I knew an old guy who said during WW2 he joined the army and went to Africa. What was he doing there? (I didn’t know him very well and he’s probably dead now so I can’t ask him directly). Was there any war related stuff going on in Africa?
The Allies were securing the North African territories (from Italy and Vichy France) and defending their own territories from being taken by the Axis powers (like British-controlled Egypt). Once the Allies had kicked the Axis out of North Africa, they could more easily land in southern Italy!
As somebody else have said, there was also conflict between Ethiopia and Italy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_African_campaign
And the SAS (and with it modern special tactics) were invented in Africa
AmericanPeople like to think that they’re were only fighting in Europe and some in Pacific Island. They forgot that of all the nations that were fighting China lost the most menAlongside the north Africa campaign someone else posted there was also combat in west Africa pushing the Italians out of Ethiopia and Somalia. There was also fighting to take control back from Vichy France’s colonial holdings with the main one coming to mind being the invasion of Madagascar in 1942.
Minor correction… Ethiopian and Somalia are in eastern Africa on or near the Horn.
It was still colonial, so, using violence to extract resources from locals.
. . . while also fighting the colonials on the other side of the war to control regional resource extraction.
Just chillin’.
