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Assuming the unlikely scenario where an Operation Pike situation has happened in 1941, the Brits bomb Baku and the Caucasian oil fields from Mosul Iraq out of desperation for some reason (wave hands about), how would the British military then stand up to a Soviet invasion of the Middle East? For the sake of argument Barbarossa doesn't happen so the Soviets are free to act in the Middle East without any hindrance from Germany. This happens in Spring 1941, so the Iraqi Rebellion hasn't happened yet and doesn't get off the ground due to the threat from the USSR and British moving troops into the country and region to fight. Zhukov is tasked with running the invasion of the region via Turkey and Iran due to his performance against the Japanese in Mongolia in 1939 and like then has the full pick of units, equipment, and commanders, as well as supply priority. The British have Indian divisions, loyal Iraqi units, part of the Turkish military (part is kept to defend against a potential move by Germany) and the full Iranian military, plus any British/Commonwealth units they can ship in. How well can they stack up against the best the USSR has to offer?
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