30. The developments of 1940 had led to a crisis in the affairs of Britain, in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. There the combined Anglo-French possessions and resources had meant that at the outset of the war Allied domination was complete. Though Spain and Italy were passively if not actively hostile, their ability to harm the powers which held more than half the coastline of the Mediterranean, including both its entrances, the dominating positions in the Sicilian narrows and the most powerful bases, was small indeed. When France fell out, and Italy became actively hostile, the situation was reversed. Domination of the Western Basin was lost, that of the Eastern Basin was threatened. W’ith the passing of Syria under Vichy control the British hold on the southern Levant and the outlet of the pipeline from the Mosul oil wells became precarious. The Italian navy had superiority in everything except leadership and the offensive spirit. The Italian land possessions, well supplied with troops, threatened Egypt and the Suez Canal from the west through Libya and from the south where Abyssinia, Somaliland and Eritrea formed a solid block across the headwaters of the Nile, and on the western shore. The Italians quickly showed a disposition to make use of these advantages. They invaded Somaliland, defended by less than 3,000 men, with an army of 25,000 and occupied Berbera by 16th August, while from Libya, Marshal Graziani's forces advanced and occupied Sidi Barrani on the edge of the Western Desert by 18th September
