Slouch Hats and Eggshells: The Allied Invasion of Syria & Lebanon 1941 Item is intended for adults, over the age of 18. This is not a childs toy. Slouch Hats and Eggshells: The Allied Invasion of Syria & Lebanon - 1941, recreates the World War II campaign in French-held Syria and Lebanon, historically from early June 1941 through mid-July 1941. One player will control the Axis forces (Vichy French, French colonial troops, and Germans), while his opponent controls the Allied forces (British, Commonwealth, Free French, etc). The playing pieces represent the actual units that participated in the campaign and the map represents the terrain over which those units fought. The players maneuver their units across the map and conduct combat according to the rules of play. One player wins by capturing certain specified objectives while his opponent wins by avoiding those victory conditions. When Free French leader Gen. de Gaulle visited the Middle East in April 1941 he forced a political crisis by demanding the occupation of Syria. As a result London ordered an offensive to place all of Syria and Lebanon under Free French control. Sadly, such posturing caused Allied command staffs to hold unrealistic views of what the ensuing occupation would look like. Certain authorities believed the Vichy French in Syria would offer only token resistance and their defense would collapse like an eggshell. The thinking held that Vichy forces could be won over with wine and coffee along with displays of the Australian slouch hat. Instead, the Vichy-led troops fought ferociously from the start.