Abandoning the Mediterranean looked like one way to protect both Britain and the Far East with limited forces. German and Italian access toward the Persian Gulf would threaten oil supplies needed beyond the Mediterranean theater itself. Fuel reaching the United Kingdom came largely across the Atlantic from Canada and the United States, but Gulf oil supported forces in North Africa and the Far East. The theaters were therefore connected by logistics even when they were geographically distant. Holding the Mediterranean was part of sustaining Britain's wider war effort.
Notable Point · 20:37-21:19
Fuel lifelines tied the Mediterranean to the Far East
Britain could not abandon the Mediterranean when Gulf oil sustained forces in North Africa and the Far East.