Britain is assumed to send the Mediterranean Fleet, part of the Home Fleet, and mobile forces from Egypt toward the Far East. The armoured formations later associated with the 7th Armoured Division are attractive reinforcements because they are already closer to Asia and accustomed to hot-weather service. France is unlikely to denude metropolitan France while Germany remains the central European threat, but it may draw troops from North Africa, including Foreign Legion formations. The Dutch may fight in Asia while attempting to preserve neutrality in Europe, since many of their forces are already in the East Indies. The result is a strategically inconvenient gap: the colonial regions nearest Italian Libya are weaker precisely when Rome is looking for an opening.
Chapter · 26:00-28:30
Far Eastern commitments thin North African defences
Moving British and French forces eastward leaves Egypt, the Middle East, and French North Africa with fewer troops for a sudden Italian challenge.