Anglo-Iraqi War

For the conflict from 2003 until 2011, see Iraq War.

Anglo-Iraqi War
Part of the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II
Men in pith helmets
British soldiers at Baghdad, 11 June 1941
Date2 May – 31 May 1941[7][nb 4]
(4 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Kingdom of Iraq
Result

Allied victory

  • Rebellion suppressed
Belligerents

 United Kingdom

Air and naval support:
 Australia[nb 1]
 New Zealand[nb 2]
Greece[nb 3]

 Iraq
Military support:
 Germany[4]
 Italy[5]
 Vichy France[6]

Commanders and leaders
Claude Auchinleck
Archibald Wavell[9]
Edward Quinan[10]
William Fraser[9]
William Slim
H. G. Smart[11]
Ouvry Roberts
John D'Albiac		 Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
Salah al-Sabbagh Executed
Kamil Shabib Executed
Fahmi Said Executed
Mahmud Salman Executed
Fawzi al-Qawuqji
Amin al-Husseini[12]
Werner Junck
Strength
1 infantry division[13]
2 brigade groups[nb 5]
100+ aircraft[nb 6]		 4 divisions[16]
30,000 troops[17]
116 Iraqi aircraft[18] (50–60 serviceable)[10]
21–29 German aircraft[4][19]
12 Italian aircraft[5]
Casualties and losses
Casualties slight[20]
At least 200 killed[21]
28 aircraft[22]		 500 killed[20]
Most of the serviceable Iraqi aircraft[23]
19 German aircraft[5]
3 Italian aircraft[5]

The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq, then ruled by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani who had seized power in the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état with assistance from Germany and Italy. The campaign resulted in the downfall of Gaylani's government, the re-occupation of Iraq by the British, and the return to power of the Regent of Iraq, Prince 'Abd al-Ilah, a British ally.

Mandatory Iraq had been governed by the British since 1921. Prior to Iraq's nominal independence in 1932, Britain concluded the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930, which was opposed by Iraqi nationalists, including Rashid Ali al-Gaylani. Although Iraq was considered a neutral power under Regent Abd al-Ilah, it had a pro-British government. In April 1941, Iraqi nationalists organized the Golden Square coup, with assistance from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The coup ousted Abd al-Ilah and installed al-Gaylani as Prime Minister. He officially established cordial relations with the Axis powers, prompting the Allies to respond. For the Allies, Iraq represented an important land bridge between British forces in Egypt and India.

Following a series of skirmishes, Allied airstrikes were launched against Iraq on 2 May. The campaign resulted in the collapse of al-Gaylani's short-lived government, and re-installed Abd al-Ilah as the Regent. This increased the influence of the Allies in the Middle Eastern theatre.

  1. ^ Wavell, p. 4094.
  2. ^ Waters, p. 24.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Playfair195 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Playfair196 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Sutherland, Jon; Canwell, Diane (2011). Vichy Air Force at War: The French Air Force that Fought the Allies in World War II. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation. pp. 38–43. ISBN 978-1-84884-336-3.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Playfair182-3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Playfair 1956, pp. 192, 332.
  9. ^ a b Playfair 1956, p. 186.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Playfair179 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Playfair183 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Patterson, David (2010). A Genealogy of Evil: Anti-Semitism from Nazism to Islamic Jihad. Cambridge University Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-521-13261-9.
  13. ^ Mackenzie, p. 101.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Playfair182 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b c d Jackson, p. 159.
  16. ^ "https://resources.saylor.org/wwwresources/archived/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/HIST351-10.2.2-Anglo-Iraqi-War.pdf"
  17. ^ Lyman, Iraq 1941, p. 25.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lyman2526 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mack100 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ a b Wavell, p. 3439.
  21. ^ "Resources.saylor.org" (PDF). Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  22. ^ Playfair 1956, p. 193.
  23. ^ Lyman, p. 48.


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