Battle of Beirut (1941)
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| Battle of Beirut | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Syria–Lebanon campaign of World War II | |||||||
 Vichy shells explode among the Australians as they advance along the coast road south of Beirut | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Australia | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Henry Wilson |
 Henri Dentz[1] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
35,000–45,000 bombers 60 fighters | |||||||
The Battle of Beirut (12 July 1941) marked the end of hostilities in the Syria–Lebanon campaign of World War II.
The campaign saw the initial
British 6th Division, a special commando force (C battalion of the Special Service Brigade) and 6 battalions of the 1st Free French Division.[1]
On 8 July, even before the fall of
Sidney Smith Barracks" on the outskirts of the city of Acre.[1] The armistice placed Syria under the French general Charles de Gaulle.[1]
The triumphant entry of the
Australian 7th Division
into Beirut successfully established the Allied occupation of Lebanon. Beirut later became an important Allied base for Mediterranean naval operations.
References
- ^ ISBN 0198228848.