At the start of the week Hitler declared that Germany was winning the Battle of the Atlantic, with more than 200,000 tons of Allied shipping sunk in the previous 48 hours. In Holland the German authorities declared martial law, and on 1 March Hitler ordered the expansion of the Auschwitz prison camp, so that it… Read more »Read more

On 20 February German forces under Rommel advanced as far as the British lines at El Agheila in western Libya. (The British had withdrawn many of their troops to fight in Greece and were now on the defensive there; Rommel began to build up his forces for a counter-offensive.) Meanwhile, other German troops were heading… Read more »Read more

This week German reinforcements under Erwin Rommel (the famous “Afrika Korps”) landed at Tripoli, and began to move on British positions in Libya; the British forces in the Western Desert had been weakened by the decision last week to move some of their troops to Greece. Meanwhile in Malta German air superiority meant that the… Read more »Read more

After weeks of fighting the Italian 10th Army was in full retreat from Cyrenaica in Libya. Now the British XIII Corps cut them off and, after heavy fighting, forced the surrender of some 130,000 Italian soldiers on 7 February. The 10th Army had been effectively destroyed, and on 9 February Churchill ordered British Forces to… Read more »Read more

Following the fall of Tobruk last week, British and Australian forces now continued east along the Libyan coast, defeating an Italian force and capturing the port of Derna. By the end of January the Italians had decided to pull out of Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Libya. In East Africa the Indian 4th Division captured… Read more »Read more

On 21 January British and Australian troops attacked Tobruk and captured it next day, along with 25,000 prisoners, 236 artillery pieces and 23 tanks, for the loss of 400 men. In the Mediterranean the Luftwaffe targeted British shipping supplying Malta and finally forced HMS Illustrious to leave the area for repairs. And in East Africa,… Read more »Read more

Back in August 1940 Italian forces had invaded British Ethiopia and driven out the British defenders; now Emperor Haile Selassie returned from exile and the British counter-offensive began in Ethiopia and Eritrea, forcing an Italian retreat. In Libya, British and Commonwealth troops surrounded Tobruk. Also this week, Hitler agreed to send troops to North Africa… Read more »Read more

In Libya, British and Commonwealth forces advanced on Tobruk, capturing the airfield on 7 January. In Albania, the Greek army captured the Klisura Pass and drove the Italians back. Meanwhile, President Roosevelt introduced Lend-Lease to Congress: after it became law in March the USA would go on to supply the Allies with over $50 billion… Read more »Read more

The end of one year and the start of the next is always a time for taking stock. 1940 had been a particularly difficult year for Britain, with the introduction of rationing and shortages of food and goods. Western Europe had been overrun by German forces and the British army had only escaped by the… Read more »Read more

In Libya this week the British prepared to attack the Italian army, which had occupied the port of Bardia, while in Albania, although they now occupied about a quarter of the country, the Greek counter-offensive against the Italians was gradually slowing down. On Sunday 29 December the Luftwaffe dropped incendiary and high explosive bombs on… Read more »Read more