> Brief generational history of the Darfur civil war in Sudan
jmm1184 wrote:
> In your article you mentioned that the last crisis war for Darfur
> was WWII? But how can that be? There were no campaigns in Sudan
> and to my knowledge it was a non-crisis war for Sudan if it
> affected Sudan at all. From what I've read there appear to have
> been no wars between 1916 and 1955 in the region, 1916 being the
> time when the British Empire conquered Darfur and incorporated it
> into British-ruled Sudan. It was touched by the Mahdi Uprising but
> its not readily clear whether or not it was a crisis war for the
> Darfuris, and that would be too long for its last crisis war to
> have occurred (104 years between climax and regeneracy) or is
> it?
I always like to use the Kansas example -- WW II was a generational
crisis war for Kansas (and Iceland and Switzerland), even though the
war never occurred on their soil.
The 9/11/2001 attacks traumatized the entire country, even though they
only occurred in NYC and DC.
So what happened to Sudan in WW II? I googled "Sudan in world war ii"
and came up with this:
http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk ... 11&start=0
British Military History wrote:
> East, West and South Africa 1930 - 1947
> =======================================
>
> British Troops in The Sudan 1930 - 1947
>
> The Sudan became a condominium ruled jointly and equally by the United
> Kingdom and Egypt following the British victory over the Mahdists at
> the Battle of Omdurman on 2 September 1898. After the Great War (First
> World War) and the break up of the Ottoman Empire, there was increased
> tension in Egypt and the Sudan. The assassination of the
> Governor-General of the Sudan in 1924 led to the British government
> imposing demands on the Egyptian government which resulted in the
> dissolution of the condominium.
>
> In 1925, the country was made a Protectorate of the United Kingdom. A
> local armed police or militia was formed that year entitled the Sudan
> Defence Force (S.D.F.) to maintain law and order in the country
> following the withdrawal of Egyptian officers and units from the
> Sudan.
>
> In 1930, British Troops in the Sudan was a subsidiary command of
> British Troops in Egypt for the purposes of administration, although
> it remained separate operationally. The commandant of the Sudan
> Defence Force was a Temporary Brigadier, who held the rank of Local
> Major General. He also held the dual responsibility as General Officer
> Commanding British Troops in the Sudan. He had a small staff of one
> Colonel and fourteen other officers to assist him.
>
> There were usually two British infantry battalions posted to the Sudan
> between the wars. By the outbreak of the Second World War, this had
> been increased to three. The entry of Italy into the war potentially
> made the Sudan vulnerable to attack from Eritrea and Abyssinia. The
> Commander-in-Chief, Middle East (General WAVELL) decided to attack the
> Eritrea and Abyssinia, which also removed the potential threat to the
> sea routes to the Far East.
>
> The build up of forces commenced in September 1940 with the arrival of
> the 5 Indian Infantry Division from India. It only consisted of two
> brigades, so the three British battalions were absorbed into the
> division. Local probing attacks commenced in November, with the 4
> Indian Infantry Division arriving from Egypt in December 1940. This
> allowed the advance into Eritrea to commence in January 1941.
>
> Both Indian formations advanced rapidly until they met fierce
> resistence at the Keren pass. The fighting there lasted from 2
> February until 27 March 1941. Eventually, through a determined series
> of attacks and sound tactics, the Indian formations forced the
> Italians to withdraw, and Eritrea was secured. The 4 Indian Infantry
> Division was sent back to Egypt in mid April 1941, but the 5 Indian
> Infantry Division remained to drive southwards to meet up with the
> South Africans in May. A coordinated attack on the Toselli Pass by the
> Indians and South Africans forced the main elements of the Italian
> Army to surrender on 19 May 1941.
>
> The Sudan then returned to a quiet backwater, with a military presence
> to police the country and garrison Eritrea. The last British troops
> left the Sudan on 16 August 1955.
>
> Download documents
>
> Chronology of Events[2]
> » East Africa Chronology of Events
>
> Order of Battle Structure Diagram(s)[3]
> » 41.01 British Troops in The Sudan
>
> Higher Formations History and Personnel[4]
> » British Troops in The Sudan History & Personnel
>
> Command Troops[5]
> » British Troops In The Sudan Command Troops
>
> Divisional Formations[6]» 5 Indian Division (1940-41) [7]
> » 4 Indian Division (1941)
>
> [8]« return to index
>
> 1. ?nid=11&start=0
> 2. /webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/Chronology_of_Events_East_Africa.pdf
> 3. /webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/41.01_British_Troops_in_The_Sudan.pdf
> 4. /webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/British-Troops-in-The-Sudan-History-Personnel.pdf
> 5. /webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/Command_Troops_Sudan__1941_.pdf
> 6. /webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/5_Indian_Division__1940_41_.pdf
> 7. /webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/4_Indian_Division__1941_.pdf
> 8. ?nid=11&start=0
http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk ... 11&start=0
So there was heavy involvment of Egypt, Eritrea and Abyssinia, and
there was enough fear concerning Sudan so that Britain posted three
infantry battalions to the Sudan, which was on the Red Sea, wedged
between Egypt and Eritrea. This was followed by the arrival of 5
Indian Infantry Divisions from India into Eritrea.
Here's a link that gives details of the "Invasion of Italian East
Africa 19 Jan 1941 - 16 May 1941."
http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=108
It refers to the Indian troops as the "Sudan Force," suggesting that
this was considered an attack on Sudan, even though it didn't take
place on Sudan's soil.