The Western Desert
Campaign, also known as the Desert War was the
initial stage of the North African Campaign of The
Second World War.
It was continuous back-and-forth struggle with the
first major move initiated in late 1940 by Italian
forces in Libya against Commonwealth forces
stationed in Egypt. This attack was quickly halted
and countered, resulting in massive losses
(primarily as prisoners of war) for the Italian
forces. To prevent total collapse, the Italian's
Axis partner, Germany, provided a contingent of land
and air forces which soon became the dominant
partner. Axis forces would twice more launch
large-scale assaults against their Allied opponents,
each time pushing Allied forces back to Egypt; both
times though, the Allies retaliated and regained
lost ground. On the last such assault, in early
1943, the Allies managed to drive Axis forces west
out of Libya and into Tunisia, setting up the
following Tunisia Campaign.
The campaign was heavily influenced by the
availability of supplies and transport. The ability
of the Allies, operating from Malta to interdict
Axis convoys was critical, denying the German
commander, Rommel, fuel and reinforcements at
critical moments.
In early 1942, the United States supplied a small US
air force bomber contingent in support of the
campaign, referring to it as the Egypt-Libya
Campaign.


































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