German and British tanks in North Africa during the Second World War
- Student G.V. Plekhanov Saint Petersburg State Mining Institute
Abstract
The battle for North Africa was a struggle to control the Suez Canal and get access on oil from the Middle East and raw materials in Asia. Oil in particular had become a critical strategic commodity due to the increased mechanization of modern armies. Britain, which was the first major nation to field a completely mechanized army, was particularly dependent on the Middle East oil. The Suez Canal also provided Britain with a valuable link to it overseas colonies: part of the lifeline that ran through the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, the North African campaign and the naval campaign to control the Mediterranean were virtually very closely linked to each other.