This is a timeline of the North African campaign.

1940

•May 1940 —

Army of Africa (France) The Army of Africa (french: Armée d’Afrique ) was an unofficial but commonly used term for those portions of the French Army stationed in French North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) from 1830 until the end of the Algerian War in 1962, ...

— 14 regiments of

zouave The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

s, 42 regiments of Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan

tirailleurs A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French c ...

, 12 regiments and demi-brigades of the Foreign Legion and 13 battalions of African Light Infantry were serving on all fronts. * 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 Fort Capuzzo it, (Ridotta Capuzzo) was a fort in the colony of Italian Libya, near the Libyan-Egyptian border, next to the Italian Frontier Wire. The '' Litoranea Balbo'' ran south from Bardia to Fort Capuzzo, inland, west of Sollum, then ea ...

* 16 June: The first tank battle of the North African campaign takes place, the " Engagement at Nezuet Ghirba" * July 1940: British navy shells French warships in the port of

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

to keep them out of German hands * 13 September: Italian forces invade Egypt from

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

* 16 September: Italian forces establish front east of

Sidi Barrani Sidi Barrani ( ar, سيدي براني ) is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the Egypt–Libya border, and around from Tobruk, Libya. Named after Sidi es-Saadi el Barrani, a Senussi sheikh who was a head of i ...

* 9 December: British and Indian forces launch

Operation Compass Operation Compass (also it, Battaglia della Marmarica) was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War. British, Empire and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces of ...

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

with support from British artillery * 11 December: British armoured forces arrived in Sofafi but Libyan and Italian divisions escaped * 16 December:

Sollum Sallum ( ar, السلوم, translit=as-Sallūm various transliterations include ''El Salloum'', ''As Sallum'' or ''Sollum'') is a harbourside village or town in Egypt. It is along the Egypt/Libyan short north–south aligned coast of the Mediterra ...

retaken 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,

* 5 February:

Beda Fomm Beda Fomm is a small coastal town in southwestern Cyrenaica, Libya. It is located between the much larger port city Benghazi to its north-west and the larger town of El Agheila further to the south-west. Beda Fomm is known mainly for being the s ...

captured by British * 6 February; ** Fall of

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

to the

Western Desert Force The Western Desert Force (WDF) was a British Army formation (military), formation active in Egypt during the Western Desert Campaign of the World War II, Second World War. On 17 June 1940, the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division (United ...

. ** Lieutenant-General

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

is appointed commander of

Afrika Korps The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...

. * 7 February: What remains of the Italian Tenth Army surrenders. * 9 February:

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

orders halt to British and Australian advance at

El Agheila El Agheila ( ar, العقيلة, translit=al-ʿUqayla ) is a coastal city at the southern end of the Gulf of Sidra in far western Cyrenaica, Libya. In 1988 it was placed in Ajdabiya District; it was in that district until 1995. It was removed from ...

to allow withdrawal of troops to defend Greece * 14 February: First units of the

under

start to arrive in

during

Operation Sonnenblume Operation Sonnenblume (/Operation Sunflower) was the name given to the dispatch of German troops to North Africa in February 1941, during the Second World War. The Italian 10th Army () had been destroyed by the British, Commonwealth, Empire and ...

* 24 March: Allied forces at El Agheila defeated;

starts his advance. * 4 April: Australian & British forces withdraw from

; Benghazi and

Msus Msus or Zawiyat Msus ( ar, زاوية مسوس), also Masous is a village in eastern Libya. It's located on the southeast of Benghazi, and far from Suluq on the same direction by . There is a road linking her to Suluq. It's also linked with Char ...

captured by Axis. * 6 April: British 3rd Armored Brigade is captured in Derna * 8 April: British, Indian and Australian forces captured at

Mechili Mechili ( ar, المخيلي) is a small village in Cyrenaica, Libya and the site of a former Turkish fort. It is nearly east of Benghazi and west of Timimi. Geography Because of its location in the desert, Mechili suffered in the past from is ...

