| Show I Geography Makes Modern History inge in i. Huge I ge Mediterranean Theater of War Specially prepared for tor Western Newspaper Union by the National Notional Geographic Society O OF F THE many regions that stretch behind the worlds world's shifting shift shift- ing hg battle lines none is more fantastic than those of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East the Middle I East in British geography In size alone this r nf i I I war and preparations forwar for forwar war var is spectacular It covers a broad band of land and sea seatha that tha t extends from somewhere in the vicinity of shaken bomb-shaken Malta to the shores of the Black and Caspian seas Within Vi thin this general area four significant campaigns already already already al al- al- al ready have been fought with varying degrees of intensity and bloodshed The battles for Greece Libya Syria and Iraq plus Iraq plus a fifth struggle near by for East Africa which resulted in the return of the Ethiopian King of Kings to his ancient throne Today the east Mediterranean l and the adjacent land bridge of ot nations nations nations na na- na- na which links the continents o 0 of Europe Africa and Asia form farm a aI gigantic chessboard made up of Independent independent independent in in- dependent and occupied countries of opposing colonies and island bases It Includes occupied Axis-occupied Greece and nd Libya held British-held Egypt technically at peace while bombs fall on her cities and battles rage in her deserts and uneasy neutral Turkey It holds the all- all important approaches to the Egyptian Egyptian Egyptian tian and Russian fronts by way of the Red sea and the Persian gulf gull through Iran and Iraq across the Levant States Syria Trans-Jordan Trans and Palestine The mere list of place names anthe on an the routes of men and materials bound for the battle lines indicates the international complications and physical difficulties To these far- far flung regions the war has brought innumerable problems for technicians technicians technicians and diplomats diplomats and and ceaseless activity New motor roads appear and airports spring up in desert wastes New harbor facilities are built in old ports toward which convoys convoys convoys con con- voys of troopships oil ail tankers freighters and vessels of all kinds race under the constant threat of the enemy in the air Key Points Manned At key points paints throughout the eastern eastern east east- ern em Mediterranean and beyond the armies of at fighting men and machines machines machines ma ma- chines have gathered Axis forces may operate from Italian Taranto Greek Piraeus Libyan from tram the German-captured German island of Crete and Italy's Pantelleria and I islands On their side the United Nations stand at such vital spots as Suez and the Nile delta in the Egyptian deserts and on an the island of Cyprus at Syrian and Palestine ports parts and inland oil ail fields of Iran and Iraq On a 3 map you can see at a glance how geography dictates the wars war's movements You understand why I the British base of Malta athwart the Axis life line to Libya and the Egyptian front front and and less than 60 miles from tram Italian Sicily Sicily Sicily-is is the most bombed spot on earth How the oil pipe lines from the Caspian fuel the Russian fleet on the Black Blacksea sea How variations in the earths earth's surface from the Depression of Egypt to the eternally snow-capped snow mountains of the So- So N I II I t No man may wear his street shoes Into a a. Mosque the Mohammedan I house of worship Since Moslems or dominate the theater theater theater the the- ater of war in North Africa scenes like this are customary viet vict Caucasus determine the methods methods methods meth meth- and tools of warfare The Mediterranean and Near East areas however are extraordinary for more reasons than contrasting battlegrounds and governments There where East meets West Vest today's today's today's to to- days day's machine-age machine conflict is being played out against a background as old as the recorded history of man Where New Meets Old Multi-motored Multi bombers fly over the traditional Garden of Eden now largely desert and over the City of Babylon seat of empires that rose roseand roseand roseand and waned thousands of years before before be be- before fore Christ Flying boats land anthe on an the Sea of Galilee and tanks rumble rumble rumble rum rum- ble along routes that once were caravan caravan car car- avan trails such as the Three Wise Vise Men followed to Bethlehem British British British Brit Brit- ish and American engineers set up anti-aircraft anti positions and plan underground underground underground un un- un- un storage tanks for gasoline gasoline gaso gaso- gasoline line and water for their winged forces near