North African Campaign timeline

Timeline of the North African Campaign.

1940

• 10 June: The Kingdom of Italy declares war upon France and the United Kingdom^[1]
• 14 June: British forces cross from Egypt into Libya and capture Fort Capuzzo^[2]
• 16 June: The first tank battle of the North African Campaign takes place, the "Battle of Girba"^[2]
• 13 September: Italian forces invade Egypt from Libya
• 16 September: Italian forces establish front east of Sidi Barrani
• 9 December: British and Indian forces launch Operation Compass with the Battle of Marmarica (Battle of the camps)
• 9 December: Indian forces capture Nibeiwa with cover from British artillery
• 9 December: British tanks and Indian troops overrun Tummar West followed by Tummar East
• 10 December: Indian forces capture Sidi Barrani with support from British artillery
• 11 December: British armored forces arrived in Sofafi, but Libyan and Italian divisions had escaped
• 16 December: Sollum captured by Allies

1941

• 5 January: Bardia captured by British and Australian force
• 22 January: Tobruk captured by British and Australian force
• 30 January : Australians capture Derna, Libya
• 5 February: Beda Fomm captured by British
• 6 February ;
  • Fall of Benghazi to the Western Desert Force.
  • Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel is appointed commander of Afrika Korps.
• 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; Erwin Rommel starts his advance
• 3 April: Benghazi captured by Axis
• 6 April: British 3rd Armored Brigade is captured in Derna
• 8 April: British, Indian and Australian forces captured at Mechili
• 10 April: Siege of Tobruk begins with Australian, British and Indian forces defending
• 15 April: British forces are pushed back to Sollum on Egyptian border with Libya
• 30 April: Australian forces lose a small part of their positions in Tobruk during the Battle of Salient, roughly a 6th of Tobruk is now held by Germans
• 3 May: Australian forces counter attack in Tobruk unsuccessfully
• 15 May: British troops launch Operation Brevity to gain more territory from which to launch Operation Battleaxe later in the year^[3]
• 16 May: Italian forces attack Australian forces in Tobruk forcing them to withdraw^{[citation needed]}
• 16 May: Operation Brevity called off. Allied forces fall back onto the Halfaya Pass, captured the previous day^[4]
• 26 May: German forces launch Operation Skorpion and move up to Halfaya Pass
• 27 May: German forces recapture Halfaya Pass; British troops are forced to withdraw^[5]
• 15 June: British and Indian troops launch unsuccessful Operation Battleaxe
• 5 July: Auchinleck 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 with British, Indian, South African and New Zealander forces
• 21 November: British armored division defeated at Sidi Rezegh and withdraws
• 22 November:
  • New Zealand forces attack Bir Ghirba but are unsuccessful
  • Indian forces capture Sidi Omar
• 23 November: New Zealand forces capitalize on Indian advances to wreck Afrika Korps HQ at Bir el Chleta
• 23 November:
  • Rommell launches Panzer attacks on the British XXX Corps, but face resistance from SA, NZ and British forces
  • British and NZ forces withdraw towards Bir el Gubi
• 25 November:
  • Panzer attack on Indian forces at Sidi Omar is repulsed
  • In the second attack in the evening, Indian forces destroy the 5th Panzer Division
• 26 November: Ritchie replaces Cunningham as commander Eighth Army
• 27 November: New Zealand troops at Sidi Azeiz defeated by overwhelming advance of Panzers and German infantry
• 28 November: 15th Panzer despite being outnumbered 2:1 force British tanks to retreat exposing the New Zealand forces at Ed Duda on the Tobruk by-pass
• 1 December: New Zealand troops in Sidi Rezegh suffer heavy casualties by Panzers
• 3 December:
  • German infantry suffers heavy defeat at the hand of New Zealand forces on the Bardia road near Menastir
  • German forces suffer losses against Indian forces and forced to withdraw at Capuzzo (Trigh Capuzzo)
• 4 December:
  • NZ forces repulse German attack on Ed Duda
  • Indian forces face attrition in an uphill attempt to capture Point 174 against entrenched Italian forces without artillery support
• 7 December: Tobruk siege relieved by 8th Army consisting of British, Indian, New Zealander and South African forces
• 13 December:
  • 8th Army attacks Gazala line
  • NZ forces stopped at Alem Hamza
  • Indian forces take Point 204
  • Indian infantry face Afrika Korps and against heavy odds destroy 15 of 39 Panzers
• 14 December: Indian troops repel repeated Panzer attacks on Point 204
• 15 December: German advance overruns British forces en route to Point 204, but Indian forces at Point 204 hold on
• 16 December: Rommel facing reduced Panzer numbers orders withdrawal from the Gazala line
• 24 December British forces capture Benghazi
• 25 December: Agedabia reached by the Allies
• 27 December: Rommel inflicts heavy damage on British armour who have to withdraw allowing Rommel to fall back to El Agheila
• 31 December: Front lines return to El Agheila

