North Africa
"My object is to remove the Germans from North Africa.
It may take some time but this is what we are going to do."
British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 1942
It may take some time but this is what we are going to do."
British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 1942
War Begins
Italian POW's captured by the British in North Africa, 1941
In 1940, war quickly spread to North Africa, between the Italian colony of Libya and the British protectorate of Egypt. On September 7, 1940 Italian troops attacked. Their numbers gave them initial success, but the British eventually prevailed.
Enter Rommel
German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, 1942
In January 1941, Hitler sent the new Afrika Korps to help the Italians. Their commander, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, brought the Axis great success in the African Theater.
"There exists a real danger that our friend Rommel is becoming a kind of magical or bogey-man to our troops... He is by no means a superman, although he is undoubtedly very energetic and able... I wish you to dispel ... the idea that Rommel represents something more than an ordinary German general."
British General Claude Auchinleck
Tanks for the British
"The British needed help. In June of 1942, the German Afrika Korps had beaten the 8th Army at the battle of Tobruk. The Brits had lost more than 200 tanks and armed vehicles historians say, and had fewer than 70 left to defend the Suez Canal."
M7 Remembered, Schenectady Gazette, Mrach 25, 1993
Churchill asked Roosevelt if he could replenish their losses. Roosevelt replied, "Sure we can." The British needed a weapon that could defeat the German Panzer 88 mm guns. The US Government bestowed the task of designing and building that weapon, the M7, to Army Ordnance experts and ALCO.
The British ordered 5,500 M7s, this order was never completely filled. However, almost 1,000 were delivered in time for the Battle of El Alamein.
M7 Remembered, Schenectady Gazette, Mrach 25, 1993
Churchill asked Roosevelt if he could replenish their losses. Roosevelt replied, "Sure we can." The British needed a weapon that could defeat the German Panzer 88 mm guns. The US Government bestowed the task of designing and building that weapon, the M7, to Army Ordnance experts and ALCO.
The British ordered 5,500 M7s, this order was never completely filled. However, almost 1,000 were delivered in time for the Battle of El Alamein.