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Better with Pepsi Max. Hello and thank you for listening to the history of World War II

podcast episode 61 able but unwilling 2 podcast, Episode 61, Able, but Unwilling.

Last time we started our coverage of the war

in the Mediterranean and the desert

by covering France's exit from a struggle, which left the British struggling to find

a way to hold out at home and hold on to their African, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean possessions.

Because war was coming to the Mediterranean, Italy, whatever her weaknesses and limitations,

had one rival removed for them by the Germans and they can now focus their limited

resources on the one remaining threat, the British.

And as Great Britain was outmanned and out resourced in this theater, there was no time for

any cracks in the working relationships between the political and military leaders.

But cracks, more like gaping holes, was the unfortunate situation

between Prime Minister Churchill and two of the three service leaders in the Mediterranean.

Admiral Andrew Bourne Cunningham, aka ABC, had little respect and no use for Churchill and

his meddling. And in turn the Prime Minister did not think very much of

General Archibald Webel's aggressiveness. The Royal Air Force leader, Air Marshal Arthur Longmore, didn't have enough up-to-date aircraft

of his own to make any difference to the Prime Minister or to the other two military leaders.

But soon they would all discover the dire necessity of air domination,

in particular sea-based air power. Cunningham, the admiral and C and C Mediterranean fleet when war broke out, was enjoying the action.

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