Turkey

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19.6.41 [George Orwell]

June 19, 2011 in Arab peoples, Daily Express, Derby, Eastern Europe, Evening Standard, Finland, Germany, Hitler, Newmarket, Petsamo, Political, Russia, Syria, Turkey, War-time, invasion, navicerts, non-aggression pact by orwelldiaries

Non-aggression pact between Germany and Turkey. This is our reward for not mopping up Syria quickly. From now on the Turkish press will be turned against us, and this will have its effect on the Arab peoples.

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14.6.41 [George Orwell]

June 14, 2011 in Baku, Cripps, Germany, Hitler, Iran, Political, Russia, Stalin, Turkey, War-time by orwelldiaries

Complete mystery, about which no one has any real news, surrounds the state of affairs between Russia and Germany. Cannot yet make contact with anyone who has seen Cripps since his return.[1] One can only judge by general probabilities, and it seems to me that the two governing facts are (i) Stalin will not go to war with Germany if there is any way short of suicide of avoiding it, and (ii) it is not to Hitler’s advantage to make Stalin lose face at this stage, as he is all the while using him against the working class of the world. Much likelier than any direct attack on Russia, therefore, or any agreement that is manifestly to Russia’s disadvantage, is a concession masked as an alliance, perhaps covered up by an attack on Iran or Turkey. Then you will hear that there has been an “exchange of technicians”, etc., etc., and that there seem to be rather a lot of German engineers at Baku. But the possibility that the whole seeming manoeuvre is simply a bluff to cover some approaching move elsewhere, possibly the invasion of England, has to be kept sight of.

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11.5.41 [George Orwell]

May 11, 2011 in Belgium, Germany, Iran, Jugoslavia, Molotov, Norway, Political, Russia, Stalin, Turkey, War-time, air raid by orwelldiaries

The most important news of the last few days, which was tucked away on a back page of the newspapers, was the Russian announcement that they could not any longer recognize the governments of Norway and Belgium. Ditto with Jugo-Slavia, according to yesterday’s papers. This is the first diplomatic move since Stalin made himself premier, and amounts to an announcement that Russia will now acquiesce in any act of aggression whatever. It must have been done under German pressure, and coming together with Molotov’s removal [1] must indicate a definite orientation of Russian policy on the German side, which needs Stalin’s personal authority to enforce it. Before long they must make some hostile move against Turkey or Iran, or both.

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6.5.41 [George Orwell]

May 6, 2011 in America, Iran, Iraq, Political, Turkey, U.S.S.R., War-time, tube stations by orwelldiaries

The Turks have offered to mediate in Irak, probably a bad sign. Mobilisation in Iran. The American government stops shipments of war materials to the U.S.S.R., a good thing in itself but probably another bad sign.

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3.5.41 [George Orwell]

May 3, 2011 in Australia, British government, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Political, Spender, Turkey, War-time, evacuation, oil wells, scruples by orwelldiaries

The number evacuated from Greece is now estimated at 41-43,000 but it is stated that we had less men there than had been supposed, probably about 55,000. Casualties supposed to be 3,000, and prisoners presumably 7 or 8 thousand, which would tally with the German figures. [1] 8000 vehicles said to have been lost, I suppose vehicles of all kinds. No mention of ships lost, though they must have lost some. Spender, one of the Australian ministers,[2] states publically that “rifles are as useless against tanks as bows and arrows”. That at any rate is a step forward.

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24.4.41 [George Orwell]

April 24, 2011 in Black Sea, Crete, Daily Express, Dardanelles, Germany, Greece, Italy, Political, Russia, Turkey, War-time, aeroplanes, armistice, blackmail, hostages by orwelldiaries

No definite news from Greece. All one knows is that a Greek army, or part of a Greek army, or possibly the whole Greek army, has capitulated. No indication as to how many men we have there, what sort of position they are left in, whether it will be possible to hang on, and if so, where etc., etc. Hints thrown out in the Daily Express suggest that we have practically no aeroplanes there. Armistice terms drawn up by the Italians evidently aim at later using Greek prisoners as hostages, with a view to blackmailing the British into giving up Crete and other islands.

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14.3.41 [George Orwell]

March 14, 2011 in Abyssinia, Balkans, Black Sea, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Haffner, Italy, Libya, Metaxas, Norway, Political, Salonika, Sicily, Tripoli, Turkey, U.S.A., War-time, Wavell, berlin, bombs, planes, propaganda, public opinion by orwelldiaries

For the last few days there have been rumours everywhere, also hints in the papers, that “something is going to happen” in the Balkans, i.e. that we are going to send an expeditionary force to Greece.  If so, it must presumably be the army now in Libya, or the bulk of it.[1]  I had heard a month back that Metaxas [2] before he died asked us for 10 divisions and we offered him 4.  It seems a terribly dangerous thing to risk an army anywhere west of the Straits.  To have any worthwhile ideas about the strategy of such a campaign, one would have to know how many men Wavell disposes of and how many are needed to hold Libya, how the shipping position stands, what the communications from Bulgaria into Greece are like, how much of their mechanised stuff the Germans have managed to bring across Europe, and who effectively controls the sea between Sicily and Tripoli.  It would be an appalling disaster if while our own main force was bogged in Salonika the Germans managed to cross the sea from Sicily and win back all the Italians have lost.  Everyone who thinks of the matter is torn both ways.  To place an army in Greece is a tremendous risk and doesn’t offer much positive gain, except that once Turkey is involved our warships can enter the Black Sea: on the other hand if we let Greece down we have demonstrated once and for all that we can’t and won’t help any European nation to keep its independence.  The thing I fear most is half-hearted intervention and a ghastly failure, as in Norway.  I am in favour of putting all our eggs in one basket and risking a big defeat, because I don’t think any defeat or victory in the narrow military sense matters so much as demonstrating that we are the side of the weak against the strong.

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