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List of North African Campaign battles
This is a listing of World War II battles occurring during the North African Campaign and is sometimes known as the "Desert War". This includes the campaigns in Egypt and Libya (often referred to as the Western Desert campaign or the "Egypt-Libya Campaign") and those campaigns in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (usually referred to as the Tunisia campaign. This is not a comprehensive list of all engagements and generally does not cover isolated skirmishes of units smaller than a company in size.
This is part of the more comprehensive List of World War II Battles.
1940[edit]
- June 15–17: First Battle of the Camps (Also known as Battle of the Marmaric)[1]
- September 9–16: Italian invasion of Egypt (Operation E)
- Dec. 9 – 9 Feb. 1942 Operation Compass
- Dec. 9: Battle of Nibeiwa
- Dec. 10: Third Battle of Fort Capuzzo
- Dec. 20–21 March 1941: Siege of Giarabub
1941[edit]
- Operation Compass continued
- The Offensive Resumes
- January 3–5: First Battle of Bardia
- January 9–26: First Battle of Tobruk[2]
- January 25: First Battle of Mechili
- January 24–26: Battle of Derna
- February 5: Fall of Benghazi
- February 5–7: Battle of Beda Fomm
- The Offensive Resumes
- Operation Sunflower
- March 21–23: Battle of the Oasis
- March 24: First Battle of El Agheila
- April 6–8: Second Battle Mechili
- April 10 - November 27: Siege of Tobruk
- April 12: Second Battle of Bardia[3]
- April 12: First Battle of Sollum[3]
- April 12: Fourth Battle of Fort Capuzzo[3]
- April 30: First Battle of Halfaya Pass[3]
- Operation Brevity
- May 15: Second Battle of Halfaya Pass
- May 15–16: Fifth Battle of Fort Capuzzo[4]
- Operation Skorpion
- Operation Battleaxe
- Operation Crusader
- November 19: first action at Bir el Gubi
- November 19 - December 1: Battle of Sidi Rezegh (known by the Germans as "de Salis Ridge"[3])
- November 21 – December 7: Second Battle of Tobruk
- November 21: Battle of Bir el Haiad
- November 22: Battle of Bir Ghirba
- November 22: Second Battle of Sidi Omar
- November 27: Battle of Bir el Chleta
- November 29 - December 4: Battle of Ed Dedu
- November 29 - December 1: Battle of Belhamed
- December 1: Battle of Zaafran
- December 2: Battle of Belhamed Road
- December 3–7: second action at Bir el Gubi
- December 11–27: First Battle of Cyrenaica Line[3]
- December 13: Battle of Alem Hamza
- December 13–14: Battle of Point 204
- December 23: Battle of Antelat[3]
- December 23: Second Battle of Beda Fomm[3]
1942[edit]
- Operation Crusader continued
- January 2: Battle of Bardia
- January 12: Third Battle of Sollum
- Operation Theseus
- January 21: Second Battle of El Agheila
- January 23: Second Battle of Cyrenaica Line[7]
- January 28: Second Battle of Benghazi[7]
- Battle of Gazala[8]
- May 27: Battle of Retma Box[7]
- "The Cauldron"[7]
- May 27 – June 12: Battle of El Adem
- May 28- June 10: Battle of Bir Hakeim[7]
- May 31: Battle of 150th Brigade Box[7]
- June 13: Battle of Knightsbridge[7]
- June 15: Battle of Point 650
- June 20: Fall of Tobruk[7]
- Operation Aida
- June 26–28: Battle of Mersa Matruh
- June 28: Battle of Fuka
- June 30: Battle of the El Alamein Box
- July 1-27: First Battle of El Alamein
- July 1–2: First Battle of the Coast Road
- July 1: Battle of Deir el Shein
- July 2: First Battle of Ruweisat Ridge
- July 3–5: Battle of the Qattara box (Also known as Battle of the Kaponga box)
- July 10: First Battle of Tel el Eisa
- July 14: Second Battle of Ruweisat Ridge
- July 14: Second Battle of Tel el Eisa
- July 22: Third Battle of Ruweisat Ridge
- July 27: Third Battle of Tel el Eisa
- July 27: Battle of Miteiriya Ridge
- August 30 – September 2: Battle of Alam el Halfa[7]
- September 2: Battle of Himeimat[7]
