Gocol was a

flying column A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ''ad hoc'' unit, formed during the course of operations. The term is usually, though not necessarily, appli ...

created by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

shortly after the

Anglo–Iraqi War The Allied invasion of Iraq was the occupation of Hashemite Iraq by the Allies during the Second World War. It was officially launched on 2 May 1941 and lasted for nineteen days, ending on 31 May 1941. Mandatory Iraq had been governed by Br ...

had ended.

Creation and composition

''Gocol'' was a truck-borne flying column created in early June 1941, to pursue and capture Dr. Fritz Grobba, the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Ambassador to the Kingdom of Iraq. Grobba went on the run after the collapse of the pro-German

Rashid Ali Rashid Ali al-Gaylaniin Arab standard pronunciation Rashid Aali al-Kaylani; also transliterated as Sayyid Rashid Aali al-Gillani, Sayyid Rashid Ali al-Gailani or sometimes Sayyad Rashid Ali el Keilany (" Sayyad" serves to address higher standing ...

government, to flee Iraq and get to Nazi occupied Europe. Two other columns were created in early July, '' Mercol'', commanded by Major E. J. H. Merry, to round up irregular troops under Fawzi al-Qawuqji and '' Harcol'', under Major R. J. Hardy, with the task of securing Kirkuk. ''Gocol'' was named after its commander, Major R. E. S. Gooch and comprised B Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment, six

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

armoured cars Armored (or armoured) car or vehicle may refer to: Wheeled armored vehicles * Armoured fighting vehicle, any armed combat vehicle protected by armor ** Armored car (military), a military wheeled armored vehicle * Armored car (valuables), an arm ...

, two 3.7 inch mountain howitzers and Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) transport.

Operations

On 3 June 1941, travelling from Habbaniya by road, ''Gocol'' reached

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

but Dr. Grobba had gone. On the same day, two companies of the 2nd Battalion of the

4th Prince of Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles The 4th Gorkha Rifles or the Fourth Gorkha Rifles, abbreviated as 4 GR, is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese nationality, especially Magars and Gurungs hill tribes of Nepal. The Fourth Gorkha Rifles h ...

arrived by air from Habbaniya with a detachment of the RAF. The remainder of the 2nd Battalion reached Mosul by air next day. In addition to ''Gocol'' and the air lifted forces, the 1st Battalion of the

King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the r ...

left

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

on 2 June and arrived in Mosul by road on 3 June. ''Gocol'' drove west from Mosul and illegally entered

Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

territory just prior to the commencement of the

Syria–Lebanon Campaign The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Syria and Lebanon (then controlled by Vichy France) in June and July 1941, during the Second World War. The French had ceded autonomy to Syria in Septemb ...

, which started in the early hours of 8 June. During the week following 7 June, ''Gocol'' made every effort to capture Grobba. The column entered

Qamishli Qamishli ( ar, ٱلْقَامِشْلِي, Al-Qāmišlī, ku, قامشلۆ, Qamişlo, syc, ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ, Bēṯ Zālīn, lit=House of Reeds or syr, ܩܡܫܠܐ, translit=Qamishlo)

in Syria fully expecting to capture him there but Grobba had again left in time. In the end, Grobba escaped, ''Gocol'' having been a failure.

Notes

References

* * in

External links

* {{cite web, url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/LondonGazette/37685.pdf , title=Despatch on Operations in Iraq, East Syria, and Iran From 10th April, 1941 to 12th January 1942., work=Supplement to the London Gazette, Number 37685, date=13 August 1946, access-date=26 September 2009 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations of the British Army in World War II Military history of Iraq Military units and formations disestablished in 1941 Ad hoc units and formations of the British Army Iraq–United Kingdom relations

Creation and composition

Operations

See also

Notes

References

External links