Liberating Libya: British Diplomacy and War in the Desert. Rupert Wieloch. Philadelphia, PA: Casemate Publishers, 2021.
Rupert Wieloch’s Liberating Libya: British Diplomacy and War in the Desert brings new insights to the story of British military and diplomatic involvement in Libya from the late seventeenth century to the present. The author draws mainly on a vast amount of secondary literature, supplemented with some primary material to tell the long story of British involvement in Libya. His compelling narrative is punctuated by numerous well-developed stories of personal action and sacrifice, and misfortune, which give it vivid depth and detail. The title combines diplomacy and war, which is both deliberate and appropriate. Diplomacy not backed with the potential of military force is normally hollow, and ideally the use of military force must be tied to diplomacy and the achievement of foreign policy goals. The author drives this point home through an intriguing approach that acknowledges the positive, and at times quite negative, actions of individuals in shaping outcomes.
This book is divided into four sections that cumulatively cover a very long period of time. One of the book’s strengths is that in each section the author reminds the reader of previous events in the same area. For example, in discussing the “totally avoidable” death of US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens in 2012, the author reminds the reader of a previous instance during the turbulence in 1967 in which John Kormann, the American consul in Benghazi, was forced to barricade himself and his staff in the consulate.[1] This brings a familiarity to what would otherwise be unknown terrain to most readers, and these periodic reminders of past battles and incidents in the same locations helps to knit together the long story of British involvement in Libya.
A feature of the terrain Wieloch brings to light is that the wide open spaces allowed for brilliant mobile operations, most notably in the Second World War, but this tactical freedom came at a heavy price.
From a military historian’s perspective, each section offers poignant lessons for those seeking to learn the enduring lessons of campaigning in the Western Desert, where the seemingly endless desert of sand, dust storms, rock and salt marshes has always been hard on men and machines alike, and provides none of the resources armies needed to fight or merely survive. A feature of the terrain Wieloch brings to light is that the wide open spaces allowed for brilliant mobile operations, most notably in the Second World War, but this tactical freedom came at a heavy price. Difficulties in supplying armed forces under such conditions were exacerbated by high consumption rates during mobile operations, where deficiencies in supply were keenly felt. Military operations from the earliest times through to today had to be cost-effective, as one simply cannot afford to waste resources. This enduring feature of the reality of military operations in the Western Desert is illustrated in each section.
The first section of the book includes the early period of Greek settlement and the Arab invasion right up to Ottoman rule, illustrating the interaction of various cultures in the region that give insights into the make-up and intricacy of Libyan society that continue to shape its relationship with the world of today. This section is somewhat brief, which is understandable given the book’s ambitious goal of grappling with such a long period. There are moments in the book where the author could have explored some aspects in more detail. One example is the British role in the civil war in 1795 that saw Ahmed II gain the throne, only to lose it six months later.[2] A more detailed description of the British role in that incident would have tied it more closely to the book’s main theme. Yet this is less a criticism and more a hope that the author will explore these issues in more detail in follow-on work, and it does not detract from the important work of setting the foundations of why and how things developed in Libya, and how that continues to shape its involvement with the world today.
These largely untold stories add an important element to the historiography and are written in a way that holds the reader’s attention.
The second section outlines the collapse of Ottoman rule and Libya’s status, as the section is entitled, as a reluctant colony of Italy’s “Fourth Shore.” That period includes the experience of the First World War right up to the start of the Second, and illustrates how the Italian invasion of 1911 led to the disaster of 1914. It also provides a detailed discussion of the Sanussi campaign, including both the Duke of Westminster's rescue of British prisoners of war at Bir Hakeim, as well as the fascinating story of Colonel Milo Talbot, who the author argues was as important as T.E. Lawrence in furthering British influence with the Arab forces, but was not celebrated for his efforts. Again, these largely untold stories add an important element to the historiography and are written in a way that holds the reader’s attention.
If this book has a flaw, it is most apparent in the sections covering the period of the Second World War from 1940 to late 1942. The discussion of the desert fighting is fairly traditional and does not give appropriate attention to the role of air power. The author does occasionally mention its presence, but does not do justice to its impact on the ground campaign. Indeed, this is all the more striking given that an entire chapter is devoted to the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). While this is a valuable addition to the traditional narrative of the course of the desert campaign, if the LRDG deserves a chapter then certainly the RAF does as well. Air power had a profound effect on the North African campaign, and by mid-1942 it was the most powerful tool in the British (later Anglo-American) toolbox. While the author mentions its contribution to the predicament in which Rommel found himself at the Gazala line, air power was central to that predicament. At Alam Halfa and El Alamein in late August to October 1942, air power was key to the British victories. Not only did the round-the-clock bombing of Axis positions shatter its morale, but accounted for a significant portion of its material losses at and behind the front lines. By saying little more than air power was there, a somewhat unbalanced description of the British war in the Western Desert is provided.
The book does much to shine a new light on a poorly understood historical relationship.
Against this, one has to commend the author’s special focus on instances of exceptional bravery, stories that need to be continually retold and remembered. The author spends time describing the circumstances around which every Victoria Cross awarded in Libya was won, as well as others where soldiers were deserving of such awards. The detail and deep respect shown to the soldiers sacrificing for their colleagues in support of national interests is a strength of this book. So too is the final part of the book which documents British operations to establish Libya as an independent nation, not avoiding the tense relationship between Gadhafi and the West during the Line of Death era of the early to mid-1980s. The final chapter comes up to the present by giving the author’s unique perspectives on the overthrow of Gadhafi and the continuing fallout on Libya and the region.
The book does much to shine a new light on a poorly understood historical relationship. It conveys a key theme that has eluded historians—the long-standing geostrategic importance of Libya to British interests, and the consequences that have arisen when that connection has been neglected. As Wieloch makes clear, the unique history between the two countries offers an opportunity for Britain, even more so than the US given recent events, to partner with Libya to forge enduring cultural and commercial ties. Rupert Wieloch’s important addition to the historiography of the British relationship with Libya will find a welcome place on the bookshelf of those studying British and Libyan military and diplomatic history.
Dr. Brad Gladman holds a PhD in military history from the University College London. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on intelligence and the application of air power, as well as a book entitled Intelligence and Anglo-American Air Support in World War Two: The Western Desert and Tunisia 1940-43. Dr. Gladman has lectured at the University of Calgary, for the Royal Military College of Canada, and at the United States Air Force Academy.
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Header Image: Ras Al Hallab Lighthouse in Qara Boli, Libya, 2021 (Moayad Zaghdani).
Notes:
[1] Rupert Wieloch, Liberating Libya: British Diplomacy and War in the Desert (Philadelphia, PA: Casemate Publishers, 2021), 221.
[2] Wieloch, Liberating Libya, 10.