Punctually interesting elements, but a narrative structure to the chaotic chronology

Louvrage Christian Destremau dedicated to the Middle East during the Second World War is a mediocre book, or the author tries vainly dévoquer the potential of the territories involved in the dune under hypothetical victory lax in Egypt or during attempted dune descent to the Middle East after the conquest of Baku.

Dune generally suffers louvrage dune faulty chronology, with back and leaps forward, strong clumsy which does not allow to have a strict chronological reading of events, one example among others: actions of the narrative of the State French in Syria makes us go the mandate exercised by Maurice Weygand than the general Dentz in space dune half page. If you are looking for a book giving an account of the military operations in the Middle East, this is a book worth avoiding, prefer it a quality book on lAfrikaKorps Rommel, the main thing can quen reality of military actions on the theater were dopération those conducted by Rommel from Libya against the British.

Then, in terms of micro-history, there are some information gleaned about intrusion attempts in terms of propaganda and intelligence Reich. However, these data are fairly well known, Christian Destremau paying demonstrate absence of ideological collusion between the Nazis and the Arabs and sen takes violently louvrage Jeffrey Hersch on German propaganda to the Middle East, Hersch or simply showed the importance of this Propaganda designed by the Nazis with the help of the great Mufti of Jerusalem Al-Husseini, he never found the effectiveness of this propaganda from Arab populations who cares For many others against, Hersch has demonstrated that he had to transfer from Semitic culture of anti-Jewish propaganda and that this transfer sest found within the doctrine of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. You can have a first idea by reading the review that I have done on this site louvrage Jeffrey Herf (lexposé is strictly factual).

M Destremau was in a way the work of odious caricature Herf indicating that for this author all Arabs were Nazi Germany sympathizers. When asked what postulate, Christian Destremau has discretion to restore a more nuanced reality (which navait never been questioned by the authors which he claims to refute the work).

Note, among other examples, that on the evolution of Syria was then under French mandate, as well as Lebanon, Christian Destremau shows that following the victory enlightens the Reich against France in 1940 humiliation of defeat Syrian nationalists led to express some sympathy for Hitler receiving the local surname Dabou Ali. And members of the Syrian Nationalist Party founded by Antoun Saada, have some appetite for National Socialist ideology. Destremau indicates quen addition, the Phalangists of Pierre Gemayel were inspired by the example left of the Hitler Youth, leader of Baldur von Schirach Hitler Youth dailleurs having made himself a trip to Syria in 1937. It can be said that the elements set by Destremeau confirm that they ninfirment more about the historians who believed detect an attempted German penetration in Arab nationalist movements As against the chronological structure lexposé is completely defective, we wash with, as indicated in "back and forth" between constant multiple times greatly impair the clarity of the text.

We note, on page 177, the author indicates that "(), the Ambassador of Germany to Paris, Otto Abtez, sétait interfered in the debate on the nature of the lAllemagne policy in the Middle East, stressing that Marshal Pétain might consider quun commitment in favor of a large Arab Confederation would be contrary to agreements with Vichy which stated that the Vichy government was responsible for maintaining the order in the French colonies and countries under mandates ".

We must clarify two elements of this sentence, the first is that Otto Abetz is by its official duty charged by France von Ribbentrop but also by the Führer in person to maintain some pressure on the Vichy government for the latter to respond positively the exorbitant demands of Germany, and therefore recall provisions of the agreement leaving the state darmistice French management and the administration of French Empire nest no interference by a dAbetz but a normal action in the course of its ordinary functions.

In addition, the second point is the willingness of Germans to use Syria as a logistics base to support anti-British Detat the coup of Rashid Ali in 1941: the dialog elements between Vichy and the Reich are discussed, with proper reference to Jacques Benoist-Méchin, however, the main thing of developments in Vichy on this issue dune military collaboration with the Third Reich are those related to the particular lamiral Darlan will achieve this through the daccords which are the Paris protocols, or even go up a co-belligerency decision of France alongside of Germany vis-à-vis of England and / or the United States. But the question of the Paris Protocol nest little or not at all mentioned, so Quà many ways they represented the will of a military cooperation extreme danger for the future of France, with a double connection to the Middle East affairs and trigger of the operation Barbarossa against the USSR On this essential question those seeking real structured and reasoned answers may refer with utility louvrage Bernard Costagliola "Darlan collaboration at all costs" CNRS Editions, 2015.
For the rest, the micro-story elements exposed a disjointed manner in louvrage of Destremau Quà will be useful for people who already have a very solid knowledge about the military question of the Middle East. This is prominent unfortunate because the elements mentioned ad hoc basis by the author are interesting. Including those relating to the use of the Iranian corridor by the United States, with civil works absolutely huge (with The intervention Seabees) for US be able to sustain the effort USSR war by a less dangerous path that of Murmansk.

The same goes for the reminder on the lightness of the military planning of the Wehrmacht on the ability of the German armies to achieve their goals quite widely with insufficient oil resources.

Unfortunately, the interesting juxtaposition of elements by no means sufficient to constitute a harmonious and homogeneous book