Anglo-French Military Planning in the Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea Region on the Eve of World War II: Staff Consultations, March – June 1939

The article explores the cooperation between the British and French military leadership in early 1939, as they prepared for potential operations in the “colonial” theatres of war against Fascist Italy, should it enter the anticipated conflict on the side of Nazi Germany. The author focuses on bilateral Anglo-French staff consultations held first in London, and subsequently in the administrative centres of colonial and mandated territories between March and June 1939. These discussions addressed detailed plans for military operations in North and East Africa – particularly in regions where Italian colonies bordered British and French possessions – as well as joint defensive measures for the Middle East. In addition to conventional plans involving the deployment of ground forces, naval units, and air power, proposals were advanced to destabilise the Italian rear by fomenting uprisings among local populations in Libya and Ethiopia. Although French representatives expressed greater confidence in the prospects for success than their British counterparts, even a superficial comparison of available forces soon led to the abandonment of hopes for a swift victory over Italy at the outset of the war. The consultations highlighted the inadequate state of military preparedness in both countries – a direct consequence of the protracted policy of appeasement towards Fascist Italy, pursued in vain by the Western powers in an effort to detach it from its alliance with Nazi Germany.