1942

• 21 January ;
  • Rommel's second offensive begins
  • A lone He 111 of the Sonderkommando Blaich successfully bombs the Fort Lamy air field ^[6]
• 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 forces assault the Gazala line, the 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, the First Battle of El Alamein begins
• 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 Operation Lightfoot starting the Second Battle of El Alamein
• 5 November: Axis lines at El Alamein broken
• 8 November: Operation Torch is launched under the command of General Eisenhower, Allied forces land in Morocco and Algeria.
• 9 November: Sidi Barani captured by Eighth Army
• 13 November: Tobruk captured by Eighth Army
• 15 November: British forces capture Derna.
• 17 November: First Army (Operation Torch's Eastern Task Force) and Axis meet at Djebel Abiod in Tunisia
• 20 November: Benghazi captured by Eighth Army
• 27 November: First Army 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

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: Eighth Army launches Operation Pugilist
• 16 March: Battle of Mareth begins^[7]
• 23 March: U.S. II Corps emerge from Kasserine to match the Axis at Battle of El Guettar. Battle of Mareth ends.^[7]
• 26 March: Eighth Army launch Operation Supercharge II outflanking and making the Axis position at Mareth untenable. Battle of Tebaga Gap takes place.^[8]
• 6 April: Right wing of First Army links with Eighth Army. Battle of Wadi Akarit takes place.
• 22 April: Allied forces launch Operation Vulcan
• 6 May: Allied forces launch Operation Strike^[9]
• 7 May: British enter Tunis, Americans enter Bizerte
• 13 May: Axis Powers surrender in Tunisia.

Footnotes

1. ^ Playfair v.I, p. 109
2. ^ ^{a b} Paterson, Ian A.. "History of the British 7th Armoured Division: Engagements - 1940". http://www.ian.a.paterson.btinternet.co.uk/battles1940.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-02. 
3. ^ Playfair v. II, pp. 159–160
4. ^ Playfair v.II, p. 162
5. ^ Rommel, p. 137
6. ^ MESSERSCHMITT Bf 108 - 'TAIFUN' accessed: 29 April 2011
7. ^ ^{a b} Playfair, v.IV Map 31
8. ^ Playfair, v.IV Map 34
9. ^ Playfair, v.IV Pg 446

References

• Paterson, Ian A.. "History of the British 7th Armoured Division: Engagements - 1940". http://www.ian.a.paterson.btinternet.co.uk/battles1940.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-02. 
• Playfair, Major-General I.S.O.; with Stitt R.N., Commander G.M.S.; Molony, Brigadier C.J.C. & Toomer, Air Vice-Marshal S.E. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO 1954]. Butler, J.R.M. ed. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume I The Early Successes Against Italy (to May 1941). History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-065-3. 
• Playfair, Major-General I.S.O.; with Flynn R.N., Captain F.C.; Molony, Brigadier C.J.C. & Toomer, Air Vice-Marshal S.E. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO 1956]. Butler, J.R.M. ed. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume II The Germans come to the help of their Ally (1941). History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-066-1. 
• Playfair, Major-General I.S.O.; and Molony, Brigadier C.J.C.; with Flynn R.N., Captain F.C. & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO 1966]. Butler, J.R.M. ed. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume IV: The Destruction of the Axis Forces in Africa. History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-068-8. 
• Rommel, Erwin; Liddell-Hart, Basil (editor) (1982) [1953]. The Rommel Papers. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-30680-157-4.