About the contributor

If Rommel had not been defeated at El Alamein, or if the Russians had not won at Stalingrad, the German forces could have swept through Syria, Iraq and Persia (Iran) and threatened India. In 1943 this threat had been removed, but Indian and British troops were needed in this command area, particularly to enable war supplies to flow through to Russia. The deserts of Iraq were contrasted with the mountains of Persia, and the heat (often 120 in the shade in Iraq,) alternated with the often freezing conditions in the Persian winters. A very good description of service in this area was published by HMSO in 1948.
service in Iraq gave an insight into the social and political background there, factors which, sadly, are still so relevant today.