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WW 2 History Club

25-Feb-2015

North African CampaignNorth African Campaign

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Italy Joins the Axis

• On June 10, 1940, Mussolini declared war on Britain and France and four months later invaded Greece

• In many ways Mussolini will hinder rather than help Hitler

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Greatest Extent of Axis Control

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African Locations of Battles

• Libya• Egypt• Morocco• Tunisia• Algeria

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North Africa

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Major Campaigns

• Western Desert Campaign: Back and forth battles of British vs. Italian and ultimately German forces.

• Operation Torch: Anglo American invasion of North Africa.

• Tunisia Campaign: led to complete surrender of Axis forces in Africa.

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Italian Presence in North Africa

• Since before World War II, Italy had been occupying Libya and had over a million soldiers based there

• In neighboring Egypt, the British Army had only 36,000 men guarding the Suez Canal and the Arabian oilfields

• In Sep 1940, the Italians advanced into Egypt but halted in front of the main British defenses at Mersa Matruh

• In Dec 1940, the British counterattacked and pushed the Italians back more than 500 miles, inflicting heavy casualties

• British troops then moved along the coast and captured the port of Tobruk in Libya in late Jan 1941

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Germany to the Rescue

• In the meantime, Germany sent forces across the Mediterranean to Tripoli– The Afrika Corps

commanded by Erwin Rommel

• Italy’s disasters in North Africa and elsewhere (i.e., Greece) threatened to undermine the Axis position in the Balkans and the Mediterranean

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Rommel

• Characteristically Rommel attacked and drove the British Commonwealth forces out of Libya except for Tobruk

• With the situation in North Africa stabilized, Hitler turned his attention to shoring up Italy, leaving Rommel to deal with North Africa

• One of Rommel’s biggest challenges would be his long, tenuous supply line– Between Oct and Nov the Allies sank nearly 80% of

Axis supply ships crossing the Mediterranean

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Rommel

• Rommel pushed the British deep into Egypt but the British stopped Rommel at El Alamein in July 1942

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Churchill• Churchill had to “do something” regarding British

setbacks in N Africa• June 1941: theater commander Wavell is

replaced with Auchinieck (also 8th Army commander)

• June 1942: Auchinieck is replaced by Alexander, Gott takes over 8th army

• But Gott was killed in Aug 1942 and Montgomery (a Brooke protégé) was put in charge of the 8th Army

• Much of Montgomery’s early successes were due to Auchinieck’s plans and preparation

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Operation Torch

Americans acquiesced to British pressure and began planning Operation Torch– landings to occupy Algeria and Morocco and co-opt the Vichy French

• The “Vichy French” had reached an agreement with the Germans allowing a French government headed by Marshall Henri Pétain to govern the French colonies and those parts of France not occupied by the Germans

• The “Free French” established their own government in exile led by Charles de Gaulle

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Operation TorchThe Anglo-American forces landed at

Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers and then advanced by land and sea toward Tunisia

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Operation Torch

• At first the Vichy French resisted, but eventually surrendered

• Hitler began rushing troops to Tunis before the Allies could get there

• Hitler was successful in winning “the race to Tunis” and therefore denying the Mediterranean to Allied shipping but he did so at a great price, committing Italian and German troops to an ultimately hopeless fight when they could have been better used elsewhere

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Kasserine Pass

• By January, Rommel had escaped from Libya and arrived in Tunisia

• He developed a plan to sweep up from southern Tunisia and destroy the Allied supply dumps in eastern Algiers

• Rommel attacked on February 14 and punched his way through the Kasserine Pass

• It was a tactical victory, but Rommel was unable to continue with his larger plan and began withdrawing on Feb 22

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Germans Defeated

• Rommel then turned south against the British who were arriving from Egypt

• British General Montgomery dealt Rommel a stunning defeat and Rommel personally left Africa

• The Axis position in North Africa steadily deteriorated and in early May the Allies controlled Tunisia

American soldiers enter Kasserine Pass

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First Battle

• The Americans did not perform very well in their first combat experience and senior leadership was horrible– General Eisenhower

was forced to relieve Lloyd Fredendall of command and replace him with George Patton

Lloyd Fredendall, commander of the American II Corps

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North African Effects

• Opportunity for British and American commanders to work together both strategically and operationally (for better or worse)

• US ground forces in action in “Europe”• Significant learnings re “assault by sea”• Showcased Montgomery and Patton; tested

Eisenhower• Took some pressure off of the Russians on the

Eastern Front.• Kept Rommel away from Russia

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North African Effects

• The Germans had wasted valuable resources in an indecisive theater. Axis lost– 40,00 killed– 470,000 captured– 8,000 aircraft– 6,200 guns– 2,500 tanks– 70,000 misc vehicles

• Mussolini was severely weakened domestically• The Americans learned from their poor

performance and made the necessary changes

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Effects of Axis Defeat in North Africa

• The British and American coalition weathered a potentially threatening storm

• Gave British and Americans confidence that they could beat the Axis forces. Significant impact on public morale

• Churchill kept his job • Kept Mediterranean open; eliminated

German threat to Egypt, Suez Canal, Middle East and …

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WW 2 History Club

25-Feb-2015

North African CampaignNorth African Campaign

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Operation Torch: 1942

Anglo American invasion of North Africa.

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British Crusader Tanks