* 10 April:

Siege of Tobruk The siege of Tobruk lasted for 241 days in 1941, after Axis forces advanced through Cyrenaica from El Agheila in Operation Sonnenblume against Allied forces in Libya, during the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) of the Second World War. ...

begins with Australian, British and Indian forces defending * 15 April: British forces are pushed back to

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 counterattack at Tobruk fails * 15 May: British troops launch

Operation Brevity Operation Brevity was a limited offensive conducted in mid-May 1941, during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. Conceived by the commander-in-chief of the British Middle East Command, General Archibald Wavell, Brevity was int ...

to gain more territory from which to launch

Operation Battleaxe Operation Battleaxe (15–17 June 1941) was a British Army offensive during the Second World War to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica from German and Italian forces. It was the first time during the war that a significa ...

later in the year * 16 May: Italian forces attack Australian forces in Tobruk forcing them to withdraw ho withdrew?* 16 May: Operation Brevity called off. Allied forces fall back onto the

Halfaya Pass Halfaya Pass ( ar, ممر حلفيا, translit=Mamarr Ḥalfayā ) is in northwest Egypt, 11.5 kilometres east of the border with Libya and 7.5 kilometres south of the other, more major pass in the ridge today. A high, narrow escarpment extends ...

, captured the previous day * 26 May: German forces launch

Operation Skorpion Operation Skorpion () from 26 to 27 May 1941, was a military operation during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The operation was conducted by Axis forces under the command of Colonel Maximilian von Herff and British forces u ...

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

which fails * 5 July:

Auchinleck Auchinleck ( ; sco, Affleck ;
gd, Achadh nan Leac

replaces Wavell as C-in-C

Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...

* 15 August: German Panzer Group Afrika activated with

Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

in Command * 18 September: German air raid on

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

in which 39 Egyptian civilians are killed and nearly 100 injured, bringing condemnation against the Axis from the Arab and Muslim press.

Radio Berlin Radio is the technology of signaling and telecommunication, communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device ...

later apologizes to its Arab listeners. * 1 October: 5th Light Division renamed 21st Panzer Division * 18 November: Auchinleck's

Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (United Kingdom), Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) ...

begins (Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) with British, Indian, South African and New Zealander forces * 21 November: British armoured division defeated at

Sidi Rezegh ''Sidi'' or ''Sayidi'', also Sayyidi and Sayeedi, ( ar, سيدي, Sayyīdī, Sīdī (dialectal) "milord") is an Arabic masculine title of respect. ''Sidi'' is used often to mean "saint" or "my master" in Maghrebi Arabic and Egyptian Arabic. Wi ...

and withdraws * 22 November; ** New Zealand forces attack Bir Ghirba but fail ** 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 faces 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 Regiment of the 21st Panzer Division * 26 November: Ritchie replaces

Cunningham Cunningham is a surname of Scottish origin, see Clan Cunningham. Notable people sharing this surname A–C * Aaron Cunningham (born 1986), American baseball player *Abe Cunningham, American drummer * Adrian Cunningham (born 1960), Australian ...

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 forces 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 from Panzers * 3 December: ** German infantry suffers big defeat at the hand of New Zealand forces on the Bardia road near Menastir ** German forces suffer losses against Indian forces and 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 * 9 December: Tobruk siege relieved by Eighth Army consisting of British, Indian, New Zealand and South African forces; White Knoll captured by the Polish Carpathian Brigade from the elements of the Italian Brescia Division * 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

* 25 December: Agedabia reached by the Allies * 27 December: Rommel inflicts many losses on British tanks 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 (Special Command Blaich) was a German unit consisting of s Heinkel He 111H medium bomber supported by an Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 () transport aircraft and a Messerschmitt Bf 108 (). In January 1942 the Heinkel raided the Free French–c ...

'' successfully bombs the

Fort Lamy N'Djamena ( ) is the capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements''. The city serves as the centre of economic activity in Chad. Meat, fish and cotton processing are th ...

air field ** begins Operation Theseus * 23 January: Agedabia captured by Axis forces * 29 January: Benghazi captured by Axis forces * 4 February: Front line established between

Gazala Gazala, or ʿAyn al-Ġazāla ( ), is a small Libyan village near the coast in the northeastern portion of the country. It is located west of Tobruk. History In the late 1930s (during the Italian occupation of Libya), the village was the site of ...

and Bir Hakeim * 26 May: Axis forces assault the Gazala line, the

Battle of Gazala The Battle of Gazala (near the village of ) was fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, from 26 May to 21 June 1942. Axis troops of the ( Erwin Rommel) consisting of German and I ...

