North African Campaign timeline
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Timeline of the North African Campaign.
Contents |
[edit] 1940
- 13 September: Italian forces invade Egypt from Libya
- 16 September: Italian forces establish front east of Sidi Barrani
- 9 December: British and Commonwealth forces launch Operation Compass
- 16 December: Salum captured by Allies
[edit] 1941
- 5 January: Bardia captured by British and Australian force
- 22 January: Tobruk captured by British and Australian force
- 5 February: Beda Fomm captured by British
- 7 February: Italian Tenth Army surrenders
- 9 February: Churchill orders halt to British and Australian advance at El Agheila to allow withdrawal of troops to Greece
- 14 February: First units of the Afrika Korps under Erwin Rommel start to arrive in Libya during Operation Sonnenblume
- 24 March Allied forces at El Agheila defeated
- 3 April: Benghazi captured by Axis
- 10 April: Siege of Tobruk begins
- 15 April: British pushed back to Salum on Egyptian border with Libya
- 15 May: British launch unsuccessful Operation Brevity
- 15 June: British and Commonwelth troops launch unsuccessful Operation Battleaxe
- 5 July: Auckinlech replaces Wavell as C-in-C Middle East Command
- 15 August: German Panzer Group Afrika activated with Rommel in Command
- 1 October: 5th Light Division redesignated 21st Panzer Division
- 18 November: Auchinleck's offensive (Operation Crusader) begins
- 26 November: Ritchie replaces Cunningham as commander Eighth Army
- 7 December: Tobruk siege relieved by 8th Army
- 25 December: Agedabia reached by the Allies
- 31 December: Front lines return to El Agheila
[edit] 1942
- 21 January: Rommel's second offensive begins
- 23 January: Agedabia captured by Axis forces
- 29 January: Benghazi captured by Axis forces
- 4 February: Front line established between Gazala and Bir Hakeim
- 26 May: Axis assault on the Gazala line Battle of Gazala and Battle of Bir Hakeim begins
- 11 June: Axis forces begin offensive from "the Cauldron" position
- 13 June: "Black Sunday". Axis inflicts heavy defeat on British armoured divisions
- 21 June: Tobruk captured by Axis forces
- 30 June: Axis reaches El Alamein and attack to start the First Battle of El Alamein
- 4 July: First Battle of El Alamein continues as Axis digs in and Eighth Army launch series of attacks
- 31 July: Auchinleck calls off offensive activities to allow Eighth Army to regroup and resupply
- 13 August: Alexander and Montgomery take command respectively of Middle East Command and Eighth Army
- 30 August: Rommel launches unsuccessful Battle of Alam el Halfa
- 23 October: Montgomery launches Second Battle of El Alamein
- 5 November: Axis lines at El Alamein broken
- 8 November Allies launch Operation Torch in Morocco and Algeria under Eisenhower
- 9 November: Sidi Barani captured by Eighth Army
- 11 November: Tobruk captured by Eighth Army
- 17 November: Eastern Task Force (First Army) and Axis meet at Djebel Abiod in Tunisia
- 20 November: Benghazi captured by Eighth Army
- 27 November: Allied advance halted between Terbourba and Djedeida, 12 miles from Tunis, by Axis counterattack
- 10 December: First Army front line pushed back to defensive positions east of Medjez el Bab
- 22 December: First Army starts three day offensive towards Tebourba which fails
- 25 December: Sirte captured by Eighth Army
[edit] 1943
- 23 January: Tripoli captured by British Eighth Army
- 30 January: Axis forces capture Faïd pass in central Tunisia
- 4 February: Axis forces in Libya retreat to Tunisian border south of the Mareth Line
- 14 February: Axis advance from Faïd to launch Battle of Sidi Bou Zid and enter Sbeitla two days later
- 19 February: Battle of Kasserine Pass launched by Axis forces
- 6 March: Axis launch Operation Capri against Eighth Army at Medenine but lose 55 tanks
- 19 March: Operation Pugilist launched by Montgomery
- 23 March: U.S. II Corps emerge from Kasserine to match the Axis at Battle of El Guettar
- 26 March: Eighth Army launch Operation Supercharge II outflanking and making the Axis position at Mareth untenable
- 6 April: Right wing of First Army links with Eighth Army
- 7 May: British enter Tunis, Americans enter Bizerte
- 13 May: Axis Powers surrender in Tunisia.
[edit] References
Sources for this timeline were primarily derived from several Wikipedia pages (accessed: 2005-04-03) using text and data on maps from Western Desert Campaign and Tunisia Campaign.
Some additional dates from:
- Young, Peter (1973) Battles and Campaigns: The Atlas of the Second World War: 1. March of the Swastika, Orbis Publishing, London, 64 pp.
