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| The Mediterranean |
| BRITAIN CONTROLLED both entrances to the Mediterranean; in the west the island of Gibraltar dominated the narrow Straits of Gibraltar and in the east the Suez Canal cut through British friendly Egypt. The canal was a vital Allied shipping link between the Mediterranean and Indian oceans. The Italian (Axis), British (Allied) and Vichy French (neutral) fleets constitute the major naval powers in the Mediterranean. British naval bases are at Alexandria (Egypt), Malta and Gibraltar. |
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