- Second Battle of El Alamein[9]
- October 23–28: Operation Lightfoot
- October 23–25: Battle of the Oxalic Line
- October 23: Fourth Battle of Ruweisat Ridge
- October 24–26: Battle of Kidney Ridge
- October 25: Fourth Battle of Tell el Eisa
- October 25–26: Battle of Point 29
- October 26–28: The German Counter Attack
- October 27: Battle of Position Snipe
- October 28 - November 1: Battle of Thompson's Post
- November 1–2: Operation Supercharge
- November 2: Battle of Tell el Aqqaqir
- November 2–4: Battle of Sidi Abdel Rahman
- November 2: Battle of Himeimat[7]
- October 23–28: Operation Lightfoot
- Operation Torch[2]
- November 8–16 Battle of Casablanca
- November 8–10: Operation Blackstone
- November 8–10: Operation Brushwood
- November 8–10: Operation Goalpost
- November 8: Battle of Arzew
- November 8: Operation Reservist
- November 8: Battle of Tafarquay Airfield
- November 8: Battle of Youk-Les-Bains Airfield
- November 8: Battle of Algiers
- November 8: Operation Terminal
- Operation Supercharge continued
- November 7: Battle of Marsa Matruh
- November 9: Battle of Sidi Barrani
- November 9: Third Battle of Halfaya Pass
- November 13:Battle of Agedabia
- November 13: Third Battle of Torbuk
- November 17 - Nov. 26: Battle of Djebel Abiod
- November 20: Second Battle of Benghazi
- December 12: Second Battle of the Coast Road
- December14–16: Second Battle of El Agheila[7]
- December 15: Battle of Wadi Zem Zem (or Buerat)[7]
- December 25: Battle of Sirte
- Tunisia campaign
- November 24: First Battle of Medjez
- November 24: First Battle of Djedeida Airfield]
- November 26: Battle of Djebel Abiod
- November 27: Second Battle of Medjez
- November 28: Second Battle of Djedeida Airfield
- December 1: First Battle of Tebourba
- December 2–3: First Battle of Faid Pass
- December 16–17: Battle of Maknassy
- December 22–23: Battle of Longstop Hill[citation needed]
- December 22–25: Second Battle of Tebourba
1943[edit]
- Eighth Army Offensive continued
- Jan. 23: Battle of Tripoli[7]
- Tunisian Campaign continued
- January 14: Battle of Faïd Pass
- February 14–17: Battle of Sidi Bou Zid
- February 19–24: Battle of Kasserine Pass
- February 26 - March 4: Operation Ochsenkopf (Ox Head)
- March 6: Operation Capri
- March 6: Battle of Medenine
- March 16–27: Operation Pugilist
- March 16–23: Battle of Mareth[10]
- March 23 – April 7: Battle of El Guettar
- March 26–28: Operation Supercharge II
- March 26: Battle of Tebaga Gap[11]
- April 6: Battle of Wadi Akarit
- April 22 – May 6: Operation Vulcan
- Battle of Longstop Hill (1943)
- May 6–13: Operation Strike[12]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ "Battle of the Marmarica". Time Magazine. No. 23 December 1940. December 23, 1940. Archived from the original on June 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "War in North Africa 1940-1942" Archived 2008-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 "History of the 7th Armored, List of Battles, 1941". Archived from the original on 2012-08-02.
- ↑ Playfair, V.II pg. 162
- ↑ Rommel, pg. 137
- ↑ Playfair, V. II pg. 163
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 "History of the 7th Armored, List of Battles, 1942"
- ↑ "Battle of Gazala"
- ↑ "The Battle of El Alamein"
- ↑ Playfair, V IV Map 31
- ↑ Playfair, V IV Map 34
- ↑ Playfair, V IV Pg 446
References[edit]
- Long, Gavin (1961) [1952]. To Benghazi. Official History of Australia in the Second World War Series 1 (Army). Vol. I. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 2007-09-08. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- Maughan, Barton (1966). Tobruk and El Alamein. Official History of Australia in the Second World War Series 1 (Army). Vol. III. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 2007-09-08. Retrieved 2008-03-02.