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Mercol
Mercol was a flying column created by the British Army shortly after the Anglo-Iraqi War had ended. Creation and composition ''Mercol'' was a truck-borne flying column created in early June 1941 to round up irregular troops under Fawzi al-Qawuqji. Named after its commander, Major E. J. H. Merry, the column comprised A Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment, two Royal Air Force Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars and two antique 18-pounder field guns from the Habbaniya arsenal. Merry and his command carried enough fuel, rations and water for one week. In addition to Mercol, two other columns were created in early July; Gocol, commanded by Major R. E. S. Gooch, with the task of capturing Dr. Fritz Grobba, the German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Iraq and Harcol, under Major R. J. Hardy, with the task of securing Kirkuk. See also * Iraqforce * Habforce * Kingcol * Gocol * Harcol * 4th Cavalry Brigade * Flying Column A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit ...
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Anglo-Iraqi War
The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq under Rashid 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. Background Mandatory Iraq The Kingdom of Iraq (also referred to as Mesopotamia) was governed by Great Britain under a League of Nations mandate, the British Mandate of Mesopotamia, until 1932 when Iraq became nominally independent. Before granting independence, Britain concluded the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930. The treaty included permission to establish military bases for British use and provide the facilities for the unrestricted movement of British forces through the country, upon request to the Iraqi government. The conditions of the treaty were impos ...
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Gocol
Gocol was a flying column created by the British Army shortly after the Anglo–Iraqi War had ended. Creation and composition ''Gocol'' was a truck-borne flying column created in early June 1941, to pursue and capture Dr. Fritz Grobba, the German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Iraq. Grobba went on the run after the collapse of the pro-German Rashid Ali government, to flee Iraq and get to Nazi occupied Europe. Two other columns were created in early July, '' Mercol'', commanded by Major E. J. H. Merry, to round up irregular troops under Fawzi al-Qawuqji and '' Harcol'', under Major R. J. Hardy, with the task of securing Kirkuk. ''Gocol'' was named after its commander, Major R. E. S. Gooch and comprised B Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment, six Royal Air Force armoured cars, two 3.7 inch mountain howitzers and Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) transport. Operations On 3 June 1941, travelling from Habbaniya by road, ''Gocol'' reached Mosul but Dr. Grobba had gone. O ...
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Flying Column
A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ''ad hoc'' unit, formed during the course of operations. The term is usually, though not necessarily, applied to forces less than the strength of a brigade. As mobility is its primary purpose, a flying column is accompanied by the minimum of equipment. It generally uses suitable fast transport; historically, horses were used, with trucks and helicopters replacing them in modern times. History Flying columns are mentioned by Sun Tzu in his ''Art of War'' in such a fashion that indicates it was not a new concept at the time of his writing. This dates to at least the middle 6th century BC, and possibly the late 8th century BC. The Roman army made good use of the flying columns in the early imperial era. One such commander, the proconsul Germanicus Caesar used flying columns to great effect in the early stages of the campaign against one of Rome' ...
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Iraqforce
Iraqforce was a British and Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the Middle East during World War II. Background During World War I, the British Army defeated the Ottoman Army in the Middle East during the Mesopotamian Campaign. Subsequently, the League of Nations designated Mesopotamia as the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. From 1920 to the early 1930s, RAF Iraq Command was created as an inter-service command in charge of all British forces in the mandate-controlled Kingdom of Iraq and was commanded by an RAF officer normally of Air Vice-Marshal rank. In 1932, the British mandate in Iraq ended and according to the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930, the United Kingdom was permitted to maintain troops in Iraq. In 1933 or 1934, RAF Iraq Command was renamed the British Forces in Iraq. By the late 1930s, these forces were restricted to two Royal Air Force stations, RAF Shaibah near Basra and RAF Habbaniya west of Baghdad. On 1 April 19 ...
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Fawzi Al-Qawuqji
Fawzi al-Qawuqji ( ar, فوزي القاوقجي; 19 January 1890 – 5 June 1977) was a leading Arab nationalist military figure in the interwar period.The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives, by Gilbert Achcar, (NY: Henry Holt and Co.; 2009), pp. 92: "Arab nationalism's leading military figure in the interwar period ... served as a commander in all the Arab national battles of the period." The British military were impressed by his military acumen when he served briefly in Palestine in 1936 fighting the British Mandatory suppression of the Palestinian Revolt. A political decision by the British enabled him to flee the country in 1937. He was based in Nazi Germany during World War II, and served as the Arab Liberation Army (ALA) field commander during the 1948 Palestine War. Early life Fawzi al-Qawuqji was born in 1890 into a Turkmen family in the city of Tripoli, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire."Ruhmloses Zwischenspiel: Fawzi al-Qawuqj ...
