Cutting fuel and ammunition supplies would make Axis forces in North Africa vulnerable to being overrun. British forces might then advance into French North Africa with Free French troops at the front. Air bases along the southern Mediterranean coast could protect convoys all the way toward Suez and add anti-submarine cover to their escorts. The proposal suits fast convoys; slow merchant ships would remain less attractive candidates for this route. Gibraltar, Malta, and Crete would support the route at its western entrance and critical approaches. Restoring it would provide a quicker means of reinforcing and supplying the Far East.
Notable Point · 51:05-52:37
North African airfields reopen a fast convoy route to Suez
Defeating Axis forces in North Africa could let Britain protect fast convoys along the Mediterranean's southern shore and shorten Far Eastern resupply.