Operations in North Africa and the Middle East 1939-1942: Tobruk, Crete, Syria and East AfricaThe Middle East Command in the Second World War covered a vast region, stretching across Egypt, Libya, Malta, Palestine and Transjordan, Cyprus, Sudan, Eritrea, most of Syria and a small part of Iraq, and included some forty different languages. At one point it also oversaw operations in Greece, Kenya and British Somaliland. Its campaign area ran for a thousand miles from the Jordan to the Horn of Africa. Initially under the leadership of General Sir Archibald Wavell, Middle East CommandÕs early actions were in contending with the Italian forces in Libya and Italian East Africa. He was soon distracted by the German invasion of Greece and the subsequent defence of, and withdrawal from, the Island of Crete. With his attention turned from North Africa to the ®gean, Italian forces in North Africa were able to hold their ground and even receive reinforcements in the form of RommelÕs Afrika Korps . WavellÕs despatches detail all of these campaigns up to July 1941, when he was superseded by General Claude Auchinleck. The ÔAukÕ had to deal with the Anglo-Free French invasion of Syria and Lebanon and the nationalist uprising in Iraq. His main concern, though, was with stopping RommelÕs advances through Libya. The Axis forces were eventually held close to the border of Egypt at El Alamein. It was as far as Rommel would go and it marked the end of the long run of Axis successes in North Africa. The despatches presented here form a unique collection of original reports from the commanding officers in this widespread and difficult region. This is the first time these documents have been brought together in a single volume |
Contents
1 General Wavells Despatch on operations August 1939 toNovember 1940 | 1 |
2 General Wavells Despatch on operations December 1940 toFebruary 1941 | 23 |
3 General Wavells Despatch on operations February 1941 to15 July 1941 | 40 |
4 General Auchinlecks Despatch on operations 5 July 1941 to31 October 1941 | 85 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
13th Corps 1st Armoured Division 1st South African 22nd Armoured Brigade 2nd Armoured 30th Corps 4th Armoured Brigade 4th Indian Division 6th Australian Division 7th Armoured Division Adem advance Agedabia Alamein anti-tank Armd armoured cars armoured forces Army Tank Brigade artillery attack Bardia battalion battle Bengasi British captured Capuzzo columns command convoy Crete Cyrenaica defence Derna despatch Egypt Eighth Army enemy armoured enemy tanks enemy’s equipment escarpment fighting Free French front frontier garrison Gazala German Greece Greek guns Hacheim Headquarters heavy Indian Infantry Brigade Infantry Brigade Group infantry divisions Iraq Italian landing grounds Libya Major-General Matruh Mechili Middle East miles minefields mobile Motor Brigade move Northern offensive operations organisation Palestine Persia position possible prepared Regiment reinforcements reorganised reserves Ritchie road Sidi Barrani Sidi Rezegh Sollum South African Division Staff supply Support Group Syria Tobruk transport troops vehicles Western Desert withdrawal Zealand Division