Allies Invade Levant: Securing the Middle East Front
British, Australian, Indian, and Free French forces invaded Vichy French-held Syria and Lebanon on June 8, 1941, in Operation Exporter. The campaign was prompted by Vichy France's collaboration with Germany, including allowing Luftwaffe aircraft to refuel in Syria en route to support the Iraqi coup of Rashid Ali al-Gaylani. Vichy French forces resisted fiercely, fighting for five weeks before signing an armistice on July 14. The campaign cost 4,600 Allied and approximately 6,000 Vichy casualties. Many Vichy soldiers chose to return to France rather than join the Free French, embarrassing de Gaulle. The operation secured Allied control of the Levant and prevented Germany from establishing a presence that could have threatened the Suez Canal and Middle Eastern oil supplies.
June 8, 1941
85 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on June 8
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