Show geography makes modern history in huge mediterranean theater of war specially prepared tor for western newspaper union by the tf MIT national geographic society W W 0 OF F THE many regions that stretch behind the worlds shifting M battle lines none is more fantastic than those of the east eastern ern r 6 x 5 mediterranean and the near east the middle east in british WIX aw w aa geography in size alone this theater of war and preparations for war is spectacular it covers a broad band of land and sea that extends from somewhere in the vicinity of bomb shaken malta to the shores of the black and caspian seas within this general area four significant campaigns already have been fought with varying degrees of intensity and bloodshed the battles for greece libya syria and 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 and the adjacent land bridge of nations which links the continents of europe africa and asia form a gigantic chessboard made up of independent and occupied countries of opposing colonies and island bases it includes axis occupied greece and libya 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 important approaches to the egyptian and russian fronts by way of the red sea and the persian gulf through iran and iraq across the levant states syria trans trails jordan and palestine the mere list of place names on the routes of men and materials bound for the battle lines indicates the international complications and physical difficulties to these far flung regions the war has brought innumerable problems for technicians and diplomats 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 of troopships oil tankers freighters and vessels of all kinds race under the constant threat of the enemy in the air key points manned at key points throughout the eastern mediterranean and beyond the armies of fighting men and machines have gathered axis forces may operate from italian taranto greek piraeus libyan To bruch from the german captured island of crete and italis pantelleria and Dode canese 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 and inland oil fields of iran and iraq on a map you can see at a glance how geography dictates the wars movements you understand why the british base of malta athwart the axis life line to libya and the egyptian front and less than 60 miles from italian sicily is the most bombed spot on earth how the oil pipe lines from the caspian fuel the russian fleet on the black sea how variations in the earths surface from the hattara depression of egypt to the eternally snow capped mountains of the so e 0 6 ay no man may wear his street shoes into a mosque the Aloham mohammedan house of worship since Alos moslems lems or edans dominate the theater of war in north africa scenes like this are customary viet caucasus determine the methods 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 machine age conflict is being played out against a background as old as the recorded history of man where new meets old multi motored bombers fly over the traditional garden of eden now largely desert and over the city of babylon seat of empires that rose and waned thousands of years before christ flying boats land on the sea of galilee and tanks rumble along routes that once were caravan trails such as the three wise men followed to bethlehem british and american engineers set up antiaircraft anti aircraft positions and plan underground der ground storage tanks for gas gasoline 0 and water for their winged forces near ancient routes followed by the children of israel and the foot weary armies of alexander and the crusaders they install modern machinery for unloading mass war shipments in persian gulf 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 oldest inhabited city american soldiers from boston or st louis oregon or florida may bargain bargain for candied fruits or sit around smoking braziers where oriental chefs fan spitted mutton with a chicken wing or serve such clab bared 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 civilization from the regions of the eastern mediterranean spread the alphabet knowledge of mathematics medicine politics and philosophy lo lessons in sculpture architecture and drama there primitive wheels turned on 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 Chal dees birthplace of abraham 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 three major religions judaism christianity and mohammedanism me were born in this comer of the globe in jerusalem are found three shrines sacred to the adherents of these faiths the wailing wan wall where reverent jews come to pray and lament the christian church of the holy sepulchre and and abid now I 1 N W 40 4 and now what fast action and stirring deeds on the african front have replaced the earlier talk about that continents possible strategic importance but the prophets aware that anything can happen and often does are maintaining a sphinx like silence here an indian soldier is shown chatting with an egyptian the moslem mosque of omar legendary site where jesus was buried the church of the holy sepulchre is shared by most of the worlds christian religions including the greek orthodox roman catholic armenian jacobite and coptic moslem world in allied sphere the eastern mediterranean and near east areas within the wartime sphere of the united nations are however predominantly moslem countries there is found the worlds h heaviest concentration of the followers of mohammed whose ways may seem strange to many a british tommy and anzac many an american i an doughboy engineer or technician meeting them for the first time the moslem disciple lives according to dogmatic religious rules in including prayer fasting and the holy pilgrimage especially to mecca pork and wine are strictly forbidden during Ra madam the sacred ninth month of the moslem calendar good edans observe a rigid fast between b tween 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 smoking to smelling perfume or flowers from egypt to iran this is arab country where the flapping burnoose the mosque and the ship of the desert the camel are still typical features of the scenery yet more and more long before the outbreak of the war the changeless east was changing fast under the impact of westernized industry prid and western habits |