Commanders,
Those of you interested in WW2 history will recognize January 1943 as a momentous month in the North African Campaign. It was when Rommel’s forces were pushed out of the capital of Italian Libya, Tripoli – a very important victory over the Axis forces.
From 21 January at 06:10 until 24 January at 06:00 CET (UTC +1) enjoy the following:
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Missions
Weekend Challenge - Germany | |
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Reward |
10 x Chocolate |
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Requirements |
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Conditions |
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Weekend Challenge - Britain & France | |
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Reward |
10 x Large Repair Kit |
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Requirements |
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Conditions |
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History
Libya was an Italian colony from 1911 until 1943. The region witnessed extensive military operations during the Second World War. The opposing sides took turns at dominating the region. At the end of 1942, the British finally managed to take the upper hand, and slowly started to push the Italian and German troops out of Libya. However, the advance was hampered by long supply lines (the main Allied supply port at this time was Tobruk) and supplies had to travel almost 1,000 kilometres to reach the frontline. Capturing the next major port – Tripoli, the capital of Libya – became crucial.
On 15th January 1943, General Montgomery launched the 51st (Highland) Division against Rommel's defences near Buerat, while sending the 2nd New Zealand Division and 7th Armoured Division around the inland flank of the Axis line. While the German defenders were relatively strong, they had been weakened by the withdrawal of the 21st Panzer Division to Tunisia, and by a lack of fuel and ammunition. Under strong Allied pressure, Rommel was once again forced to conduct a fighting retreat towards the Tunisian border and the French-built fortifications called the Mareth Line.
The advance was hastened with a flanking attack by the 2nd and 7th Divisions, moving almost 400km by road towards Tripoli within a week. Tripoli, with its major port facilities, was taken on 23rd January and it was quickly restored to operations, receiving the first ships by mid-February. Capture of this port city and the Axis retreat from Libya marked the beginning of the end for Axis forces in North Africa.
However, even while in retreat the Axis forces in North Africa were still dangerous. At the beginning of December, the first Tiger heavy tanks were deployed to Tunisia to help hold the northern flank of the Axis holdings in Africa, but it wasn’t until January when the last of the sPzAbt. 501 Tigers arrived. While they made an impact both tactically and psychologically, the Desert Campaign was slowly drawing to an end.
Roll out!
