RAF in Mesopotamian Desert

This painting reveals a great deal of the ambitions and problems for Britain's early imperial role in Mesopotomia. The British were very interested in using air power to police their vast Empire relatively cheaply. This forlorn plane and crew illustrates some of the technical difficulties that were involved in undertaking such an operation. The fact that a plume of smoke in the distance suggests that the plane may well have been recently participating in an aerial bombardment of some kind. The newly born RAF was still experimenting with how best to utilise air power and was yet to fully understand the alienation and hostility that could be caused by relying solely on air power. The addage of 'boots on the ground' had yet to be formulated but the imperial powers would soon found out for themselves the truth behind the phrase.
Image courtesy of Imperial War Museum

The Middle East | Britain's Arabian Oil Empire Article | Iraq