Chapter 1336 - 345: Fujairah Region

Chapter 1336: Chapter 345: Fujairah Region

The actions of the Allies and Axis powers on the southern front have had a significant impact on East Africa’s activities in the Indian Ocean, especially in the Persian Gulf region.

This has hampered East Africa’s withdrawal operations in the North Bay territory (United Arab Emirates), and to prevent being collateral damage, East Africa not only cannot withdraw the four divisions from the North Bay territory, but may also increase the local military presence in the future.

The military strength of East Africa in the North Bay territory exceeds 50,000. Given that the current military strength in East Africa itself is only over 200,000, the deployment of such a large force locally was not just to suppress and drive out the local Arabs; rather, for years, all of East Africa’s actions in the Persian Gulf have revolved around the North Bay territory, so maintaining a strong army has been essential.

The results have been very significant. After East Africa’s occupation of the North Bay territory, East Africa has successively held negotiations with Oman, the Ottoman Empire, and the Arab desert tribes.

This has led to East Africa’s North Bay territory reaching an area of 148,000 square kilometers by 1918.

Initially, East Africa acquired about 100,000 square kilometers in the North Bay territory. Over the past two years, East Africa has continuously expanded the North Bay territory north, west, and south through war, threats, deceit, and imperialistic means.

To give context, the original area of the United Arab Emirates was more than 80,000 square kilometers. East Africa’s North Bay territory has incessantly encroached on the surrounding areas based on this foundation.

A key reason for the smooth expansion of the North Bay territory in East Africa is the strong military strength East Africa possesses there.

Although East Africa’s military strength in the North Bay territory is only over 50,000, these troops primarily come from East Africa’s northwest, eastern, and southern theaters.

While they are not East Africa’s elite forces, based on European standards, the equipment level and personnel configuration in East Africa’s North Bay territory are indistinguishable from those of European front-line combat troops, especially those from military powers like Germany and France.

Along with the fact that the surrounding areas of the North Bay territory are generally neglected desert regions, East Africa did not have to expend much effort obtaining these lands.

For this reason, according to the original plan by Ernst and the East African Ministry of Defense, maintaining only a brigade of approximately five to six thousand troops in the North Bay territory should have sufficed.

After all, East Africa’s military configuration in the North Bay territory amounted to an overwhelming superiority over the surrounding Arab countries, making it unnecessary to always maintain such a large force, not to mention the maintenance of local security with the cooperation of the East African Navy.

However, after 1918, the situation changed completely. With the British increasing their forces along the Persian Gulf coast, the number of British troops in the Persian Gulf region quickly exceeded a million, though most were Indians, disrupting the military balance along the Persian Gulf coast.

This forced East Africa to postpone the withdrawal plan from the North Bay territory, and to ensure the safety of East Africa’s North Bay territory, the development of the ports of Fujairah and Hawalifikan must be accelerated.

These two ports are the result of negotiations between East Africa and the Omani government. Of course, this does not mean that these ports previously belonged to Oman.

In fact, back in the last century, before East Africa invaded the North Bay territory, this area had already separated from Oman as the Fujairah tribe.

Fujairah is the Emirate of Fujairah in the former United Arab Emirates, politically on the same level as Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and a founding member of the former United Arab Emirates.

The Fujairah tribe has long-standing territorial disputes with Oman, a historical issue. When East Africa took over the North Bay territory, it naturally had to resolve this issue conveniently.

Oman clearly did not have the same confidence when facing East Africa as it did with the Fujairah tribe. In 1917, the treaty signed by the two countries formally established their borders.

It is Fujairah’s region that makes the North Bay territory the core of East Africa’s presence in the Persian Gulf region.

It is well known that the body of the former UAE was within the Persian Gulf, on the north side of the Hormuz Strait, but the UAE was actually a country spanning the Hormuz Strait.

This introduces a geographical concept related to the Middle East. The Persian Gulf is famous for being one of the most important oil-producing regions in the world in the past, elevating the status of the Hormuz Strait.

Though the Hormuz Strait is the gateway to the Persian Gulf, passing through it does not directly lead to the Indian Ocean or the Arab Sea but first through the Oman Bay.

Therefore, the Hormuz Strait actually connects two gulfs, one is the Persian Gulf, and the other is Oman Bay, with the Hormuz Strait acting like the barbell’s rod.

The Fujairah region is where the North Bay territory connects to Oman Bay, allowing East Africa to connect with the Persian Gulf and Oman Bay by land.

Moreover, the existence of the East African Navy in the Fujairah region helps avoid British blockades. Without a military base in Oman Bay, East Africa could not maintain the "Berlin-Baghdad-Basra" trade route smoothly.

After all, the British control the Hormuz Strait; with only a military presence in the Persian Gulf, the British could easily trap East Africa inside the Persian Gulf.

However, with the Fujairah region, the situation changes; the Hormuz Strait becomes caught between the East African Navy, and a so-called blockade becomes impossible.

Fujairah’s two most crucial ports are the Port of Fujairah and Hawalifikan Port. Though not large in scale, they are the two most important military bases for the East African Navy in the Middle East.

Now, witnessing the Persian Gulf on the verge of turmoil, East Africa naturally needs to strengthen the military armament of the Fujairah region to ensure East Africa’s interests are not disturbed by the British.

...

Fujairah.

Sitting at the Fujairah naval base is the Third Fleet under the East African Indian Ocean Fleet, which also serves as the command center covering the entire Persian Gulf, Oman Bay, and the Arab Sea coastline under the East African Navy’s Third Fleet.

The Third Fleet’s Commander, Lomache, is discussing the deployment of naval forces in the Middle East with his subordinates.

Holding a cigarette, Lomache said, "Now, British ships are passing through the Hormuz Strait every day, transporting supplies to the British front lines; the number of British troops in the entire Persian Gulf region must have exceeded a million."

"Moreover, over the past year, the British Navy’s activities in the Persian Gulf have become more frequent, indicating that the Navy deployed in India is definitely involved, adding to the pressure we’re facing."

"To ensure peace in the Middle East and the safety of the Third Fleet, any good suggestions you have should be voiced."

The Third Fleet of East Africa can clearly monitor British military activities in the Hormuz Strait due to the distribution of its jurisdiction.

The Command Center is located at the Port of Fujairah, not far from the Hormuz Strait, and the Third Fleet has detailed data on how many British transport ships and warships pass through the Hormuz Strait daily.

It is precisely these data that have stirred concerns for the Third Fleet’s Commander, Lomache, as the British Navy has demonstrated considerable strength in the Middle East.

Although the main force of the British Royal Navy is currently distributed in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean region, the total tonnage of the British Navy in the Indian Ocean can still reach nearly a million tons.

Of course, when compared to the entire East African Indian Ocean Fleet, the British are certainly at a disadvantage. However, now the British Navy in the Indian Ocean is mostly concentrated from India to the Red Sea, exerting significant pressure on the East African Third Fleet, which is caught in the middle.

Although the East African Indian Ocean Fleet far exceeds the British Indian Ocean Navy in scale, the forces of East Africa in the Indian Ocean are currently quite dispersed, especially with the Fourth Fleet’s transfer to Phuket Island, responsible for the East Indian Sea area.

In the past, the Fourth Fleet was mainly responsible for the North African sea area, that is, from Mombasa northward to the middle of the Arabian Peninsula, and could provide mutual support with the Third Fleet. However, now that the Fourth Fleet has moved, the situation has changed.