The North

African
Campaign
1940 - 43
 The North African Campaign
Why?
• Italy attempted to increase its empire in North Africa
• Britain wanted to maintain control of Middle East possessions,
including Suez Canal, oilfields.
• Germany saw it as a sideshow until too late.
• Was Britain’s only chance to halt the Axis.
 The North African Campaign
The Overall Picture
• Essentially a coastal war, fought with limited resources & troops.
• Mobility & supply lines crucial.
• Main supplies needed: petrol, weapons & ammunition, food & water.
• Air power vital.
• Both sides fought ‘within the rules’.
• Cult of the ‘personality’ generals.
 The North African Campaign
Strategies & Tactics
• Ability to maneuver & outflank the enemy was paramount. This would
allow him to be cut off from his supply lines.
• Supply reached N Africa mainly by sea. From ports, it reached the front
via truck convoy or on a small scale by air.
• Both sides, but esp. the Allies used commando/special forces to make hit
& run attacks on enemy supplies.
• Air power was crucial for scouting & attacking supply dumps.
• Defensive lines were rare (since they could be outflanked - except at El
Alamein), but often protected by huge minefields & carefully placed anti-
tank guns (AA guns were often used in this role).
• Main weapon was the tank, with armoured cars & halftracks in support –
the terrain was too soft/sandy for trucks. Infantry rode to a jump-off
point before taking part in an attack.
 The North African Campaign
• Britain -v- Italy
– Began with Italy’s entry into the war on June 11, 1940.
– Light skirmishes only until September invasion of British-held Egypt.
– Oct-Nov: failed Italian invasion of Greece.
– Dec 1940 to Feb 1941: Operation Compass, British counter-attack
forces Italians from Africa & halfway back to Tripoli, the capital of
Libya (Italians lose 120,000 men)
– Jan to Nov 1941: Italian East Africa conquered.
 The North African Campaign
• Enter Rommel
- Jan 1941: Hitler announces that German forces (about 2 divs/20000
men) will support the Italians in N Africa.
- Feb: General Erwin Rommel arrives with advance troops of the
Deutsches Afrika Korps.
- Mar: British withdraw troops to reinforce Greece.
- Mar to Apr: Rommel drives the British back into Egypt, siege of
Tobruk begins.
- Apr to May: Axis conquer Greece & Crete.
- May to June: Allied forces occupy Syria & Iraqi oilfields.
- June: British attack, Operation Battleaxe, fails badly, Gen Wavell
replaced by Gen Auchinleck.
- June: Operation Barbarossa launched & the Eastern Front receives
first priority.
 The North African Campaign
• Operation Crusader – the
British counter-attack
- August 1941: Allies invade Iran.
- Sept: British buildup now
complete. British have 8th Army
(118,000 troops, 700+ tanks, 650
aircraft) against Panzerarmee
Afrika (119,000 troops, 400 tanks -
1/3 of these obsolete Italian
designs, 550 aircraft).
- Nov 1941 to Jan 1942: British
relieve Tobruk & advance to a
position similar to that of Mar
1941.
 The North African Campaign
• Rommel Strikes Back
- Jan 1942: Rommel’s attack forces the British back to the Gazala Line,
west of Tobruk.
- Both sides halted & tried to build up their troop & supply levels.
British now have 839 tanks & 190 planes to 643 tanks & 497 planes.
- June: Rommel outflanked the British in a series of battles, who were
forced to retreat all the way back to El Alamein, less than 100km
from the port of Alexandria on the Nile Delta.
- July to Sept: Rommel made a series of desperate attacks but failed
to break through.
- Aug: Gen Montgomery appointed to command the 8th Army. He
refuses Churchill’s demands to attack because he believes the
troops are not yet ready.
 The North African Campaign
• Oct 1942: The Battle of El-Alamein
– the battle begins with artillery
bombardment & an overwhelming Allied
superiority (2:1 ratio in tanks, artillery &
manpower).
– infantry assault to clear a path through
the Axis minefields.
– described as a ‘WWI battle fought with
modern weapons’
– lasted 12 days
– ended with heavy Axis losses & with
Rommel in full retreat.
 The North African Campaign
• After Alamein
– Nov 1942 to Jan 1943: Rommel forced to retreat through Libya into
Tunisia.

• Operation Torch
– Nov 1942: Allied landings in Vichy French N African colonies of
Morocco & Algeria. They attempt to cut off Rommel.
 The North African Campaign
• The End
– Feb 1943: Rommel defeats the Allies at Kasserine but is forced to
retreat.
– Mar: Rommel leaves Africa.
– May 7 1943: Axis troops in Africa surrender (60,000 dead & 240,000
POWs). A disaster comparable to Stalingrad.
 The North African Campaign
• Why did the Allies win?
– Hitler never considered Africa as more than a sideshow. Rommel
never got the supplies or troops he needed (although the Allies kept
withdrawing troops at vital times).
– Spain stayed neutral: thus British were able to control the western
Mediterranean.
– Malta survived: ‘the most bombed place on Earth’. Provided an air &
naval base to disrupt Axis air & sea supply lines.
– Italian equipment not up to standard although they fought bravely.
– Allied air & naval power.
– USA’s entry into the war.
– Allied numerical superiority.
– German codes broken.
– the little things (food, water, medicine, etc).
 The North African Campaign
Significance of the outcome of the Battle of El-Alamein (1)
• End of the Axis presence in North
Africa:
– Nov ’42: Allied landings in Vichy
N. Africa
– Apr ’43: Tunisia falls
– 240 000 Axis POWs

• Strategic importance:
– Suez Canal is safe
– oilfields of the Middle East safe
– threatens Italy, Balkans

• Morale booster
 The North African Campaign
Significance of the outcome of the Battle of El-Alamein (2)
• Historians’ differences:
– John Bierman/Colin Smith call it a
major ‘turning point’
– Russian historians claim it was small
compared to the Eastern Front

• Churchill’s view:
– ‘This is not the end. It is not even the
beginning of the end. But it is perhaps,
the end of the beginning.’
– ‘Before Alamein, we never had a
victory. After Alamein, we never had a
defeat.’