(26 May to 21 June 1942) and

Battle of Bir Hakeim The Battle of Bir Hakeim () took place at Bir Hakeim, an oasis in the Libyan desert south and west of Tobruk, during the Battle of Gazala (26 May – 21 June 1942). The 1st Free French Brigade under Marie-Pierre Kœnig defended the position from ...

begins * 11 June: Axis forces begin offensive from "the Cauldron" position * 13 June: "Black Saturday". Axis inflicts heavy defeat on British armoured divisions * 21 June:

Axis capture of Tobruk The Axis capture of Tobruk, also known as the Fall of Tobruk and the Second Battle of Tobruk (17–21 June 1942) was part of the Western Desert campaign in Libya during the Second World War. The battle was fought by the ( in Italian), a Germa ...

* 28 June:

Mersa Matruh Mersa Matruh ( ar, مرسى مطروح, translit=Marsā Maṭrūḥ, ), also transliterated as ''Marsa Matruh'', is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway ...

, Egypt, falls to Rommel. * 29 June: U.S. reports from Egypt of British military operations stop using the compromised "Black Code" which the Axis were reading. * 30 June: Axis forces reach

El Alamein El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...

and attack the Allied defences, the

First Battle of El Alamein The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis (German and Italian) forces of the Panzer Army Africa—which included the under Field Marshal ...

begins * 4 July: First Battle of El Alamein continues as Axis digs in and Eighth Army launches series of attacks * 31 July: Auchinleck calls off offensive activities to allow Eighth Army to regroup and resupply * 13 August:

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and Montgomery take command respectively of

and Eighth Army * 30 August: Rommel launches unsuccessful

Battle of Alam el Halfa The Battle of Alam el Halfa took place between 30 August and 5 September 1942 south of El Alamein during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. '' Panzerarmee Afrika'' (''Generalfeldmarschall'' Erwin Rommel), attempted an envelopme ...

* 13 September: Allies launch unsuccessful

Operation Agreement Operation Agreement was a ground and amphibious operation carried out by British, Rhodesian and New Zealand forces on Axis-held Tobruk from 13 to 14 September 1942, during the Second World War. A Special Interrogation Group party, fluent in Ger ...

, a large scale amphibious raid directed against

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near th ...

* 23 October: Montgomery launches Operation Lightfoot starting the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

(23 October – 11 November 1942) * 5 November: Axis lines broken at El Alamein * 8 November:

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

is launched under the command of General

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, Allied forces land in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

and

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. * 9 November: Sidi Barrani captured by Eighth Army * 10–27 November:

Case Anton Case Anton (german: link=no, Fall Anton) was the military occupation of France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942. It marked the end of the Vichy regime as a nominally-independent state and the disbanding of its army (the severel ...

* 13 November:

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 ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

* 20 November: Benghazi captured by Eighth Army * 27 November: First Army advance halted between Terbourba and Djedeida, 12 miles from

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

, 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

* 22 December: First Army starts three-day offensive towards Tebourba which fails * 25 December:

Sirte Sirte (; ar, سِرْت, ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups, and loyalty to Muammar G ...

captured by Eighth Army

1943

*• Creation of the

French Expeditionary Corps (1943–44) The French Expeditionary Corps (french: Corps Expéditionnaire Français, CEF), also known as the French Expeditionary Corps in Italy (french: Corps Expéditionaire Français en Italie, CEFI), was an expeditionary force of the French Liberati ...

*•The

French Liberation Army __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...

(French: , AFL) a reunified

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

, is created in 1943 when the Army of Africa () led by General Giraud is combined with the

Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...

() of

General de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

. *• Italian campaign (World War II) begins (1943 to 1945) * 23 January:

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

captured by British Eighth Army * 30 January: Axis forces capture Faïd pass in central Tunisia * 4 February: Axis forces in

retreat to

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

n border south of the

Mareth Line The Mareth Line was a system of fortifications built by France in southern Tunisia in the late 1930s. The line was intended to protect Tunisia against an Italian invasion from its colony in Libya. The line occupied a point where the routes into T ...

