Operation Sonnenblume
Operation Sonnenblume (, "Operation Sunflower") was the name given to the dispatch of German and Italian troops to North African campaign, North Africa in February 1941, during the Second World War. The Italian Tenth Army (Italy), 10th Army () had been destroyed by the British, Commonwealth, Empire and Allied Western Desert Force attacks during Operation Compass The first units of the new (DAK), commanded by Erwin Rommel, departed Naples for Africa and arrived on 11 February 1941. (In the English-speaking world, the term became a generic term for German forces in North Africa.) On 14 February, advanced units of the 21st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht), 5th Light ''Afrika'' Division (later renamed the 21st Panzer Division), (Reconnaissance Battalion 3) and (Anti-tank Detachment 39) arrived at the Libyan port of Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli and were sent immediately to the front line east of Sirte. Rommel arrived in Libya on 12 February, with orders to defend Tripoli and Tripolitania, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the Sahara Desert, deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main Theater (warfare), theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with the Italian declaration of war and the Italian invasion of Egypt from Libya in September. Operation Compass, a five-day raid by the British in December 1940, was so successful that it led to the destruction of the Italian Tenth Army (Italy), 10th Army (10ª ) over the following two months. Benito Mussolini sought help from Adolf Hitler, who sent a small Nazi Germany, German force to Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli under List of Adolf Hitler's directives, Directive 22 (11 January). The ( Erwin Rommel) was formally under Italian command, as Italy was the main Axis powers, Axis power in the Mediterranean and North Africa. In the spring of 1941, Rommel led Operation Sonnenblume, which pushed the Allies back to Egypt except for the siege of Tobruk at ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Marshal Of Italy
Marshal of Italy () was a rank in the Royal Italian Army (''Regio Esercito''). Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ... for the purpose of honoring generals Luigi Cadorna and Armando Diaz, the rank was granted to several other general officers from 1926 to 1943. The rank was the highest in the Italian Army prior to the creation of the rank of First Marshal of the Empire in 1938. The rank of Marshal of Italy was abolished in 1946 with the creation of the Italian Republic. The equivalent Royal Navy ('' Regia Marina'') rank was Grand admiral (''Grande Ammiraglio''), while the equivalent Air Force ('' Regia Aeronautica'') rank was Marshal of the Air Force (''Maresciallo dell'Aria''). The rank was form ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ultra (cryptography)
Ultra was the designation adopted by United Kingdom, British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by breaking high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park. ''Ultra'' eventually became the standard designation among the western Allies of World War II, Allies for all such intelligence. The name arose because the intelligence obtained was considered more important than that designated by the highest British Classified information, security classification then used (''Most Secret'' and so was regarded as being ''Ultra Secret''. Several other cryptonyms had been used for such intelligence. The code name "Boniface" was used as a cover name for ''Ultra''. In order to ensure that the successful code-breaking did not become apparent to the Germans, British intelligence created a fictional MI6 master spy, Boniface, who controlled a fictional series of agents throug ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, during the Second World War) and again from 1951 to 1955. For some 62 of the years between 1900 and 1964, he was a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member of parliament (MP) and represented a total of five Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituencies over that time. Ideologically an adherent to economic liberalism and imperialism, he was for most of his career a member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955. He was a member of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party from 1904 to 1924. Of mixed English and American parentage, Churchill was born in Oxfordshire into the wealthy, aristocratic Spencer family. He joined the British Army in 1895 and saw action in British R ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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War Office
The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at which point its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from this source, which is available under th Open Government Licence v3.0 © Crown copyright It was equivalent to the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty at that time, which was responsible for the Royal Navy (RN), and (much later) the Air Ministry, which oversaw the Royal Air Force (RAF). The name 'Old War Office' is also given to the former home of the department, located at the junction of Horse Guards Avenue and Whitehall in central London. The landmark building was sold on 1 March 2016 by HM Government for more than British pound, £350 million, on a 250-year lease for conversion int ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mechili
Mechili () is a small village in Cyrenaica, Libya and the site of a former Turkish fort. It is nearly east of Benghazi and west of Timimi. Geography Because of its location in the desert, Mechili suffered in the past from isolation. However, its isolation ended after the paving of the Charruba–Timimi desert road between the years 1975–1985, and this road became the preferred route for travel between Tobruk and Benghazi. The village sits at an elevation of 196 meters (643 feet). World War II *In January 1941, the British force named “Western Desert Force” under command of General Richard O’Connor (after taking Tobruk on 22 January) executed a daring outflanking movement and took Mechili from Italian forces on 27 January. *On 7 April the same year, the Italian armoured division ''Ariete'' captured the British garrison at Mechili as a part of German Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel's first offensive through Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the ci ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Via Balbia
