That Winston Churchill tried to entice Turkey into the war is common knowledge. His secret motivation for doing so is much less well known.
Maybe the Turks were just bad at picking the winning side. In World War I the Central Powers were defeated by the Allies, so in October 1939 they switched to ally with Britain and France. Four days after the fall of Paris, Turkish President Ismet Inönü suspected his country might be on the wrong side yet again. To rectify the situation, he signed the German-Turkish Treaty of Friendship, setting the terms for Turkey’s indefinite neutrality.
While the major world powers mauled each other for five years, Inönü tactfully resisted the invitations of both sides to enter the conflict. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill took a particularly aggressive interest in luring Turkey to the Allied camp. Why did Churchill exhaust so much diplomatic and economic effort on the Turks? After the war had ended, the prime minister conjured myriad reasons for wanting Turkey’s help, but declassified War Cabinet documents tell a different story. The truth Churchill strove to bury was that he needed Turkey’s support, either directly or indirectly, for a planned invasion of the Balkans.
Turkey played a crucial yet complex role during World War II by remaining neutral for most of the conflict. ThisChoice allowed Turkey to maintain its sovereignty while also significantly impacting the war’s outcome. Examining Turkey’s neutrality provides insight into WWII geopolitics and the challenges facing nations bordering warring powers.
Maintaining Neutrality, Preventing Invasion
Despite substantial pressure, Turkey managed to avoid participation in WWII until February 1945 when it symbolically declared war on Germany. Several factors enabled Turkey’s neutrality:
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Geographic Barriers – Turkey’s mountainous terrain would have made invasion difficult for either Allies or Axis.
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Western Leanings – Though neutral, Turkey leaned towards Britain over Nazi Germany. This alignment dissuaded Hitler from attacking.
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Internal Divisions – Turkey was divided on which side to support in WWII Neutrality allowed them to avoid internal turmoil.
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Military Limitations – While sizable the Turkish military lacked modern equipment and training to effectively join either side.
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Economic Interests – Both Allies and Axis were reliant on Turkish resources like chrome. Remaining neutral allowed continued trade.
Impact on the War
Despite neutrality, Turkey’s actions impacted WWII significantly:
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The Balkans – After the Balkans fell to the Nazis in 1941, Turkey provided vital intelligence to Britain. This helped limit Axis expansion.
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Access Denied to Nazis – Turkish neutrality denied Germany land access to the oil-rich Middle East and prevented a potential Arab alliance.
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Aid to the Soviets – Allowing Allied ships passage through the straits provided vital aid to the USSR after Germany’s invasion.
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Safe Harbor for Jews – Though restrictive, Turkey’s policies saved numerous Jewish refugees from Nazi persecution.
Walking a Tightrope
Maintaining neutrality despite being surrounded by warring powers was a challenging balancing act:
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Turkey traded with both sides but leaned towards Britain and later the USSR to avoid German domination.
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They mobilized forces to dissuade invasion but avoided provoking either side into preemptive attacks.
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Requests from both sides to join the war were deflected with pledges of friendship but rejections of alignment.
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Intelligence and aid were provided to both Britain and later the USSR, but limited enough to maintain credible neutrality.
Lasting Impacts
Despite joining only at the end, Turkey’s neutrality had significant impacts:
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It maintained Turkish sovereignty and internal stability when war threatened to tear the country apart.
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Valuable intelligence provided to the Allies assisted in limiting Axis expansion.
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Restricted access to oil reserves and potential Arab alliances helped cripple the Nazi war machine.
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Aid to the USSR, even if self-serving, helped bolster defenses during the desperate early years on the Eastern Front.
In closing, Turkish neutrality during WWII was marked by pragmatism, careful balance, and lasting impacts that provided the Allies with important advantages against Nazi Germany. The challenges of remaining neutral surrounded by global conflict provides lessons still relevant today.
“Our Thrust Should be Directed Against the Balkans”
Even as Allied war planners were polishing final details for their invasion of Sicily, British planners were plotting the next move. At Casablanca the Western Allies had agreed to capture Sicily, but the strategic debate was so contentious that no further targets could be agreed upon. No doubt, American Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall was hoping that after the fall of Sicily Allied attention would turn back toward the liberation of France. But as early as Christmas 1942, a month before Casablanca, the British War Cabinet was drafting other plans.