ancient routes followed by the Children of Israel and the weary foot-weary armies of Alexander and the Crusaders They install modern modern mod- mod vern ern ern machinery for unloading mass war war shipments in Persian Gulf GuI ports of Arabian Nights romance such as the Sailor knew The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx rise within sight of busy crowded Cairo on the Nile British base and capital of Egypt In the bazaars of Damascus probably the earths earth's oldest inhabited city American soldiers from Boston or St. St Louis Oregon or Florida may bargain for candied fruits or sit around smoking braziers where Oriental Oriental Oriental Or Or- chefs fan spitted mutton with witha a chicken wing or serve such clabbered clabbered clab dab milk of sheep or goat as has been a mainstay in the Levantine diet for thousands of years Cradle of Civilization This part of the world has often been called the Cradle of Western Wester Civilization From the regions of the eastern Mediterranean spread the alphabet knowledge of mathematics mathematics mathematics mathe mathe- matics medicine politics and philosophy philosophy phi phi- lessons in sculpture architecture architecture ar ar- architecture ar- ar and drama There primitive primitive primi primi- tive wheels turned on an their bulky axles and men learned to use sails and save their arms from the heavy pull of galley oars Near the Euphrates in what was Mesopotamia now Iraq is Ur of the birthplace of Abra Abra- ham For Bible students these are the Holy Lands Land of Goshen where the Israelites toiled Mount Sinai of the Ten Commandments Jerusalem Jericho and the River Jordan The worlds world's three major religions Judaism Christianity and Mohammedanism Mohammedanism Mohammedanism were born in this corner of the globe In Jer Jerusalem salem are found three shrines sacred to the adherents of these faiths the faiths the Wailing Wailing Wail Wail- ing lag Wall where reverent Jews cometo come cometo to pray and lament the Christran Church of the Holy Sepulchre and I And N Now Now Now- And now what Fast action and stirring deeds on the African front have replaced the earlier talk about that continents continent's possible strategic importance But the prophets aware that anything can happen and often orten does docs are arc maintaining a Sphinx like silence Here an Indian Indian Indian In In- dian soldier is shown chatting with an Egyptian I the Moslem Mosque of Omar Legendary Legendary Legendary Leg Leg- site where Jesus was buried buried buried bur bur- the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Sepulchre Is shared by most of ot worlds world's Christian religions including including including ing the Greek Orthodox Roman Catholic Armenian Jacobite and Coptic Moslem World In Allied Sphere The Mediterranean eastern and Near-East Near areas within the wartime sphere of the United Nations are aref however predominantly Moslem countries There is found the worlds world's heaviest concentration of the followers follow follow- ers of Mohammed whose ways may seem strange to many a British Tommy and Anzac many an American American Amer Amer- ican lean Doughboy engineer or or technician technician tech tech- meeting them for the first time The Moslem disciple lives live according according according accord accord- ing to dogmatic religious rules including in inc eluding prayer fasting and the holy pilgrimage especially to Mecca Pork and wine are strictly forbid forbid- den During the sacred ninth month of the Moslem calendar calendar calen calen- dar good observe a rigid fast between dawn and dark when they neither eat nor drink or engage in any activity that might come under the head of pleasure or comfort from rom smoking to smelling perfume or flowers From Egypt to Iran this is Arab country where the flapping burnoose burnoose burnoose bur- bur noose the mosque and the ship of the desert the desert the camel camel are are still typical features of the scenery Yet more mare and more long before the outbreak of th the war the Changeless Change less East was changing fast under the impact of Westernized industry and W Western stern habits Radios electricity movies and cooled air-cooled cafes were becoming fa familiar familiar fa- fa millar in the cities of the Near East along with modernistic apartment houses smart shops and night clubs On the streets girls in modern dress with bobbed hair and high heels heels and and the vote were vote were replacing the shrouded veiled wom worn an Across the desert fleets of motor motor metor mo mo- tor buses streaked regular peacetime peacetime peace peace- peacetime time airplane service was maintained maintained main main- tamed and on new railway lines trains drawn by oil burning locomotives locomotives tives were equipped with Pullman sleepers |
