Hello, and thank you for listening to the history of World War II podcast, Episode 64,

the British and the Mediterranean in 1940.

With us today is Andrew Lambert, the Lawton Professor of Naval History and the Department

of War Studies at King's College, London, and the Director of the Lawton Naval History

Research Unit.

He's the author of ten books and at least eighteen major articles on the British Navy, and

his latest book is Challenge, Britain against America and the War and the Naval War of

1820.

I've already ordered my copy, but as an American, I'm sure it's going to be a painful

delight to read.

So Professor Lambert, thank you very much for being with us today.

That's my pleasure.

Very pleasure.

Thank you.

So, tell you what, let's just jump into this, and let's set the scene.

It's the summer of 1940, the French are out, the British have taken action against the

French fleet that they felt was necessary in Operation Catapult and other points besides

males, Erica Beer.

At this point, the US President Roosevelt has no way of bringing America into the war.

The British have been pushed out of certain frontier posts in Eastern and Central Africa.

The Italians are at City Barani and overwhelming numbers.

The government of Egypt has declared not to fight unless directly attacked.

...