Via or VIA may refer to the following: Arts and entertainment * ''Via'' (Volumes album), 2011 * Via (Thalia Zedek album), 2013 * VIA (music), Soviet and Russian term for a music collective Businesses and organisations * Via Foundation, a Czech charitable foundation * VIA Programs (Volunteers In Asia), an American non-profit organization * VIA Technologies, a Taiwanese manufacturer of electronics * VIA University College, a Danish university college * VIA Vancouver Institute for the Americas, a Canadian education organization * Volunteers in Africa Foundation, an American non-profit organization *VIA, stock ticker for: **Viacom (1952–2006) ** Viacom (2005–2019) * Vià, a French television network Transportation * VIA Metropolitan Transit, in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. * Via Rail, rail operator in Canada * Via Transportation, a global transportation technology company * Air VIA, a former Bulgarian airline * VIA Airways, a Bulgarian airline, now Fly2Sky Airlines ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Benghazi
Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Benghazi is also a major seaport. A Greeks, Greek colony named History of Benghazi, Euesperides had existed in the area from around 525 BC. In the 3rd century BC, it was relocated and refounded as the Ptolemaic Kingdom, Ptolemaic city of Berenice. Berenice prospered under the Romans, and after the 3rd century AD it superseded Cyrene, Libya, Cyrene and Barca (ancient city), Barca as the centre of Cyrenaica. The city went into decline during the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine period and had already been reduced to a small town before Muslim conquest of Egypt, its conquest by the Arabs. After around four centuries of peaceful Ottoman Tripolitania, Ottoman rule, in 1911, Kingdom of Italy, Italy captured Benghazi and the rest of Ottoman Tripolitania, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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3rd Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 3rd Armoured Brigade, before 14 April 1940 designated the 1st Heavy Armoured Brigade, was an armoured brigade of the British Army that saw service in the Second World War with the 1st Armoured Division and the 2nd Armoured Division in the North African Campaign. The brigade headquarters was disbanded on 11 January 1943. Order of battle The 3rd Armoured Brigade: * 2nd Royal Tank Regiment ''(until 11 August 1940)'' * 3rd Royal Tank Regiment ''(until 22 May, re-joined 19 June, left 30 June 1940, re-joined again 29 October 1940, left again 25 January 1941)'' * 5th Royal Tank Regiment ''(until 18 February 1941, re-joined 24 March, left 14 April 1941)'' * 1st King's Dragoon Guards ''(from 26 February until 22 March 1941)'' * 3rd The King's Own Hussars ''(from 26 February until 14 April 1941)'' * 6th Royal Tank Regiment ''(from 28 February until 14 April 1941)'' * 1st Royal Tank Regiment ''(from 9 to 18 May 1941)'' * D Squadron, 7th Royal Tank Regiment ''(from 16 May until 1 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mersa Brega
Brega , also known as ''Mersa Brega'' or ''Marsa al-Brega'' ( , i.e. "Brega Seaport"), is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, the most southerly point of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in the former Ajdabiya District, which in 2007 was merged into the Al Wahat District. The town is the center of Libya's second-largest hydro-carbon complex. During the First Libyan Civil War, the town quickly fell to the Libyan opposition. Government forces attempted to capture the town on 2 March but were repelled; their attack on 13 March was successful, though rebels later recaptured it on 26 March. In April the rebels were again driven out of Brega, and a several-month long stalemate ensued. On 11 August 2011, the rebels claimed they had retaken the eastern part of Brega. Geography The assigned settlement near the refinery and oil terminal is known as Brega. The town was built in pre-fabricated ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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El Agheila
El Agheila ( ) is a coastal city at the southern end of the Gulf of Sidra and Mediterranean Sea in far western Cyrenaica, Libya. In 1988 it was placed in Ajdabiya District; remaining there until 1995. It was removed from Ajdabiya District in 1995 but in 2001 it was placed back into Ajdabiya District. In 2007, El Agheila was placed within the enlarged Al Wahat District. El Agheila is best known as the site of several Second World War battles during the North African Campaign. History El Agheila is the site of the Roman fortified town of Anabucis and its Greek precursor Automala. During the Italian occupation of Libya, the town was the site of an Italian concentration camp for Bedouins. The camp was just south of town and housed over 10,000 inmates. Thousands of the Bedouins starved to death in the camp run by the Italian colonial troops. World War II In February 1941, El Agheila was taken by the British Western Desert Force following their destruction of the Italian Te ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nofaliya
Nofaliya or Nawfaliya ( ''Nawfalīyah'') is a town in the desert in the Sirte District of Libya. It is west of Libya's major oil ports. It is located in the former Bin Jawad District, around 20 km west of Bin Jawad and 15 km south east of ‘Uwayja. History During World War II Nofaliya was the site of a brief skirmish in late 1942 when some of Erwin Rommel's retreating forces ran out of fuel., reprinted in 2005 by Kessinger Publishing, At the time it was home to a small fort with a few Italian buildings in addition to a mosque, some shops and a school. During the Second Libyan Civil War, Nofaliya was fought over by the New General National Congress forces (NGNC), the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); the Libyan National Army (LNA) and various militias. In February 2015, the town was taken over by the ISIL. A convoy of forty heavily armed vehicles arrived from Sirte and ordered Nofaliya's residents to "repent" and pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghda ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |