27 May 1941. Cairo, Egypt.
Lieutenant-General William Holmes had arrived in Egypt, along with the Headquarters staff of X Corps, along with the 9th (Highland) Division. Having done well with the 42nd Division in the withdrawal to Dunkirk, Holmes had been promoted and given command of X Corps, which had been responsible for the defence of the North-east of England in the event of a German invasion. General Wavell had the happy problem of troops pouring into his area of responsibility, but lacked the General Staff Officers to sort these men into proper organisations. X Corps HQ had been chosen to come to Egypt and provide another experienced leadership cadre to add to General O’Connor’s XIII Corps.
Wavell had been requesting that London concentrate on sending him drafts of troops as replacements as well as many more Signals, Medical, Supply, Workshops, and Transport units. Prime Minister Churchill had scoffed about the tail becoming much bigger than the teeth, but Wavell replied that 'I have fighting troops standing idle for lack of vehicles which my workshop and recovery organization working night and day cannot repair quickly enough. Work on essential airfields is hampered by insufficiency of engineer units, and the capture of 100,000 prisoners has thrown a severe strain on the medical and supply services...' Churchill relented and agreed to send the requested units, but also insisted on sending the 9th and then the 50th Infantry Divisions as well.
Wavell’s plan was eventually to turn what had been the old Western Desert Force into a full-blown army. When Holmes and his HQ had arrived, Wavell could envision an army with XIII and X Corps making up its constituent parts, and the possibility of the ANZACs adding a third Corps. Wavell had cabled London with this recommendation to give O’Connor command of that army, which would likely be named ‘Eighth Army’. Wavell had suggested that XIII Corps could be well run by Philip Neame, with William Holmes continuing in command of X Corps.
General ‘Jumbo’ Wilson, after his efforts in Greece, had been appointed GOC Palestine and Transjordan, and he had worries about the situation in Syria. The Free French General Georges Catroux had been pushing the story that the Vichy French had not only been supportive of the Iraq uprising, but there was growing evidence of German Luftwaffe elements on Syrian airfields. Catroux was convinced that a show of strength would have the Vichy forces capitulate and Syria would join the Free French. While the situation in Iraq was now stabilised, Wilson was convinced by Catroux that something would need to be done about Syria. Wilson had therefore asked for X Corps to be attached to his command to bring together his disparate forces into a unified force capable to invading Syria.
Wavell was once more concerned about over-reach. The end of the fighting in East Africa wasn’t far off, and Wavell had looked forward to receiving the complete 5th Indian and 1st South African Divisions to add to the forces in Egypt, but they would need time to rest and recuperate before they could be thrown back into the fray. Iraq’s coup had led to the 10th Indian Division being sent, not to Malaya as planned, but to Basra, and the efforts to turn the Cavalry Division into 10th Armoured Division had had to be postponed while they took Baghdad. Greece had taken the ANZACs, (6th and 7th Australian and 2nd New Zealand Division), along with an Armoured Brigade, to do little more than slow down the Germans. Now all these units had to be replenished, rested and re-equipped. Crete had been held, thanks to the forces there, but the Polish, New Zealand and British Brigades would likely have to stay there, at least, for the foreseeable future. Wavell now also had tens of thousands of Greeks on the ration strength, and was still trying to shift 100000 Italian Prisoners of War out of his hair.
What Wavell’s intelligence told him was that the threat of German intervention in Syria was actually remote, and that the loss of the Airborne Division in Crete would probably mean that Cyprus (and Malta) was safe too. It was clear to Wavell that Wilson believed the Free French, who were keen to do something to push General Henri Dentz, the commander-in-chief of the Vichy forces towards De Gaulle. At this point Wavell, in consultation with Chief of the Imperial General Staff, John Dill, thought the best thing was to postpone a decision about invading Syria until after Operation Battleaxe, due to begin on 7 June, had concluded. He agreed with Wilson that it would be possible to put together a force, but whether it would be strong enough was another matter. This force would include some of the Cavalry Division, possibly with much of an Australian Division and the Free French. What settled the matter for Wavell was that the RAF was far too stretched to do much to support an effort in Syria, while maintaining their crucial work over the main threat and problem in Libya.
To satisfy General Wilson, Wavell agreed to place Holmes’ X Corps HQ under the Palestine and Transjordan Command. This Corps would eventually have the 10th Armoured Division, the 5th Indian Division and the 50th Infantry Division under its control. Obviously, this would take some time for these units to arrive, complete their acclimatisation, train together and be fully worked up. For the moment, General Blamey’s ANZACs and the Free French would continue to guard the northern border with Lebanon, and regular reconnaissance would be undertaken by the RAF to make sure that the Germans were not arriving in any numbers. If General Dentz could be persuaded to throw off the shackles of the collaborationist Vichy regime by peaceful means, all the better. Having a substantial force building up on his border might make the American adage ‘speak softly, but carry a big stick’ work in this case.
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