* 14 February: Axis advance from Faïd to launch

Battle of Sidi Bou Zid The Battle of Sidi Bou Zid /Operation Spring Breeze) took place during the Tunisia Campaign from 14–17 February 1943, in World War II. The battle was fought around Sidi Bou Zid, where a large number of US Army units were mauled by German and It ...

and enter Sbeitla two days later * 19 February:

Battle of Kasserine Pass The Battle of Kasserine Pass was a series of battles of the Tunisian campaign of World War II that took place in February 1943 at Kasserine Pass, a gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia. The Axis forces, ...

launched by Axis forces * 6 March: Axis launch

Operation Capri The Battle of Medenine (german: Unternehmen Capri ''Operation Capri was an Axis spoiling attack at Medenine in Tunisia on 6 March 1943. The operation was intended to delay an attack by the British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line. The British h ...

against Eighth Army at Medenine but lose 55 tanks.

Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...

takes command of II Corps. * 16 March:

Battle of the Mareth Line The Battle of the Mareth Line or the Battle of Mareth was an attack in the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (General Bernard Montgomery) in Tunisia, against the Mareth Line held by the Italo-German 1st Army (General Giovanni Messe). ...

beginsPlayfair, v.IV Map 31 * 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 The Battle of El Guettar was a battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign of World War II, fought between elements of the Army Group Africa under General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, along with Italian First Army under General Giovanni Messe ...

. 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. * 4 April: The 9-man crew of the US Air Force B-24 Liberator Lady Be Good fails to return from a bombing raid; the crew parachute from the aircraft but become lost and perish in the Libyan desert * 6 April: Right wing of First Army links with Eighth Army. Battle of

Wadi Akarit Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water o ...

takes place. * 22 April: Allied forces launch

Operation Vulcan Operation Vulcan (22 April – 6 May 1943) and Operation Strike (6–12 May 1943) were the final ground attacks by the Allied forces against the Italian and German forces in Tunis, Cape Bon, and Bizerte, the last Axis toeholds in North Africa ...

* 6 May: Allied forces launch Operation StrikePlayfair, v.IV Pg 446 * 7 May: British enter

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

, Americans enter

Bizerte Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...

* 13 May:

Axis Powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...

surrender in Tunisia. *14 May:

Moncef Bey Muhammad VII al-Munsif, ( ar, محمد السابع المنصف; 4 March 1881 in La Manouba – 1 September 1948 in Pau)El Mokhtar Bey, ''De la dynastie husseinite. Le fondateur Hussein Ben Ali. 1705 - 1735 - 1740'', éd. Serviced, Tunis, 1993 ...

deposed in Tunisia * 15 May:

Muhammad VIII al-Amin Muhammad VIII al-Amin ( ar, محمد الثامن الأمين; 4 September 1881 – 30 September 1962) commonly known as Lamine Bey ( ar, الأمين باي), was the last Bey of Tunis (15 May 1943 – 20 March 1956),Werner Ruf, ''Introduction ...

installed as Bey of Tunisia * 1 August:

Operation Tidal Wave Operation Tidal Wave was an air attack by bombers of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) based in Libya on nine oil refineries around Ploiești, Romania on 1 August 1943, during World War II. It was a strategic bombing mission and part of ...

attacks Nazi oil refineries in Romania, from remote base at Benghazi, Libya * 10 December: the Moroccan

Istiqlal Party The Istiqlal Party ( ar, حزب الإستقلال, translit=Ḥizb Al-Istiqlāl, lit=Independence Party; french: Parti Istiqlal; zgh, ⴰⴽⴰⴱⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵉⵙⵜⵉⵇⵍⴰⵍ) is a political party in Morocco. It is a conservative and ...

holds first congress under Gaulist/US auspices

1944

*•Food shortages and growth of Tunisian and Algerian nationalist movements 15 August -

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, th ...

, Allied landing in Provence: Capture ports of Toulon and Marseille; AFL make up the majority of troops landing on French soil

1945

*8 May:

Sétif massacre Sétif ( ar, سطيف, ber, Sṭif) is the capital of the Sétif Province in Algeria. It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is considered the trade capital of the country. It is an inner ci ...

of Algerian demonstrators for independence on the day of German surrender

Footnotes

References

* * * * * {{cite book, first=Erwin , last=Rommel , author-link=Erwin Rommel, author2=Liddell-Hart, Basil (editor) , author-link2=Basil Liddell Hart , title=The Rommel Papers, publisher=Da Capo Press, year=1982, orig-year=1953 , isbn=0-306-80157-4 * + United States military history timelines