Evening star., 1941-08-31
Invasion of Iran Is First Phase
OF Great Battle for Oil Supply
British Strengthen Imperial Forces in Middle East
to Meet Hitler's Drive for Petroleum
Essential for German Victory.
By Constantine Br0wn.

to the Fuehrer but Africa is OF great
importance.
Ready to Act in Africa.
If Gen. Weygand refuses to CO.
operate-and this is more than likely
the Germans will not hesitate to re-
place him. And they will be able to find
generals to play their game in the same
way they have found naval officers like
Admiral Darlan. The professional army
of North Africa is composed OF Arabs,
Senegalese and Foreign Legionnaires
who will fight anybody their officers
order them to.
A force estimated at 100000 Moors and
Spanish Foreign Legionnaires under
German command is at present in the
Riff. This force is intended to go to
Dakar to prevent any surprise from
Britain or the United States in that
sector A new "autostrade" wide high
way) between Casablanca and Dakar
has just been completed. This, to-
gether with the existing railroad, can
provide quick transportation for the
The use of the ports in France and
North Africa will permit Germany to
transport men and war materiel from
Europe to Africa with the same ease it
is transporting troops within Europe
now. Once Dakar is closed to the Bri-
tish, the French generals in Africa will
lose hope of being supplied from the
United States with war materiel and
there. will be only sporadic opposition to
the Nazi wishes that the French march
against the British in Egypt.
France May Stand With Reich.
The French politicians are telling the
professional soldiers that If France
proves a stauncn friend of the Reich it
will be France, not Italy-the original
foreer of the Axis-who will reap the
principal benefits of German victory.
Thus in some quarters In Washington
it is feared that France will before long,
stand openly on the side of the Reich.
The occupation of Spain and Portu-
gal by the Axis, together with an effort
to remove the British from Gibraltar, is
considered in these quarters a matter
of weeks. The transformation OF the
Mediterranean into an effective Mare
Nostrum" has now become matter OF
life and death for the Reich. In mill
tary circles it is expected that an Axis
offensive directed at Egypt and the Suez
Canal will begin as soon as weather
conditions permit-that is to say, be-
tween the middle of october and the
beginning of November. And these
quarters would not be surprised to see
the French North African army added
to the German "hot-house" divisions
A campaign in the Balkans is expected
at about the same time. The Germans
have kept no less than 20 divisions on
the Bulgarian Turkish border. In spite
of the need to reinforce the badly bat
tered Nazi forces in Russia, not single
unit has been withdrawn from that Sec
tor. To this force, if need be, the Bull
garians can add some ten to twelve
divisions.
Turkey Vulnerable.
Turkey finds herself between the devil
and the deep blue sea. She has an alli-
ance with Great Britain and is flirting
with the Reich. The presence OF sub
stantial British force in Syria at the
Turkish frontier acts as deterrent for
those politicians in Turkey who may
want to join Germany. Only five or
six Turkish divisions are available.
These are concentrated behind the
shaky line of fortification at Adrianople
and Schataldja and cannot be expected
to resist the overwhelming German army
of invasion.
Military observers believe that in the
event the Turks decided that the best
policy is to side with the British, the
European portion of the republic will
be only perfunctorily defended. The
bulk of the Turkish army will be con-
centrated in Anatolia, where it can be
of real assistance to the British forces.
Thus military observers expect that
when the fall and winter campaign be-
gins the Germans will be able to take
possession of Istanbul, the Bosphorus
| and the Dardanelles Straits. They will
attempt to establish complete hegemony
over the entire Mediterranean and Black
Sea.
tl4 rnrf