Spring 1941 was a high point for the Axis war machine: Western Europe was conquered, Great Britain was weakening, and Rommel's Afrika Korps was on its way to the Suez Canal. But when the Golden Square—four Iraqi generals allegiant to the Axis cause—staged a coup in Iraq, the resistance was fierce. Detailing the Allied plan to block the Germans from an unlimited fuel supply, John Broich tells the tale of the Arabs, Jews, Australians, British, and Americans who fought back. Among the memorable characters are Jack Hasey, a young American who ran off to fight with the Free French Foreign Legion; explorer Freya Stark; and even future author Roald Dahl, a 23-year-old Royal Air Force recruit.