Egypt's Role in the War

[YM]

As a result of the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian treaty, the UK recognized Egypt as a nominally
independent, sovereign state. However, the treaty gave the British the right to
station troops in the country in order to defend the Suez Canal. Thus, when the
Italians, and later, the Germans invaded Egypt from Libya in the Western Desert,
the British were able to send troops to that part of Egypt in order to stem
the invasion. However, the Egyptians did NOT declare war on the Axis powers.
Later, in 1942, when the Egyptians installed a pro-Axis government the British
sent tanks into Cairo and forced King Farouk to oust that government and to
replace it with a pro-British regime, indicating that Egyptian independence
was more or less a farce. Finally, in 1945 the Egyptians declared war on Germany,
in order to fulfill a condition the Allies had made for countries to enter
the new United Nations Organization (Argentina was another reluctant
country of this type).

My question is why didn't the British press the Egyptians to declare war?
A book I have on Britain's Imperial relations with countries like Egypt
even suggests the British did NOT want the Egyptians to enter the war
because they didn't trust the Egyptian army and didn't want to arm them.
What was the attitude of educated Egyptians? Did their opposition to
the British make them pro-Axis, or did they passively accept the British
role in defending the country against the Germans?

[Carl Schwamberger]

Anwar Sadats biography has a few lines about this. He was a officer in the Egyptian army during this era. He describes with his fellow officers plotting cooperation with the Axis when they arrived in Egypt. But with the Egyptian army ammounting to a few rifle battalions there was not much they could do til then. No one saw any value in a stay in a British prision.

[Progmetty]

I'm Egyptian and from tales of my grandfather about his dad and uncles who were educated merchants and college professors; I can say that Egyptians had their fingers crossed for a successful Axis invasion to free them from British rule and robbery of resources. They knew the alternative might not be better but they were really fed up with the British.

[Globalization41]

5/18/1939, Mussolini on War, Polish Military Ready to Defend Danzig, German Correspondent Expelled from Egypt

7/15/1939, By Lord Lloyd, Former High Commissioner for Egypt: Gibraltar to Suez

8/26/1939, By Vice Admiral C.V. Usborne, Formerly Director of British Naval Intelligence Division: Defense of Egypt

12/7/1939, Egypt Again Vital Outpost for Britain, War Tempo Speeds up Defense Activity

8/29/1940, The War with Italy, Egypt Stands with Britain, British Bombers Active, Hitler May Turn East

Globalization41.