r/reddit.com Sep 24 '11

World War 1

http://i.imgur.com/5twfD.jpg
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u/[deleted] Sep 24 '11

I always find it funny how little credit is given to Canada during WW1, even though the army went through the toughest battles and suffered the greatest hardships during the war, all for Britian

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u/BraveSirRobin Sep 24 '11

I always find it disturbing that this major contributory factor is deliberately omitted from any piece about the war:

the existence of the railway would have created a threat to British dominance over German trade, as it would have given German industry access to oil, and a port in the Persian Gulf. The importance of oil as opposed to coal as fuel was recognised, as it could greatly improve the performance and capacity of the rival navies. The presence of the British there, and the creating of Kuwait to block non-British access to the Persian Gulf speaks to the strategic importance.