Gocol
Encyclopedia
Gocol was a flying column
created by the British Army
shortly after the Anglo-Iraqi War
had ended.
flying column created in early June 1941 specifically to pursue and capture Dr. Fritz Grobba
, the German
Ambassador to the Kingdom of Iraq
. Grobba was on the run after the collapse of the pro-German Rashid Ali government and was attempting to flee Iraq and get to Nazi occupied Europe. In addition to Gocol, two other columns were created in early July. Mercol
, commanded by Major
E. J. H. Merry, with the task of rounding up irregular troops under Fawzi al-Qawuqji
and Harcol, under Major R. J. Hardy, with the task of securing Kirkuk
.
Gocol was named for its commander, Major R. E. S. Gooch. The column comprised B Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment
, six Royal Air Force
armoured cars
, two 3.7 inch howitzers, and Royal Army Service Corps
(RASC) transport.
by road, Gocol reached Mosul
but Dr. Grobba was no longer there. On the same day, two companies of the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Prince of Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles arrived by air from Habbaniya. A detachment of the RAF arrived with the Ghurkas. 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 then drove west from Mosul and illegally entered Vichy French territory just prior to the commencement of the Syria-Lebanon Campaign
. That campaign was not to start until the early hours of 8 June. During the week following 7 June, Gocol made every effort to capture Grobba. The column entered Al-Qamishli in Syria fully expecting to capture Grobba there. But they were disappointed to find that Grobba had already been there and had already gone. In the end, Gocol failed in its mission and Grobba successfully escaped.
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....
created by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
shortly after the Anglo-Iraqi War
Anglo-Iraqi War
The Anglo-Iraqi War was the name of the British campaign against the rebel government of Rashid Ali in the Kingdom of Iraq during the Second World War. The war lasted from 2 May to 31 May 1941. The campaign resulted in the re-occupation of Iraq by British armed forces and the return to power of the...
had ended.
Creation and composition
Gocol was a truck-borneMotorised infantry
In NATO and most other western countries, motorised infantry is infantry which is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers, infantry combat vehicles, or infantry fighting vehicles...
flying column created in early June 1941 specifically to pursue and capture Dr. Fritz Grobba
Fritz Grobba
Fritz Konrad Ferdinand Grobba is best remembered for being a German diplomat during the interwar period and World War II.-Biography:...
, the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Ambassador to the Kingdom of Iraq
Kingdom of Iraq
The Kingdom of Iraq was the sovereign state of Iraq during and after the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. The League of Nations mandate started in 1920. The kingdom began in August 1921 with the coronation of Faisal bin al-Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi as King Faisal I...
. Grobba was on the run after the collapse of the pro-German Rashid Ali government and was attempting to flee Iraq and get to Nazi occupied Europe. In addition to Gocol, two other columns were created in early July. Mercol
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 specifically with the task of rounding up irregular troops under Fawzi al-Qawuqji. In addition to Mercol,...
, commanded by Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
E. J. H. Merry, with the task of rounding up irregular troops under Fawzi al-Qawuqji
Fawzi Al-Qawuqji
Fawzi al-Qawuqji was the field commander of the Arab Liberation Army during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War in Palestine, and a rival of the principal Palestinian Arab leader, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini.-Biography:...
and Harcol, under Major R. J. Hardy, with the task of securing Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
.
Gocol was named for its commander, Major R. E. S. Gooch. The column comprised B Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment
Household Cavalry Regiment
The Household Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and is one of two regiments that are formed from the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1992, under the Options for Change reforms, by the amalgamation of The Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. Both regiments were...
, six Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
armoured cars
Rolls-Royce Armoured Car
The Rolls-Royce armoured car was a British armoured car developed in 1914 and used in World War I and in the early part of World War II.-Production history:...
, two 3.7 inch howitzers, and Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
(RASC) transport.
Operations
On 3 June 1941, traveling from HabbaniyaHabbaniya
The Habbaniya, or Habbania, are a Sunni Muslim tribe of the nomadic Bedouin Baggara people in the plains of Sudan's Darfur, North Kurdufan, and South Kurdufan provinces....
by road, Gocol reached Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
but Dr. Grobba was no longer there. On the same day, two companies of the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Prince of Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles arrived by air from Habbaniya. A detachment of the RAF arrived with the Ghurkas. 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)
King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
The King's Own Royal Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1680 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.-History:...
left Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
on 2 June and arrived in Mosul by road on 3 June.
Gocol then drove west from Mosul and illegally entered Vichy French territory just prior to the commencement of the Syria-Lebanon Campaign
Syria-Lebanon campaign
The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June–July 1941, during World War II. Time Magazine referred to the fighting as a "mixed show" while it was taking place and the campaign remains little known, even...
. That campaign was not to start until the early hours of 8 June. During the week following 7 June, Gocol made every effort to capture Grobba. The column entered Al-Qamishli in Syria fully expecting to capture Grobba there. But they were disappointed to find that Grobba had already been there and had already gone. In the end, Gocol failed in its mission and Grobba successfully escaped.
See also
- IraqforceIraqforceIraqforce was a British and Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the Middle East during World War II.-Background:...
- HabforceHabforceHabforce was a British Army military unit created during the Anglo-Iraqi War and still active during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign.-Creation and composition:...
- KingcolKingcol-Creation and composition:Kingcol was created to allow a portion of Habforce to relieve RAF Habbaniya as soon as possible. The column was named after its commander, Brigadier J.J. Kingstone...
- MercolMercolMercol 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 specifically with the task of rounding up irregular troops under Fawzi al-Qawuqji. In addition to Mercol,...
- Harcol
- 4th Cavalry Brigade4th Cavalry Brigade (United Kingdom)The 4th Cavalry Brigade was formation of Regiments of the British Army during the First World War, which was formed again in 1939 from Yeomanry Regiments for service during the Second World War...
- Flying ColumnFlying ColumnFlying Column was the name adopted by a group of Irish traditional musicians and singers who formed a folk band in Belfast around 1967/68. They took their name from the small tight cells that comprised the IRA active service units during the Anglo-Irish war of 1916-1921.-Name:Sammy Largey, the...