In early December 1942, the War Cabinet printed a secret report titled “Offensive Strategy in the Mediterranean,” which concluded that after successful operations in Italy, “our next thrust should be directed against the Balkans.” Less than a week after issuing the report, the British Joint Planning Staff ordered its Future Planning Section to “examine and report” on the possibility of a Balkan invasion.
Churchill kept close tabs on the reports coming from his War Cabinet. From the beginning he was fully supportive of future operations in the Balkans. During his meeting with President Inönü at Adana, Churchill handed his Turkish counterpart a note called “Morning Thoughts.” The notes hinted that Inönü should face “the possibility of Turkey becoming a full belligerent….” A copy of Churchill’s “Morning Thoughts” filtered back to Washington, alarming Roosevelt and American military planners. The British ambassador, Lord Halifax, tactfully explained to Roosevelt that the memo only represented Churchill’s private opinions and was not written with the consent of the War Cabinet.
With access to declassified War Cabinet documents, it is safe to say that Lord Halifax may not have been entirely forthcoming. By the time Churchill’s “Morning Thoughts” were written, the prime minister would have already had access to War Cabinet directives calling for the preliminary planning for an invasion along the Adriatic coast of the Balkans. Further planning kicked into high gear after the successful conquest of Sicily and the follow-up invasion of the Italian mainland. The Americans were not made privy to this planning process.
Churchill’s Overtures to Turkey
In January 1943, Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt met at Casablanca and outlined the future of Allied grand strategy. American and British staffs clashed throughout the week, but it was the British “Mediterranean strategy” that carried the day. The British vision called for an invasion of Italy supported by more aggressive attempts to draw Turkey into the war. Churchill suggested that this might best be accomplished by a personal meeting with the Turkish leadership on Turkish soil.
That meeting took place at Adana, Turkey, over the last two days of January 1943. On the first day of the meeting, Marshal Fevzi Cakmak, the Turkish chief of the General Staff, outlined the necessary equipment for his military to be combat-ready. The enormous quantities of equipment included 2,300 tanks, 2,600 guns, and 120,000 tons of aviation fuel. Cakmak also requested trucks, other motor transport, and locomotives complete with coal. As the stunned British delegation took notes, Marshal Cakmak chided the British for not filling his standing request for 500 fighter planes.
In his meeting with President Inönü, Churchill agreed to increase Allied supplies to Turkey. In return, Inönü promised nothing more than to reconsider Turkish neutrality. When Churchill inquired about the possibility of Allied air bases in Turkey, Inönü again made no assurances. As long as Axis forces were positioned in Bulgaria, they could threaten Istanbul, the economic center of Turkey. Until this threat was removed or more military assistance was received, the Turks would remain neutral. Remarkably, two days after the Adana Conference Churchill cabled President Roosevelt to report that his visit to Turkey was a “great success.” Unbeknownst to his American allies, Churchill had a very good and very secretive reason to expend so much diplomatic and economic effort to draw Turkey into the war.
Why didn’t Turkey fight in WW2? (Short Animated Documentary)
FAQ
What was Turkey’s role in World War 2?
Why did Turkey not join ww2?
Why didn’t Germany invade Turkey in WWII?
Why did Turkey join Germany in ww2?
Why was Turkey important during WW2?
See my answer for more details. Turkey, like Spain and Sweden, was a country that “served the purpose” for Germany during World War II without being attacked. Specifically, Turkey was a major supplier of chrome, a key war material, both in her own right, and through “transshipments” from modern Rhodesia and South Africa.
What threats did Turkey face during the Second World War?
During the Second World War Turkey was faced with military threats from Germany and the Soviet Union. Britain, Germany and the Soviet Union all brought strong pressure to bear on Turkey to follow a policy in keeping with their interests.
Why did Turkey go to war with Germany?
On 2 Aug 1944, Turkey severed diplomatic relations with Germany. In Feb 1945, Turkey allowed itself to be courted by the Allies by attending the inaugural meeting of the United Nations, leading to a declaration of war on Germany on 23 Feb 1945. Turkish troops were not sent into combat, however. Source: Wikipedia Last Major Update: Mar 2014 Weather
Was Turkey neutral in WW2?
Prior to joining the Allied Powers late in the war, Turkey was officially neutral in World War II. Despite its neutrality, Turkey maintained strong diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany during the period of the Holocaust.