Transcript North African Theater 6th

North African Theater of
Operations
How the Allies Kept the Axis
from Taking Over the World
By Brooke Baldwin and Caroline Nguyen
What is “Theater”?
• NOT drama or acting performances
• Refer to land and seas areas to be
invaded or defended
• Large land mass where continuous military
operations take place
B
Big Playas in the War
• Axis Powers: Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany
• Allied Powers - “The Big Three”: Soviet Union ,
U.S., United Kingdom
The Big Three: Stalin,
FDR, Winston Churchill
Mussolini and Hitler of the Axis
Powers
B
A Look At the World
Reasons for Attack
• Italy:
–Bragging Rights
–Territorial Chips
–Suez Canal
–Roman Empire
–Troops
Protect What’s Ours
• Britain:
– Prevent Axis from taking
Egypt
– Control of North Africa =
Control of
Mediterranean
– Ideal Location
– US Entry
Sept 13th, 1940: Italy invades Egypt
Get in towards Egypt
Get to Sidi Barrini (60 miles into Egypt) ordered to
stand and fight
B
Britain + Italy
• Italians: poor equipment, poorly trained,
low morale
• Feb 1941: Victories for Britain under
General Wavell
– Pushed Italy out of Egypt
– 130,000 Italians captured
– Capture Libyan port of Tobruk
B
Hitler to the Rescue?
• Germany:
– Alliance w/ Italy
– Stop Britain
– Hitler’s goal of world domination
• Feb 12, 1941: German General Erwin
Rommel arrives in North Africa to lead
Italian/German forces
B
The Desert Fox
"In the absence of orders, go find
something and kill it."
Erwin Rommel
• General of the Afrika
Korps
• Master of
timing/surprise
• Great desert battle
tactics
• Anticipated enemies
• Revered as great
leader by Germans
and Allies
Rommel and the Afrika Corps
• Pushed Britain out of
Libya
• Capture Western
Desert of Libya and
Egypt
• Had to fight British
forces with few
supplies
• Regained Tobruk
Rommel’s Tactics
• Surprise-attacks on British, fooling codebreakers
• Daring move at Galaza – go around rear of British army and attack,
although running short on supplies
• Took gambles and made his opponents
guess
• Had decryptions from Italians
B
THE BATTLES THAT HELPED
BRING THE AXIS DOWN
Operation Torch (Nov 1942)
El Alamein (Oct
– Nov 1942)
B
Battle of El Alamein
• Fight for access of oil
• Gen Montgomery (UK)
had Rommel’s plan of
attack and supply line
• Rommel attacks even
though short on
supplies
• Cannot fight w/ Britain,
retreats
B
AfricA’s unique
challenge?
There was a reason why it was called
the “Desert WAr”
B
Sand
• Sandstorm covers Rommel’s tracks,
allowing him to get away
• British bombs the
Afrika Korps, making
them retreat further
• Expected to attack
again, Monty decides
not to
B
Monty’s Tactics That Won the War
• Foot soldiers take
away mines, move
tanks in
• Brought out dummy
tanks in front line
• Rommel comes back
to battle after
sickness
B
Monty’s Tactics That Won the War
• Operation supercharge:
Germans expect attack
north, Allies surprise south
• Panzer are surprised and
cannot fight
• Rommel orders massive
retreat against Hitler’s
word
B
Operation Torch
• November 8, 1942
• Russians want Britain and US to create a 2nd
front to get focus off battles in Stalingrad
• Three front amphibious attack (Western Task
Force : French Morocco, Center: Oran,
Eastern: Algeria)
Plans for Operation Torch
• US would head all
three landings
because they have
better relations with
France than Britain
• Capture Algeria,
Morocco, Tunisia –
trap Germans
between Tunisia and
British in east
• Met resistance from French colonies, but
split in opinions cause ineffectiveness
• Overall successful, trapped Germans, who
were put on defensive
WOWERS!
•
•
•
•
•
Force Hitler to focus back onto Europe
Germany no longer had invincibility
Showed huge flaws in the Panzer army
Crushed Hitler’s mentality
Boosted Allies inspiration and desire to
fight and win!
• El Alamein: closed the North African war
front
"Now this is not the end, it is not
even the beginning of the end. But
it is, perhaps, the end of the
beginning." – Winston Churchill
Bibliography
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War in the Desert. http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/war-in-thedesert/war-in-the-desert-index-1940.htm. 12 Feb 2007.
Nationalism – Post WW1.
http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/01218/textonly/nationalism/comingofww2.
html 12 Feb 2007.
Egypt. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWegypt.htm 15 Feb 2007.
Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Torch 15 Feb 2007.
November 1942: Operation Torch. http://www.olivedrab.com/od_history_ww2_ops_battles_1942torch.php 12 Feb 2007.
Commanders and Their Tactics in the Western Desert.
http://www.topedge.com/panels/ww2/na/tactics.html 15 Feb 2007.
Rommel in the Desert.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/rommel_desert_02.shtml 15
Feb 2007.
The Battle of El Alamein.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_el_alamein.htm 17 Feb 2007.