Western Desert Campaign 1940 / 1943 / Second World War

The Western Desert crusade (Desert War) occurred in the deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the principle theater in the North African mission of the Second World War. Military activities started in June 1940 with the Italian presentation of war and the Italian attack of Egypt from Libya in September. Activity Compass, a five-day British assault in December 1940 , prompted the obliteration of the Italian tenth Army (10ª Armata). Benito Mussolini looked for help from Adolf Hitler, who sent a little German power to Tripoli under Directive 22 (11 January). The Afrika Korps (Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel) was officially under Italian order , as Italy was the principle Axis power in the Mediterranean and North Africa. In the spring of 1941 , Rommel drove Operation Sonnenblume , which pushed the Allies back to Egypt aside from the Siege of Tobruk at the port. Toward the finish of 1941 , Axis powers were crushed in Operation Crusader and resigned again to El Agheila. In mid 1942 Axis powe...