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- Overview
- Egypt and Cyrenaica (June 1940–June 1941)
North Africa campaigns, (1940–43), in World War II, series of battles for control of North Africa. At stake was control of the Suez Canal, a vital lifeline for Britain’s colonial empire, and of the valuable oil reserves of the Middle East.
After the invasion of Ethiopia by Italian troops in October 1935, the British and French proposed a secret agreement that would have ceded the bulk of Ethiopian territory to Italy in exchange for a truce. The Hoare-Laval Pact was crafted in the hopes of preserving the Stresa Front, an April 1935 alliance that had pledged Britain, France, and Italy to jointly oppose German rearmament and expansion. In fact, just the opposite happened: fascist Italy turned its back to the democratic West and took to the road of alliance with Nazi Germany. On October 25, 1936, the Rome-Berlin Axis was proclaimed, but Italy, its strength depleted by the Ethiopian campaign and by its support for Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War, was in no condition to support Germany during the first nine months of World War II. It was not until June 10, 1940—just four days before the Germans entered Paris—that Italy declared war on Britain and France. Although the issue in France had already been virtually settled, Italy’s entry into the war meant chiefly that the threat of naval conflict in the Mediterranean had now—not unexpectedly—become a reality.
When Benito Mussolini took Italy into the war, the Italian forces in North and East Africa were overwhelmingly superior in numbers to the scanty British forces opposing them. Commanding the British was Gen. Archibald Wavell, who had been appointed to the newly created post of commander in chief for the Middle East in July 1939, when the first steps were taken to strengthen the forces guarding the Suez Canal. Barely 50,000 British troops faced a total of 500,000 Italian and Italian colonial troops. On the southerly fronts, the Italian forces in Eritrea and Ethiopia mustered more than 200,000 men. On the North African front a still larger force in Cyrenaica under Marshal Rodolfo Graziani faced the 36,000 British, New Zealand, and Indian troops guarding Egypt. The Western Desert, inside the Egyptian frontier, separated the two sides on that front. The foremost British position was at Mersa Matruh (Marsā Maṭrūḥ), roughly 120 miles (190 km) inside the frontier and about 200 miles (320 km) west of the Nile River delta. Instead of remaining passive, Wavell used part of his one incomplete armoured division as an offensive covering force, keeping up a continual series of raids over the frontier to harass the Italian posts.
It was not until September 13, 1940, that the Italians, after massing more than six divisions, began a cautious move forward into the Western Desert. After advancing 50 miles (80 km), less than halfway toward Mersa Matruh, they established a chain of fortified camps at Sīdī Barrānī that ultimately proved to be too widely separated to support one another. Weeks then passed without any attempt to move on. Meanwhile, further reinforcements reached Wavell, including three armoured regiments rushed from England. Though still at a significant numerical disadvantage, Wavell chose to seize the initiative with an operation that was planned not as a sustained offensive but rather as a large-scale raid. It nevertheless led to the destruction of Graziani’s forces and the near collapse of the Italians’ hold on North Africa.
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The strike force, under Maj. Gen. Richard Nugent O’Connor, consisted of only 30,000 men, against an opposing force of 80,000, but it had 275 tanks against 120 Italian tanks. The British tank force included 50 heavily armoured Matilda IIs of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment, which proved impervious to most of the enemy’s antitank weapons. O’Connor was also supported by the Long Range Desert Group, a lightly armed reconnaissance unit whose activities behind enemy lines would provide valuable intelligence for the Allies throughout the North Africa campaigns. O’Connor’s force moved out on December 7, 1940, passing through a gap in the enemy’s chain of camps the following night. On December 9 the Italian garrisons at Nibeiwa, Tummar West, and Tummar East were taken, and thousands of prisoners were captured, whereas the attackers suffered very light casualties. The 7th Armoured Division, whose accomplishments in North Africa would earn its men the nickname “the Desert Rats,” drove west and reached the coast road, thus blocking the Italian line of retreat. On December 10 the 4th Indian Division moved north against the cluster of Italian camps around Sīdī Barrānī. After being checked initially, a converging assault from both flanks—with two additional tank regiments sent back by the 7th Armoured Division—was launched in the afternoon, and the greater part of the Sīdī Barrānī position was overrun before the day ended. The reserve brigade of the 7th Armoured Division was then brought up for a further enveloping attack to the west: it reached the coast beyond Buqbuq, intercepting a large column of retreating Italians. Over three days, the British had captured nearly 40,000 prisoners and 400 guns.
The remnants of the Italian forces took refuge in the coastal fortress of Bardia (Bardīyah), where they were promptly encircled by the 7th Armoured Division. The British lacked the infantry necessary to capitalize on the Italians’ demoralization, however, and three weeks elapsed before the 6th Australian Division arrived from Palestine to aid with the British advance. On January 3, 1941, the assault on Bardia was launched, with 22 Matilda II tanks leading the way. The Italian defense quickly collapsed, and by the third day the whole garrison had surrendered, with 45,000 prisoners, 462 artillery pieces, and 129 tanks falling into British hands. The 7th Armoured Division then drove westward to isolate Tobruk until the Australians could mount an assault on that coastal fortress. Tobruk was attacked on January 21 and fell next day, yielding 30,000 prisoners, 236 artillery pieces, and 37 tanks.
The North African campaign of the Second World War took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts ( Western Desert campaign, also known as the Desert War), in Morocco and Algeria ( Operation Torch ), and in Tunisia ( Tunisia campaign ).
- 10 June 1940 – 13 May 1943, (2 years, 11 months and 3 days)
- Allied victory
15 de abr. de 2015 · The Battle for Africa. People and Power investigates the effects of China’s increasing influence in Africa.
- 25 min
22 de oct. de 2018 · 10 Key Events of the North African Campaign. Cassie Pope. 22 Oct 2018. The sands of North Africa yielded the first great Allied victory of the Second World War. But not before almost three years of bitter struggle in which both sides had to contend with the particular challenges of maintaining an army in the inhospitable conditions of the desert.
- Cassie Pope
12 de nov. de 2019 · Internet Archive. Language. English. 255 pages, 4 unnumbered leaves of plates : 23 cm. Includes bibliographical references (pages 244-246) and index. Desert crowned in arms -- A centre of gravity -- Fox killed in the open -- A different sort of fox -- 'Crusader' -- History repeats itself -- 8th Army at bay -- Alamein and after -- The ...
Moving beyond a simple narrative of the conflict, The Battle for North Africa tackles critical themes, such as the problems of coalition warfare, the use of military intelligence, the role of celebrity generals, and the importance of an all-arms approach to modern warfare. 978-0-253-03143-3.
