Saudi Arabia
SAUDI ARABIA, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, al-Mamlaka al-'Arabiyya as-Sa'udiyya.
Contemporary National Flag: Not yet available.
Population: 5 750 000 (in 1938).
Borders with (during WWII) Kuweit, Iraq, Transjordania, (North) Yemen, Aden-Hadramaut, Muscat and 'Oman, Trucial States, and Qatar. It has also access to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
Area: ~ 1 600 000 squared kilometers.
Capital City: Riyadh
Overview: Althought Saudi Arabia never actively participated in the conflict, it did sever diplomatic relations with Germany on 11/09/1939. In October of 1941, it did likewise with Japan. During the war, United States elevated its own influence in the country, especially after the petroleum Aramco consortium was granted a licence from the royal government that permitted it to extract petroleum on two-thirds of the kingdom's territory. In 1943 U.S. officially established diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and subsequently began construction of an air base there, in vicinity of Zahran (Dhahran). On 28/02/1945 the kingdom formally declared war on Germany and Japan. Saudi Arabia is a co-founding member of the League of Arab Countries (on 22/03/1945), and it was admitted to the U.N. on 24/10/1945.
Armed Forces: At the time of the Second World War, the armed forces of Saudi Arabia had changed little since the time of the First World War. The majority of troops were camel-raiding bedouin tribal levies, called-on in time of war or serious emergency. These troops were very experienced at desert warfare and survival, but their equipment was immensely outdated while their loyalty was also at times questionable. These desert warriors were employed frequently in the Saudi wars of aggression of the 1920's (against Hejaz and Asir) and 1930's (against North Yemen), but they were being increasingly more replaced by western-armed regular troops. In the 1940's, the total number of levies ready to go to war at the king's call was ~ 15 000. At the same time, the regulars numbered only a few thousand personnel and performed mostly policing and other security functions. These regular troops were much better armed than the levies and were garrisoned all over the country at forts and major cities and towns. The air force was in the embryonic phase of development. Since 1943 Saudi Arabia began receiving financial credits for the expansion and modernization of its arsenal, as part of the Lend - Lease military - economic assistance package granted by the U.S. government. The armed forces of Saudi Arabia did not participated in WWII.
Main article: History of Saudi Arabia § 1900s to 1940s
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic contacts with Germany on 11 September 1939, and with Japan in October 1941. Although officially neutral, the Saudis provided the Allies with large supplies of oil. Diplomatic relations with the United States were established in 1943. King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud was a personal friend of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Americans were then allowed to build an air force base near Dhahran. On 28 February 1945, Saudi Arabia declared war on Germany and Japan, but no military actions resulted from the declaration.[citation needed]
Contemporary National Flag: Not yet available.
Population: 5 750 000 (in 1938).
Borders with (during WWII) Kuweit, Iraq, Transjordania, (North) Yemen, Aden-Hadramaut, Muscat and 'Oman, Trucial States, and Qatar. It has also access to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
Area: ~ 1 600 000 squared kilometers.
Capital City: Riyadh
Overview: Althought Saudi Arabia never actively participated in the conflict, it did sever diplomatic relations with Germany on 11/09/1939. In October of 1941, it did likewise with Japan. During the war, United States elevated its own influence in the country, especially after the petroleum Aramco consortium was granted a licence from the royal government that permitted it to extract petroleum on two-thirds of the kingdom's territory. In 1943 U.S. officially established diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and subsequently began construction of an air base there, in vicinity of Zahran (Dhahran). On 28/02/1945 the kingdom formally declared war on Germany and Japan. Saudi Arabia is a co-founding member of the League of Arab Countries (on 22/03/1945), and it was admitted to the U.N. on 24/10/1945.
Armed Forces: At the time of the Second World War, the armed forces of Saudi Arabia had changed little since the time of the First World War. The majority of troops were camel-raiding bedouin tribal levies, called-on in time of war or serious emergency. These troops were very experienced at desert warfare and survival, but their equipment was immensely outdated while their loyalty was also at times questionable. These desert warriors were employed frequently in the Saudi wars of aggression of the 1920's (against Hejaz and Asir) and 1930's (against North Yemen), but they were being increasingly more replaced by western-armed regular troops. In the 1940's, the total number of levies ready to go to war at the king's call was ~ 15 000. At the same time, the regulars numbered only a few thousand personnel and performed mostly policing and other security functions. These regular troops were much better armed than the levies and were garrisoned all over the country at forts and major cities and towns. The air force was in the embryonic phase of development. Since 1943 Saudi Arabia began receiving financial credits for the expansion and modernization of its arsenal, as part of the Lend - Lease military - economic assistance package granted by the U.S. government. The armed forces of Saudi Arabia did not participated in WWII.
Main article: History of Saudi Arabia § 1900s to 1940s
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic contacts with Germany on 11 September 1939, and with Japan in October 1941. Although officially neutral, the Saudis provided the Allies with large supplies of oil. Diplomatic relations with the United States were established in 1943. King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud was a personal friend of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Americans were then allowed to build an air force base near Dhahran. On 28 February 1945, Saudi Arabia declared war on Germany and Japan, but no military actions resulted from the declaration.[citation needed]