| 1941 Iraqi coup d'état | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theMediterranean and Middle East theatre ofWorld War II | |||||||
 Coup leaderSalah al-Din al-Sabbagh in 1930 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Iraq | Golden Square | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| 'Abd al-Ilah Regent of Iraq Taha al-HashimiPrime Minister of Iraq | Rashid Ali al-GaylaniSalah al-Din al-Sabbagh 3rd Division Commander Kamil Shabib1st Division Commander Fahmi SaidIndependent Mechanized Brigade Commander Mahmud SalmanChief of the Air Force | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Royal Guard | 3rd Infantry Division 1st Infantry Division Independent Mechanized Brigade | ||||||
The1941 Iraqi coup d'état (Arabic:ثورة رشيد عالي الكيلاني,Thawrah Rašīd ʿAlī al-Kaylānī), also called theRashid Ali Al-Gaylani coup orthe Golden Square coup, was anationalistcoup d'état inIraq on 1 April 1941[1] that overthrew the pro-British regime of Regent'Abd al-Ilah and his Prime MinisterNuri al-Said and installedRashid Ali al-Gaylani asPrime Minister.
The coup was led by fourIraqi nationalist army generals, known as "theGolden Square", who intended to use the war to press for full Iraqi independence following the limited independence granted in 1932. To that end, they worked withGerman intelligence and accepted military assistance fromNazi Germany andFascist Italy.[2] The change in government led to theBritish invasion of Iraq and subsequent occupation until 1947.
From 1939 to 1941, a pro-British regime headed by theRegent'Abd al-Ilah andPrime MinisterNuri as-Said ruled Iraq. Iraq severed relations withNazi Germany on 5 September 1939 following the outbreak ofWorld War II in Europe. However, Nuri tread carefully between his close relationship with Britain and dependence on pro-German Iraqi army officers and cabinet members.[1] By this time, Iraq had become a refuge for Palestinian Arab leaders who had fledMandatory Palestine as a result of the failed1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine.
Among the key figures to arrive was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem,Haj Amin al-Husseini, thePalestinian Arab nationalist leader of the failed revolt. The Golden Square coup was launched on 1 April 1941,[1] overthrowing the Regent and installing Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister. On 2 May of the same year, Prime Minister Taha al-Hashimi was forced to resign after the conspirators surrounded the Royal Palace in Baghdad.[3]
On 18 April, in response to the coup the20th Indian Infantry Brigade was landed atBasra. The British could initially draw upon theIraq Levies especially inHabbaniyah, with elements ofIraqforce. The British government justified their invasion of Iraq under the terms of the 1930Anglo-Iraqi Treaty.
In the following days, the new Iraqi government moved substantial ground forces, including an infantry brigade, an artillery brigade, and 12 armoured cars as well as tanks[4] to the plateau overlookingRAF Habbaniya, the largeRoyal Air Force (RAF) base beside the RiverEuphrates 50 miles (80 km) west ofBaghdad. Upon arrival, the Iraqis demanded that the British not move any troops nor aircraft in or out of the base. The British responded by first demanding that the Iraqis leave the area and then, following the expiry of an ultimatum given in the early hours of 2 May, launched an attack. The base had a force of 96 lightly armed aircraft, most of which were either purpose-built trainers or obsolete combat aircraft converted to training use. They also had an understrength battalion from theKing's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), six companies of the Iraq Levies, 18 armoured cars and a company of RAF personnel, giving a total strength of 2,200 servicemen to defend the base.[5] TheRoyal Iraqi Air Force, despite having aircraft that included numerous modern British-, Italian- and US-built machines, failed to achieve air superiority. By the second day of fighting (3 May), fourBlenheim fighter bombers arrived.[6]
With British forces having air superiority, the Iraqi army was forced back toFallujah and the RAF attacked the Iraqi Air Force bases at Mosul and Rashid. Habbaniya had essentially lifted the siege with its own resources. Reinforcements, officially called "Iraqforce", came from two directions. British andArab Legion forces arrived in two columns (Habforce andKingcol) across the desert from Palestine andTransjordan. Additional Indian forces continued to arrive inBasra.[5] The Iraqi army was driven out of Fallujah and pursued to Baghdad, which fell within a week. This cleared the way for the nominal restoration of the Regent and the pro-British government. British military occupation of Iraq continued until late 1947.
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In the course of the Iraq war, minor reinforcements for the nationalists were received from firstGermany and thenItaly. Arriving aircraft were crudely painted with Iraqi colours. Small numbers ofLuftwaffe (German air force) bombers and heavy fighters, followed a few days later by obsolescentRegia Aeronautica (Italian air force) biplane fighters, flew sorties fromMosul against both RAF Habbaniya and the relieving Empire forces moving across from Transjordan. This was done to little effect.
TheVichy French authorities in theSyria and Lebanon had helped the pro-Axis Iraqi nationalists and the German and Italian air forces, providing airfields for staging and refuelling.[citation needed] Even before the end of the Iraq campaign, this led to RAF attacks on airbases inSyria. Within weeks these events led to British and Empire forces invading Vichy-administered Syria andLebanon in theSyria–Lebanon Campaign.
Protests and coups in Iraq | |
|---|---|
OETA (1918–1920) | |
Mandatory Iraq (1920–1932) | |
| Kingdom of Iraq (1921–1958) | |
Iraqi Republic (1958–1968)  | |
Republic of Iraq (1968–2003) | |
Republic of Iraq (since 2003)  | |
