Middle Eastern / African Theatre

Definition

The Middle Eastern/African Theatre refers to military operations that took place in North Africa and the Middle East during World War II. It involved many nations including Britain, Italy, France, Germany, and later America.

Analogy

Imagine a chessboard where multiple players are trying to control key squares (or territories). In this scenario, North Africa and Middle East were those key squares due to their strategic importance like access to oil fields or Suez Canal.

Related terms

North African Campaign: A series of battles fought in North Africa from 1940-1943 primarily between Axis powers (Germany & Italy) and Allied forces (Britain & America).

Suez Canal Crisis: An invasion by Israel followed by Britain and France aiming to regain Western control over Suez Canal after Egypt nationalized it.

El Alamein: A town in Egypt where two major battles of World War II took place, marking a turning point in the North African Campaign.