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Egypt The Egyptian Military in World War II
Before World War II, military service was compulsory for men
between the ages of nineteen and twenty-seven, but because of the
limited size of the army--about 23,000 in 1939--few were actually
conscripted. During World War II, Egypt's army grew to about
100,000 troops. Britain maintained a strong influence in the
military and provided it with equipment, instruction, and
technicians. Under the terms of the 1936 treaty, British troops
remained in the country to defend the Suez Canal. During the war,
Egypt became the principal Allied base in the Middle East.
Egypt severed relations with the Axis powers soon after the
outbreak of World War II but remained technically neutral until
near the end of the war. The Italians first brought the war to
Egypt in 1940 but were repelled by the British. In late 1941, the
German Afrika Korps entered western Egypt and threatened the
country and the canal. But the British Eighth Army defeated the
German force at Al Alamayn in October 1942. Some Egyptians flew
patrol duty in British planes with British pilots during the war,
and Egypt inaugurated a naval service with a few patrol boats
supplied by Britain. Egyptians were used primarily for guard duty
and logistical tasks rather than for combat. Some Egyptian officers
favored Germany as a way to end Britain's influence in the country.
(The British had imprisoned Anwar as Sadat because of his
pro-German activities.) Aware of such sentiments, the British
command was reluctant to employ Egyptian units in combat even after
King Faruk formally declared war against the Axis in February 1945.
Data as of December 1990
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