tropical uniforms with Iraqi badges. Also, Iraqi markings will be worn by German aircraft.

4. Luftwaffe: The employment of the air force in limited numbers is intended, apart from direct effects, to increase the self-confidence and fighting spirit of the Iraqi people and armed forces.

5. Arms shipments: The Chief of the High Command in the Armed Forces will issue the necessary orders in this respect (deliveries to be made from Syria, in accordance with the agreement reached with the French in this matter, and from Germany).

6. The direction of propaganda in the Middle East is the responsibility of the Foreign Office, which will cooperate with the High Command in the Armed Forces, Operations Staff – Propaganda Section. The basic idea of our propaganda is:

The victory of the Axis will free the countries of the Middle East from the English yoke, and will give them the right to self-determination. All who love freedom will therefore join the fight against England.

No propaganda is to be carried out against the French in Syria.

7. Should members of the Italian Armed Forces be employed on duties in Iraq, German personnel will cooperate on the lines laid down in this directive. Efforts will be made to ensure that they come under the command of the Head of the German Military Mission.

The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces
ADOLF HITLER

[NormanStewart]

The Pittsburgh Press (May 24, 1941)

JAMES ROOSEVELT FACES IRAQI BOMBS

Cairo, May 24 (UP) –
Capt. James Roosevelt of the United States Marine Corps, the son of President Roosevelt, was “machine gunned and bombed” during a visit to Iraq, but returned safely to Egypt, he disclosed today.

Capt. Roosevelt, an observer for the Marines, had visited Palestine as well as Iraq during the past few days.

He said:

We spent 72 hours in Iraq, where we were machine gunned and bombed, but we came out all right. Things in Iraq seem to be going pretty well.

[NormanStewart]

The Pittsburgh Press (May 25, 1941)

PRODUCTION OF OIL DROPS IN IRAQ

New York, May 24 (UP) –
The oil fields of Iraq – one of the major prizes in the current Mediterranean fighting – produced less than a million barrels of oil during April, or less than 1% of the monthly United States production, the magazine World Oil disclosed today.

Reporting on world output for April, the periodical revealed that Iraqi production fell to 975,000 barrels from 2,578,020 a year earlier. For the first four months of this year, Iraqi output was reported at 3,925,000 barrels, compared with 10,321,585 in 1940.

The sharp drop in output this year, it was believed, largely reflected the shortage of tankers for movement abroad of Iraqi oil.

[NormanStewart]

R.A.F. AGAIN ATTACKS SYRIAN AIRDROMES

Beirut, Lebanon, May 24 (UP) –
The Royal Air Force was reported tonight to have carried out fresh bombing attack on the important Syrian airdromes at Aleppo and Damascus.

Syrian air raid precautions wardens, it was announced, have been summoned for duty.

London said that Radio Ankara had heard reports from Beirut that the Syrian-Palestine frontier has been closed.

According to the Iraqi communiqué issued at Baghdad, the British again raided Baghdad’s airdrome while the Iraqi Air Force blasted at Habbaniya. Skirmishes between armored car patrols were reported.

[NormanStewart]

The Pittsburgh Press (May 26, 1941)

IRAQI REVOLT COLLAPSING; PRO-AXIS CHIEFS FLEEING
By Dana Schmidt, United Press staff writer

Ankara, May 26 –
The three-week-old Iraqi rebellion was reported collapsing early today in “panic and revolt” as British forces drove swiftly on Baghdad and Rashid Ali al-Gailani, the pro-Axis Premier, prepared to flee to Turkey with his war leaders.

Germany’s failure to rush effective military aid to the Iraqi forces and a fast-spreading revolt of Iraqi tribes which deserted to the British was said to have forced Rashid to flee Baghdad, en route to German-held territory via Turkey.

The Iraqi Premier, whose rebellion touched off the “war of oil” in Iraq, and his war minister, Naji Shawkat, have asked transit visas enabling them to pass through Turkey, it was stated reliably.

Iraqi quarters here admitted that the British might soon seize Baghdad and the entire nation, re-establishing British control over the rich oil fields, including the Mosul region where German airborne forces have established themselves.

In Cairo, the Iraqi legation admitted that a revolt had broken out Saturday among tribesmen who deserted to the pro-British forces of Emir 'Abd al-Ilah, Regent of Iraq who was overthrown by Rashid April 4. 'Abd al-Ilah, uncle of boy King Faisal II of Iraq, was believed to have left Basra above the Persian Gulf for Baghdad to proclaim himself again leader of the government, indicating that the Rashid regime had already fled from Baghdad.

British diplomats here said Rashid’s preparations for flight across Turkey herald the collapse of the Iraqi anti-British revolt which began on the morning of May 3 with an attack on the British air base at Habbaniya.

The families of the Iraqi Premier and his war minister arrived in Saturday.

The Iraqis in Baghdad were said to have given up hopes of receiving any real German military aid beyond a few planes and small numbers of airborne troops.

---

Cairo, May 26 (UP) –
Units of the Royal Navy pushing up the Tigris River from the Persian Gulf aided British Imperials in wiping out Iraqi forces entrenched in positions about six miles north of British-held Basra, an official communiqué said today.

Other British forces pushing toward Baghdad were said to have repaired bombed roads in the vicinity of British-held Fallujah, 35 miles west of the capital, to facilitate the drive.