Gocol was a flying column created by the British Army shortly after the Anglo–Iraqi War had ended.

Creation and composition

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

Fritz Grobba Fritz Konrad Ferdinand Grobba (18 July 1886 – 2 September 1973) was a German diplomat during the interwar period and World War II. Early life He was born in Gartz on the Oder in the Province of Brandenburg, Germany. His parents were Rudolf Grob ...

, the German Ambassador to the

Kingdom of Iraq The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq ( ar, المملكة العراقية الهاشمية, translit=al-Mamlakah al-ʿIrāqiyyah ʾal-Hāshimyyah) was a state located in the Middle East from 1932 to 1958. It was founded on 23 August 1921 as the Kingdo ...

. Grobba went on the run after the collapse of the pro-German Rashid Ali government, to flee Iraq and get to

Nazi occupied Europe German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

. Two other columns were created in early July, ''

Mercol Mercol was a flying column created by the British Army shortly after the Anglo-Iraqi War had ended. Creation and composition ''Mercol'' was a truck-borne flying column created in early June 1941 to round up irregular troops under Fawzi al-Qawuqj ...

'', commanded by Major

E. J. H. Merry E is the fifth letter of the Latin alphabet. E or e may also refer to: Commerce and transportation * €, the symbol for the euro, the European Union's standard currency unit * ℮, the estimated sign, an EU symbol indicating that the weight ...

, to round up irregular troops under

Fawzi al-Qawuqji Fawzi al-Qawuqji ( ar, فوزي القاوقجي; 19 January 1890 – 5 June 1977) was a leading Arab nationalist military figure in the interwar period.The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives, by Gilbert Achcar, (NY: Hen ...

and '' Harcol'', under Major

R. J. Hardy R. or r. may refer to: * ''Reign'', the period of time during which an Emperor, king, queen, etc., is ruler. * '' Rex'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning King * ''Regina'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning Queen * or , abbreviat ...

, with the task of securing

Kirkuk Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...

. ''Gocol'' was named after its commander, Major

R. E. S. Gooch R. or r. may refer to: * ''Reign'', the period of time during which an Emperor, king, queen, etc., is ruler. * '' Rex'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning King * ''Regina'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning Queen * or , abbreviat ...

and comprised B Squadron of the

Household Cavalry Regiment The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) is an Armoured Cavalry regiment of the British Army based in Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. It is the brother regiment of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) based at Hyde Park Barracks in London - both ...

, six Royal Air Force armoured cars, two 3.7 inch mountain howitzers and

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

(RASC) transport.

Operations

On 3 June 1941, travelling from Habbaniya by road, ''Gocol'' reached Mosul 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) left Baghdad on 2 June and arrived in Mosul by road on 3 June. ''Gocol'' drove west from Mosul and illegally entered Vichy French territory just prior to the commencement of the Syria–Lebanon Campaign, 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 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 London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, 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