Prior to the Campaign
Situation with Libya and Italy Italian interest in the Libyan area began in 1910 with the coastal areas of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica being conquered during the Italo-Turkish war. However it was not until 1934 that Italy finally managed to merge the areas of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan into Italian Libya. In the second half of the 1930s, under the Governor Italo Balbo, Italian Libya experienced considerable expansion. The Aouzou strip was a significant addition in 1935 under the Franco-Italian Agreement which was signed between Benito Mussolini and Pierre Laval. Italy’s declaration of War against the Allies on 11 June 1940 meant that Libya followed Italy into war. With French Tunisia on the West and a British occupied Egypt to the East, Italy prepared to defend both fronts. Prior to fighting many Muslim Libyans enlisted in the Italian Army. Fighting began almost immediately as the British forces had been present in Egypt since 1882. The Italian invasion of Egypt was launched from Libya and lasted from 9–16 September 1940 and was inconclusive. However a counter-attack was launched by the British in September 1940 in which Allied forces captured 130,000 Italians. The Axis response to this loss was to send in the newly formed "Afrika Korps" led by General Erwin Rommel. Italy’s entry into the war was the direct reason for the conflict in Libya during World War Two. Situation of the War prior to the Libyan Campaign Prior to the Libyan Campaign the War was looking bleak for the Allies. Germany had a number of successes in late 1939 and early 1940. The “Phony War” period saw the Axis defeat Poland in October 1939 and the Axis invasion of Norway in April 1940. However on May 10 the Germans revealed their Blitzkrieg strategy against the Netherlands and Belgium. Blitzkrieg or “lightning war” was an innovative tactic that aimed to cause disorganization as a high concentration of firepower was used. However many modern historians have come to the conclusion that this was not a formal strategy used by the Wehrmacht. This tactic was employed in France with great success. Hitler's successful invasion of France saw the signing of “The Armistice of 22 June 1940” in Compiègne, France. This was a great success as Hitler aimed to prevent France fighting from North Africa. This impacted the Libyan Campaign as it meant supplies could not be transported through French Territories in North Africa; the ability to do this would have aided the supply of the campaign greatly. It also resulted in Operation Torch which saw the invasion of French North Africa by Allied forces. This aimed to improve naval control of the Mediterranean Sea and allow the Allies to execute a double envelopment manoeuvre against the Axis forces in North Africa. The surrender of France had a major impact on operations in North Africa and Libya as it restricted supply routes. Italy’s declaration of war was the direct cause of the Libyan Campaign however nevertheless Libya’s strategic importance would have likely resulted in conflict. The success of the Axis prior to the Libyan campaign had an impact on the supply of operations. |