Benghazi War Cemetery ransacked

My fathers Squadron (which fought in Libya) like many others was being moved back and forth to different aerodromes in 1940 - they were sent to Tangmere. It was here that the powers that be decided that as Turkey was an ally the Squadron would have to alter it's badge and would have to replace the scimitar with a sword - so as not to cause offence!

Shades of the crusade

Hmm, I suppose you mean postwar when both Turkey and the UK became allied in NATO, for during WW2 was a Neutral.

 

No I meant exactly what I said:
Turkey In World War II
A REVIEW OF THE TURKISH POSITION
By ISMET INONU, President of Turkey
Delivered before the Turkish National Assembly, November 1, 1945



Extracted from Squadron History:

Quickly the squadron found itself working up to strength once more, whilst German forces were preparing for the all out attack on the Low Countries and France.Early May 1940 the squadron moved to Filton, near Bristol, however this move was indeed very short lived, as the sudden escalation of the war in the Low Countries and France, caused 145 to move the very next day to TANGMERE.It was here that the Squadron Badge was changed. The Knights Templar Cross remained, but the Scimitar was removed, a Sword replacing it. The reason was, Turkey was now our ally, and the Air Ministry was conscious not to cause offence. Indeed one of the ground crew from that period recalls sitting down, painting, and removing the Scimitar from his steel helmet


I suspect this was mostly wishing that Turkey was an official ally.

 

Quite disgusted by the damage to the wargraves.

 

Excellent article by Ian Birrell in The Guardian:

This grave desecration does not mean Libya is out of control | Ian Birrell | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

 

I don't know if it's already has been posted on this site:

British war graves in Libya desecrated by Islamist militants | World news | The Observer

 

Looks like all 11 NZ war graves in the cemetery were damaged.

 

No I meant exactly what I said:
Turkey In World War II
A REVIEW OF THE TURKISH POSITION
By ISMET INONU, President of Turkey
Delivered before the Turkish National Assembly, November 1, 1945



Extracted from Squadron History:

Quickly the squadron found itself working up to strength once more, whilst German forces were preparing for the all out attack on the Low Countries and France.Early May 1940 the squadron moved to Filton, near Bristol, however this move was indeed very short lived, as the sudden escalation of the war in the Low Countries and France, caused 145 to move the very next day to TANGMERE.It was here that the Squadron Badge was changed. The Knights Templar Cross remained, but the Scimitar was removed, a Sword replacing it. The reason was, Turkey was now our ally, and the Air Ministry was conscious not to cause offence. Indeed one of the ground crew from that period recalls sitting down, painting, and removing the Scimitar from his steel helmet


I suspect this was mostly wishing that Turkey was an official ally.
I see: wishful thinking on the part of "the powers that be". Thanks!

 

Although Turkey was a neutral during WW2,there was pressure put on her to join the Allied Powers in the alliance against the Germans.I think as the war drew to a close,Turkey was at the point of joining forces with the Allied Powers against Germany.It did not come to be and would have been a little too late to give the Allies any advantage at that stage in the war. As it was,Turkey,as a neutral was another one of those countries which intelligence could be sourced and conduited by both sides.Interestingly,Brazil was one of the neutrals who joined the Allied Powers against Germany...very late on in the war,I believe but sufficent for their gesture to be recorded in history.

As regards the CWGC cemeteries and graves,the descretation is an indication that the new Libyan authorites' writ does not extend throughout Libya.These groups, based on religion cum politics are competing for influence and power with Iran the template as the vision for a future Islamic state... they possess little, if any, tolerance.Desecretion of cemeteries and graves are the easiest targets against those who they see as the indoctrinated enemy.

Civil normality may be a long way away and normality may not be the normality we recognise in the west.As I see it,the new Libya will want to be accepted in international diplomacy and to be a member, it will require democratic stability for recognition..very hard to establish in that region.

These groups are armed and possess little tolerance of other religions.It may be a rocky transition to acceptable normality.

Cemetery and grave desecration occurs the world over for whatever motivation the perpretators are driven by.Not unknown in Britain,we tend to find it generally as vandalism.In this area,we have had an incident in which damage was done to the cemetery old chapel and a number of graves damaged.There appears to be frequency in these outages.

For anyone having their dead's resting place desecrated,it can only be despair.In this case the contributions of those who gave their lives for the liberation of Libya from the yoke of Italian colonialism seem to have been forgotten.Our dead might not now be seen as liberators by these uncontrolled factions.

 

Looks like the Lybian police are too scared to do anything about the scum who wrecked this cemetery.

