African_campaigns_of_world_war_ii

There were several separate African campaigns during World War II. Allied forces fought Axis forces, between 1940 and 1943, on the African mainland and in nearby waters and islands.

Mediterranean Basin

The bulk of the combat operations took place in the Mediterranean Basin. Here the primary combatants were Italy and Germany for the Axis; and the United Kingdom, with its Commonwealth (primarily from India and Australia), and, later, American forces.

The primary theatre was in North Africa, where the aptly-named North African campaign raged from 10 June 1940 to 16 May 1943. It was in itself composed of three near sequential campaigns, the Western Desert Campaign in Egypt and Libya; the landing of Anglo-American forces in Vichy French controlled Morocco and Algeria; and the campaign in Tunisia.

The Mediterranean Sea itself was also a stage of constant combat activity.

Other areas in Africa

Outside of the Mediterranean, there was additional conflict against Vichy French controlled territories in French West Africa (Battle of Dakar), French Equatorial Africa (Battle of Gabon) and Madagascar (Battle of Madagascar).

Early in the war, there was also combat in East Africa. Initially, the Italians threatened offensive action on the land, in the air, and on the sea. The Italian ground forces in East Africa managed to invade British Somaliland and border regions in the Sudan and Kenya. The Italian air force dominated the skies. The Red Sea Flotilla slowed traffic through the Suez Canal. But, isolated as they were, the Italians were soon running low on supplies and put on the defensive. Gondar, the last major Italian stronghold surrendered late in 1941.

East African Campaign (World War II)

East African Campaign Part of African Campaigns, World War II Personnel from the King\'s African Rifles (KAR) collect weapons (mostly "Carcano 1891" rifles) captured from Italian forces at Wolchefit Pass, Ethiopia, near the end of the campaign (Photographer: Lt H. J. Clements). Date 10 June 1940-27 November 1941 Location Sudan, British Somaliland, Kenya, Eritrea, Italian Somaliland, Ethiopia Result Allied victory, fall of Italian East Africa Belligerents See main article: East African Campaign (World War II)

v • d • e Campaigns & Theatres of World War II Europe Poland – Phoney War – Finland  – Denmark & Norway France & Benelux – Britain – Eastern Front – North West Europe (1944–45) The Mediterranean, Africa and The Middle East Mediterranean Sea – East Africa – North Africa – West Africa  Balkans (1939–41) – Middle East – Yugoslavia – Madagascar – Italy Asia & The Pacific China – Pacific Ocean – South-East Asia  South West Pacific – Japan – Manchuria Other Campaigns Atlantic – Strategic Bombing – North America Contemporaneous Wars Chinese Civil – Soviet-Japanese Border – French-Thai - Anglo-Iraqi  Invasion of Iran – Sino-Japanese – Ecuadorian-Peruvian

The East African Campaign refers to the battles fought in East Africa during World War II. The battles of this campaign were fought between the forces of the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations, and several allies on one side and the forces of the Italian Empire on the other. This campaign was one of the African campaigns of World War II.

This campaign fell under the British Middle East Command. The vast majority of the British allied forces involved were from British Commonwealth nations. The Commonwealth forces included troops from the Sudan, British Somaliland, British East Africa, the Indian Empire, South Africa, Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, Nyasaland, and British West Africa (Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia). There was even a small commando unit from the British Mandate of Palestine. In addition to the British and Commonwealth forces, there were Ethiopian irregular forces, Free French forces, and Free Belgian forces.

Summary/synopses of actions

This short section requires expansion.

v • d • e World War II
Western Europe · Eastern Europe · Africa · Mediterranean · Asia and the Pacific · Atlantic
Major participants			Timeline		Aspects
To 1945 unless otherwise indicated. Principal co-belligerents in italics.			Prelude • Causes • in Asia • in Europe 1937 • Invasion of China 1939 • Invasion of Poland • Phoney War • Winter War • Battle of the Atlantic5 1940 • Denmark and Norway • Battle of France • Battle of Britain • Libya and Egypt • British Somaliland • Occupation of the Baltic states • Bessarabia and Bukovina • Invasion of Indochina • Invasion of Greece 1941 • East Africa • Invasion of Yugoslavia • Invasion of the USSR • Middle East • Siege of Leningrad • Attack on Pearl Harbor 1942 • Battle of Midway • Battle of Stalingrad • 2nd Battle of El Alamein • Operation Torch • Guadalcanal campaign	1943 • End in Africa • Battle of Kursk • Solomon Islands campaign • Invasion of Sicily • Invasion of Italy5 1944 • Cassino and Anzio • Battle of Normandy • Belorussia and Ukraine • Warsaw Uprising • Iassy-Kishinev Operation • Liberation of Paris • Operation Market Garden • Battle of Leyte Gulf 1945 • Battle of Okinawa • Battle of Berlin • Germany surrenders • Hiroshima and Nagasaki • Japan surrenders • misc. military engagements Aftermath and Consequences • Effects • Casualties • Expulsion of Germans • Occupation of Germany • Morgenthau plan • Territorial changes • Occupation of Japan • Franco-Vietnamese War • Cold War • in contemporary culture • Possible World War III	• Attacks on North America • Blitzkrieg • Comparative military ranks • Cryptography • Home front • Military awards • Military equipment • Military production • Nazi plunder • Resistance • Technology • Total war Civilian impact and atrocities • Allied war crimes • German war crimes • Italian war crimes • Japanese war crimes • Soviet war crimes • The Holocaust • Bombing of civilians
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at war from 1937  China entered 1939  Poland  UK  India  France  Australia  New Zealand  South Africa  Canada entered 1940  Norway  Belgium  Netherlands  Greece	entered 1941  Yugoslavia  USSR  USA  Czechoslovakia entered 1942  Mexico  Brazil entered 1943  Italy entered 1944  Romania  Bulgaria  Finland • others	at war from 1937  Japan  Manchukuo entered 1939  Germany  Slovakia  USSR  (to 1941) entered 1940  Italy  (to 1943) entered 1941  Bulgaria  (to 1944) Croatia Finland  (to 1944)  Hungary  Iraq  (to 1941)  Romania  (to 1944) entered 1942  Thailand entered 1943  RSI • others
• Allied Leaders • Axis Leaders • Commanders
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1 Anti-Soviet. 2 Anti-Soviet and anti-Nazi. 3 Anti-Nazi, anti-Polish, and anti-Soviet. 4 Anti-Magyar, anti-Nazi, and anti-Soviet. 5 Lasted to May 1945.		World War II at Wiktionary  WWII textbooks at Wikibooks      WWII quotes at Wikiquote  WWII source texts at Wikisource       WWII media at Commons  WWII news stories at Wikinews

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