Arab Leaders and Freedom-fighters.
FAWZI EL-QAWUQJI
Born 1894 in Tripoli (Lebanon) F. served during WW1 in the Osman-turk army as officer and earned both classes of the Iron cross for bravery. (He fought with the Germans in Iraq )
During WW1 he was already influanced by Arab Nationalism and later joined the Syrian Army- 1925 he joined rebell forces fighting for Independence from colonial rule and later had to flee to Saudi-Arabi. A french court sentenced him in absenta to death.
He then joined the palestinians in their struggle against jewish imigration in Palestine and knoted ties to Mohamed Amin el Husseini, who made him to the head of the Guerilla troops which consited out of volounteers from all borderning arab states.
1936 he fled to Irak, where the Iraki Govt. was pressured by the Brits to intern him.
When the insurrection of the Irakis against the Brit Imperialists started on 2.may 1941, he offered his aid in the arab struggle. The Goverment of - Rashid El-Gailani accepted him in their army and he was given the rank of a captain.
With 14 Mgs and trucks he was sent to the Euphrat delta to prevent the Brits from reaching it and to cut off Brit supply lines. His Unit joined several hundred poorly armed volounteers from bordering countries who were eagerly willing to support the arab cause.
He was sent off to take the pump-station H3 west of Rutba, but the brits reached it first. He then marched on to the town of Rutba and managed to take and hold it for 2 days.
He withdrew and built a new defence-line west of Ramadi to prevent the Brits from pushing towards Habbaniya. He got support from the tribes of the western dessert who suported the Gailani-Goverment.
On 14th May he opend the valves of a chanel and flooded the street to Habbanyia. The brits still managed to reach Bagdad - although with delaye.
After the proclamition of cease fire through the new iraki Govt. he marched north towards Mossul, hoping to get in contact with some German units. Although the govt. told him to cease all hostilities, he destroyed the pump-stations H1 and T1 together with the local water-supplies.
He then reached the Syrian border, where he tried to contact with German staffs who were flown in from Greece.
After the Brits attacked Syria he and his Arab-volounteers joined ranks with the French levante-Army. On 12th July 1941 his units with the french border garrison pulled back to Dair az-Zawr.
The French General Dentz gave him permission to recruit volounteers to reconquer the border point Abu Kamal and Palmyra. Lacking suficient weapons the attempt failed and F. was wounded and disabled from further combatt.
From the Field Hospital in Aleppo the German Special-Envoy in Syria Rudolf Rahn, let F. be flown out with a special plane to Berlin, where he could be treated apropriatly by the world reknown Proffesor Dr. Sauerbruch.
After his health was restored, he was sent to Greece, to help build up the "Deutsch-Arabische-Lehrabteilung" of special-staff Felmy. This was to be the nucleus of the "Arab-Liberation-Army".
He first didnt want to join, untill he was reunited with all his men, but turkey did not release them from internment (under brit pressure).
He then was used for Arab broadcasts from Athens, to call upon the arabs not to give up: "I will come with arab and german troops to help you" he often promised. In the mean time he was promoted to rank of Major.
Because of his knowledge of arab matters he was apointed on 27 Nov. 1941 as head of propaganda in athens.
After UN-resolution of 1947 to divide Palestine, he was apointed by the United Arab Legue to Commander of the Arab Liberation Army. In March 1948 he built his HQ in Jaba/Syria.
In constant conflict with the HighCommand in Damskus, who quarreld about his plans and countered them, he did not mangage to hold Jaffa and Jerusalem and prevent the errection of the Zionist State.
After the campaign he then retired and lived in private till his death in Beirut.
Source: Dr. Franz W. Seidler, "Die Kollaboration", Herbig-Verlag, 1995
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