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Household Cavalry Regiment
The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) is an Armoured Cavalry regiment of the British Army based in Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. It is the brother regiment of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) based at Hyde Park Barracks in London - both regiments together form the Household Cavalry (HCav). The Household Cavalry was formed in 1992, under the Options for Change reforms, by the union of The Life Guards and the Blues and Royals in order to preserve the distinct identities of the regiments. A precedent for the Household Cavalry Regiment has previously been set by the Household Cavalry Composite Regiment - active during the Anglo-Egyptian War, the Second Boer War and latterly during both the First and Second World Wars. The HCR is part of the Household Cavalry, rather than the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC), which encompasses all other armoured and cavalry regiments of the British Army. It serves as the 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade's Formation Reconnaissance regiment and henc ...
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Flying Column
A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ''ad hoc'' unit, formed during the course of operations. The term is usually, though not necessarily, applied to forces less than the strength of a brigade. As mobility is its primary purpose, a flying column is accompanied by the minimum of equipment. It generally uses suitable fast transport; historically, horses were used, with trucks and helicopters replacing them in modern times. History Flying columns are mentioned by Sun Tzu in his ''Art of War'' in such a fashion that indicates it was not a new concept at the time of his writing. This dates to at least the middle 6th century BC, and possibly the late 8th century BC. The Roman army made good use of the flying columns in the early imperial era. One such commander, the proconsul Germanicus Caesar used flying columns to great effect in the early stages of the campaign against one of Rome' ...
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Kingcol
Kingcol was a British Army flying column created during the Anglo-Iraqi War. Creation and composition ''Kingcol'' was created to allow a portion of ''Habforce'' to relieve RAF Habbaniya as soon as possible. The column was named after its commander, Brigadier J.J. Kingstone. ''Kingcol'' comprised 4th Cavalry Brigade, 237th Battery 60th (North Midland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 1st Battalion Essex Regiment, one anti-tank troop, Royal Artillery, Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF, and two supply companies, Royal Army Service Corps. The 4th Cavalry Brigade comprised Composite Household Cavalry Regiment, the Warwickshire Yeomanry, and the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry.Lyman, p. 24 See also * Anglo-Iraqi War * ''Iraqforce'' * ''Habforce'' * ''Gocol'' * ''Mercol Mercol was a flying column created by the British Army shortly after the Anglo-Iraqi War had ended. Creation and composition ''Mercol'' was a truck-borne flying column created in early June 1941 to round up irregular t ...
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Habforce
Habforce was a British Army military unit created in 1941 during the Anglo-Iraqi War and still active during the Syria-Lebanon campaign during the fighting in the Middle East in the Second World War. Creation and composition Habforce, short for "Habbaniya Force", was created from forces available in the British Mandate of Palestine to relieve RAF Habbaniya. On 4 May 1941, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, ordered General Sir Archibald Wavell, the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) Middle East Command, to create this force. RAF Habbaniya was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniya in the Kingdom of Iraq. From 30 April, the small British garrison at Habbaniya had been under siege by strong Iraqi forces loyal to Rashid Ali. On 1 April, Rashid Ali and his anti-British supporters had staged a coup against the pro-British government of Regent Amir Abdul Illah and relations between the British and the government of Rashid Ali quickly deteriorated until, on 2 May, the Britis ...
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Military History Of Iraq
The military history of Iraq, due to a rich archaeological record, is one of the longest in written human history. The region of Iraq, which used to be Mesopotamia, has been referred to as the " cradle of civilization", and wars of conquest have been recorded in this region as far back as the third millennium BC. Because of its geopolitical dominance and ideology based in world domination, the Neo-Assyrian Empire is by many researchers regarded to have been the first world empire in history. The area possesses strategic value, initially for the rich, fertile agricultural region in the Mesopotamian plain, and more recently for large petroleum deposits and access to the oil-rich Persian Gulf. The present territory of Iraq lacks significant strategic barriers, making it difficult to defend against foreign invasion. Mesopotamia *In 2525 BC, there was a battle between King Eannatum of Lagash, and Umma. The battle is recorded on the Stele of the Vultures. The king won the battle ...
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Ad Hoc Units And Formations Of The British Army
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a specific good or service, but there are wide range of uses, the most common being the commercial advertisement. Commercial advertisements often seek to generate increased consumption of their products or services through "branding", which associates a product name or image with certain qualities in the minds of consumers. On the other hand, ads that intend to elicit an immediate sale are known as direct-response advertising. Non-commercial entities that advertise more than consumer products or services include political parties, interest groups, religious organizations and governmental agencies. Non-profit organizations may use free modes of persuasion, such as a public service announcement. Advertising may also help to reassure employees ...
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Military Units And Formations Of The British Army In World War II
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct military uniform. It may consist of one or more military branches such as an army, navy, air force, space force, marines, or coast guard. The main task of the military is usually defined as defence of the state and its interests against external armed threats. In broad usage, the terms ''armed forces'' and ''military'' are often treated as synonymous, although in technical usage a distinction is sometimes made in which a country's armed forces may include both its military and other paramilitary forces. There are various forms of irregular military forces, not belonging to a recognized state; though they share many attributes with regular military forces, they are less often referred to as simply ''military''. A nation's military may f ...
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