On this date in 1941, two bombers were dispatched by Adolf Hitler to Iraq in order to assist Rashid Ali al-Gailani during his rebellion against Britain, which sought to uphold a previously established Anglo-Iraqi alliance.
At the war’s onset, General Nuri as-Said, the Iraqi Prime Minister, cut diplomatic relations with Germany and entered into a cooperation agreement with Great Britain. In April 1941, the Said administration was usurped by Ali, a general opposed to British influence, who subsequently halted the British oil pipeline leading to the Mediterranean.
In response, Britain landed a brigade in the Persian Gulf, successfully repelling 9,000 Iraqi soldiers. Ali countered by enclosing the British airbase at Habbaniya. Delighted by Britain’s struggles in the Middle East, Hitler began supplying weapons and military advisors to assist Ali in his insurrection, facilitating their transport through Syria.
On May 12, Hitler dispatched Major Axel von Blomberg, an air force officer tasked with serving as a liaison between Iraq and Germany, alongside the two bombers. Upon his arrival, Blomberg found himself amidst an air skirmish between Iraqi and British aircraft, where he was tragically struck down by a stray bullet from a British plane.
By the month’s conclusion, Iraq had capitulated, allowing Britain to reinstate the original terms of the 1930 cooperation agreement. A government favorable to Britain was established, featuring a cabinet headed by the former Prime Minister Said.
Iraq subsequently evolved into a significant asset for British and American military operations in the area and, in January 1942, became the first independent Muslim nation to declare war against the Axis powers.
