Syrian Hmong

[Bengalzona]

(10-10-2019, 03:00 PM)Dill Wrote: Pretty sure that some Trump supporters will stop reading at the word "Iraq," which refers to a country nowhere near Normandy. And Arabs anyway.

Your delineation of the strategic importance is nevertheless faultless and illuminating.  Even Trump defenders will appreciate it, even if supporters don't.

The lend-lease path through Persia to Russia was longer, but also far more safer than the Murmansk/Archarngel route. Routes through the South Pacific and Indian Oceans had a much lower risk of submarine attack. Once the Persia route opened, the vast majority of material ran through there.

Germany and Japan had plans to try and create a land bridge of occupied or allied territories between them meeting at the Persian/India border (Pakistan still being part of India back then) where supplies and technology could be exchanged. The Japanese made it as far as Burma, just East of India. They felt that if they reached the India border, they could have awakened an uprising among the people there (to some degree that could have been possible, they were able to recruit Indian troops into their army). The German attempt focused on swaying Turkey, the coup in Iraq and an attempt to seize Persia (only possible if Army Group South took and held Stalingrad). The Turkey remained wishy-washy, the coup failed and Stalingrad didn't, thus their plans failed.