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
 * 14 June: British forces cross from Egypt into Libya and capture Fort Capuzzo
 * 16 June: The first tank battle of the North African Campaign takes place, the "Battle of Girba"
 * 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 armoured 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: what remains of the Italian Tenth Army surrenders
 * 9 February: Churchill orders halt to British and Australian advance at El Agheila to allow withdrawal of troops to defend 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
 * 4 April: Australian & British forces withdraw from Benghazi; 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 counterattack in Tobruk unsuccessfully
 * 15 May: British troops launch Operation Brevity to gain more territory from which to launch Operation Battleaxe later in the year
 * 16 May: Italian forces attack Australian forces in Tobruk forcing them to withdraw
 * 16 May: Operation Brevity called off. Allied forces fall back onto the Halfaya Pass, captured the previous day
 * 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
 * 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:
 * Rommel 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
 * 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
 * 28 June: Mersa Matruh, Egypt, falls to Rommel.
 * 30 June: Axis forces reach El Alamein and attack the Allied defences, 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 in Libya.
 * 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
 * 12 December: Eighth Army starts an offensive towards Axis forces near El Agheila
 * 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
 * 16 March: Battle of Mareth begins
 * 19 March: Eighth Army launches Operation Pugilist
 * 23 March: U.S. II Corps emerge from Kasserine to match the Axis at Battle of El Guettar. Battle of Mareth ends.
 * 26 March: Eighth Army launch Operation Supercharge II outflanking and making the Axis position at Mareth untenable. Battle of Tebaga Gap takes place.
 * 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
 * 7 May: British enter Tunis, Americans enter Bizerte
 * 13 May: Axis Powers surrender in Tunisia.