Introduction
The North Africa campaign was one of the first definitive victories over the Axis forces. Africa was a valuable strategic location because it led to oil from the Middle East and Asian goods. As such, the Italians launched an offensive as soon as possible in the beginning, but were crushed by the British. German reinforcements arrived, and the resulting campaign went back and forth for an extended period of time. Eventually, this resulted in one of the first tangible victories in the war, and a devastating psychological blow to the Axis morale.
The Beginning of the Campaign
On June 11, 1940, Mussolini declared war on the British and the French; however, it was not until September 13 that Italy attacked Egypt. The Italians and British fought mainly in an area between Libya and Egypt called the “Western Desert.” The main thing that both parties were concerned about was the Suez Canal. This canal led to the oil from the Middle East, something that was a great necessity due to Britain’s mechanized army. The Italian Rodolfo Graziani, and the British Lord Archibald Percival Wavell were the initial combatants, before the Germans became involved. To start off with, the Italians had 250,000 troops in Libya, while Wavell had 100,000 stretched between Egypt, Palestine, and Sudan. Britain however had an advantage due to their organization, training, and somewhat superior weaponry. Initially, the British were unable to avoid the attack, as they were pinned down elsewhere. Reinforcements arriving in October allowed the British to launch a counterattack in December that culminated in the capture of 130,000 men, 380 tanks, 845 guns, and 10 destroyed divisions, with only 555 dead and 1,400 wounded. At this point the Italians had been pushed back 500 miles to Tunisia, and the Tenth Army was wiped out. All of this was done with only two divisions.
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The Desert Fox Joins the Conflict |
In January 1941 Hitler sent reinforcements to the Italians and the Luftwaffe Fliegerkorps X promptly attacked Allied shipping lines to Libya. The Allies were forced to resupply through the port of Tobruk, 450 miles out of the way. Around a few months later General Erwin Rommel – The “Desert Fox” – assumed command of a couple of divisions that would later be known as the “Afrika Korps.” Rommel was a brilliant commander with a great belief in mobility. He always kept troops moving to confuse the enemy. |
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During October 23, 1942 the Second Battle of El Alamein began. This battle became one of the turning points for the campaign. Although the battle was short, the Battle of Alamein was where everything started to go downhill. For this battle, Hitler sent a second field army to fight. Initially there were only three German divisions and some Italians. Mainly the problem with this was the over commitment of forces. This would later lead to the downfall of the North Africa Campaign. |
The British began with a barrage from 900 guns. They spent nine days trying to break the Axis line, suffering around 10,000 in casualties. On November 3 Rommel began to retreat, due to fuel and food shortages. Despite pressure from others, Rommel wanted to keep his men alive to fight. |
Operation Torch and Rommel's Defeat
Just after Rommel retreated, the Allies begin Operation Torch, an operation that allowed them to capture an airfield complex, giving them the ability to hit Rommel’s supply lines. This involved many landings in Northwest Africa. During this operation, a race of sorts was on. Whoever could capture the airfield complex, take the Tunisian port, and take the capital city of Tunis basically won. Much back-and-forth occurred at this time.
Eventually, Rommel launched a massive offensive at the Mareth Line, but the Allies were waiting for him. His forces were slaughtered, and in May of 1943 the Axis troops in Tunisia surrender. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, the North African Campaigns were unnecessarily drawn out. The main reason the Germans lost was due to Hitler’s overconfidence when he committed the second field army. That force could not be supported, which led to logistical problems, and ultimately logistics become everything in a drawn-out campaign. Hitler had a great deal of political knowledge, but was an amateur tactician. His failure to listen to his generals was what led to the Axis defeat. The Allies on the other hand, had achieved their first victory against the Axis powers in WWII, the first of many.
Erwin Rommel Biography
Erwin Rommel was born in Heidenheim, Germany on November 15, 1891. Rommel was most known for leading the “Afrika Korps” in the North Africa Campaigns, where he earned the nickname “Desert Fox” for his fast, surprise attacks. Unlike many generals he was on the front lines with his soldiers. The Desert Fox was one of Germany’s most successful generals, and even became a national hero. However, he had been known to actively go against Hitler’s orders, causing a bit of tension.
During the later portion of the war, he began to think that Hitler was incapable of peace. Eventually, after Rommel was connected to the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler, Hitler offered him the choice of committing suicide instead of going to trial. Rommel took a cyanide pill and was given a state burial in Herrlingen, Germany. The public were told he had succumbed to injuries sustained in a campaign. |
Works Cited:
Essay and Biography Sources:
"Erwin Rommel." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Jan. 2/15
< http://www.biography.com/people/erwin-rommel-39971>
History. AETN UK. Jan. 2/15
<http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/erwin-rommel>
Robinson, Scott. “The North African Campaign (Operation Torch).” Jan. 2/15
<http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/history/history/worldwar2/n-africa.htm>
Zabecki, David T. “World War II: North Africa Campaign.” World War II. Published Online: June 12, 2006. HistoryNet. Weider History. Jan. 2/15
< http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-north-africa-campaign.htm>
Pictures Taken From:
<http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/erwin-rommel>
<http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/09/world-war-ii-the-north-african-campaign/100140/>
<https://world-civ-2012-13.wikispaces.com/Battle+of+El+Alamein+(1B)>
<http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/rommel/slides/Erwin%20Rommel%20%201942.html>
"Erwin Rommel." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Jan. 2/15
< http://www.biography.com/people/erwin-rommel-39971>
History. AETN UK. Jan. 2/15
<http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/erwin-rommel>
Robinson, Scott. “The North African Campaign (Operation Torch).” Jan. 2/15
<http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/history/history/worldwar2/n-africa.htm>
Zabecki, David T. “World War II: North Africa Campaign.” World War II. Published Online: June 12, 2006. HistoryNet. Weider History. Jan. 2/15
< http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-north-africa-campaign.htm>
Pictures Taken From:
<http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/erwin-rommel>
<http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/09/world-war-ii-the-north-african-campaign/100140/>
<https://world-civ-2012-13.wikispaces.com/Battle+of+El+Alamein+(1B)>
<http://www.wwii-photos-maps.com/rommel/slides/Erwin%20Rommel%20%201942.html>