Libyan police too scared to arrest cemetery vandals | Mail Online

 

Although Turkey was a neutral during WW2,there was pressure put on her to join the Allied Powers in the alliance against the Germans.I think as the war drew to a close,Turkey was at the point of joining forces with the Allied Powers against Germany.It did not come to be and would have been a little too late to give the Allies any advantage at that stage in the war. As it was,Turkey,as a neutral was another one of those countries which intelligence could be sourced and conduited by both sides.Interestingly,Brazil was one of the neutrals who joined the Allied Powers against Germany...very late on in the war,I believe but sufficent for their gesture to be recorded in history.

Actually it was the other way around. Turkey joined the allies in 1945 prior to VE day. Turkish forces did not engage anyone. By then, German troops had pulled out of Greece and were driven out of the Balkans altogether. The Turks did this in order to obtain "charter member" status in the fledgling UN. Brazil declared war on Germany in the summer of 1942 and sent a division sized expeditionary force to fight in Italy, arriving in 1944. That force was trained and fully equipped in the US prior to deployment. It was joined by it's own US trained and outfitted fighter squadron.

I really don't think any of the culprits of this despicable act will ever be brought to justice, not in Libya anyway. That place is only a few clicks better run than Somalia.

 

• Scot Palmer
• From: Sunday Herald Sun
• March 10, 2012 7:06PM

RON Barassi is now ready for a return trip to North Africa to visit his father's gravesite while purposely keeping his "powder dry" on the desecration of other World War II burial sites by Libyan extremists. "I can't say anything yet - see me in about two months," the football great said as reports emerged that a gripping 60 Minutes Anzac Day feature on the Barassi clan had suddenly been reactivated.
The uprising in Tripoli and search for the nation's dictator, the late Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, had prevented the former coach taking his grandson, Kassiyan, 16, to visit the burial spot of Ron Barassi Sr, the first VFL player killed at Tobruk.
Barassi met a Channel 9 film crew on Wednesday at the Middle Park Hotel to complete his interviews, which included his thoughts on the smashing of 198 headstones of Australian soldiers at Benghazi's Commonwealth cemetery. He is said to be seething over the incident.
The Federal Government is already working to have the headstones repaired while Libya's transitional government has apologised to all those families who have been affected by the outrage.
Barassi, 76, said: "I would have to have an atlas next to me to tell you how far my father's grave, which was untouched, is from where the others have been desecrated. I'm sorry, I can't say any more."


Ron Barassi is a former Australian rules football player and coach

 

Might I add that my heart goes out to everyone, especially who's family is affected by the atrocities committed by the ass-clowns who set foot with no good in mind within the Commonwealth Cemeteries. Nobody's God would have sanctioned such activities, especially when concerned with these warriors in particular.

 

Actually it was the other way around. Turkey joined the allies in 1945 prior to VE day. Turkish forces did not engage anyone. By then, German troops had pulled out of Greece and were driven out of the Balkans altogether. The Turks did this in order to obtain "charter member" status in the fledgling UN. Brazil declared war on Germany in the summer of 1942 and sent a division sized expeditionary force to fight in Italy, arriving in 1944. That force was trained and fully equipped in the US prior to deployment. It was joined by it's own US trained and outfitted fighter squadron.

I really don't think any of the culprits of this despicable act will ever be brought to justice, not in Libya anyway. That place is only a few clicks better run than Somalia.

Thanks for extending the information regarding the subject of late allies.

Brazil, who I thought was later in effectiveness in the war against Germany came into the battlefield in mid 1944 after declaring war against Germany in 1942 as you say.

However as regards Turkey,I have since seen a date for the declaration of the war against Germany as 23 February 1945 but another which states a declaration in the last few days of the war which I think could have been as late as after 5 May 1945 and before VE Day (8 May 1945) and would be after the cessation of warfare in Europe.

But I have been unable to source a date in an official document that confirms either date.

 

The attachment is from The Turkish Year Book, vol. XXXIII page 289

 

Whatever the reason - and there are many, the official date of the Turkish declaration of war in ww2 is February 23, 1945.

http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/rpt_9806_ng_turkey.pdf

These are the rest of the official declarations:

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/general/23636-name-countries.html#post254429

 

Posted June 17, 2012 06:45:40
Headstones on World War II military graves in eastern Libya have been desecrated in the second such attack in four months.
Several grave markers have been taken and one headstone has been damaged in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in the city of Benghazi.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is trying to establish whether any of the vandalised war graves belong to Australian soldiers.
Local officials say the identity of the vandals is unclear.
The Benghazi civilian council says it is trying to track down those responsible.
It is not the first time the cemetery has been the target of vandals.
In March hundreds of headstones were damaged, including 50 belonging to Australian soldiers.
War graves desecrated again in Libya - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

Sad, these people should be made to realise that those who are buried there died in fighting for their freedom also.

Cheers
Paul