On Feb. 12, 1941, German Gen. Erwin Rommel arrived in Libya. It was during the heat of World War ii, and Rommel was leading an Axis advance from the Mediterranean coast across North Africa. Germany’s ally Italy had been trying for a year to conquer the territory up to the Suez Canal but had been defeated handily by Allied forces.
In blitzkrieg fashion, Rommel’s German Africa Corps sped eastward across the desert. They reached the Egyptian border in two months. Adolf Hitler’s German high command actually worried that Rommel was moving too fast. A delegation was sent to check his advance and take stock of his supplies. The report back to Berlin indicated that Rommel was vulnerable to shortages of ammunition and fuel.
The British intercepted this cable. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered an immediate attack on Rommel’s forces. Rommel, the “desert fox,” was ready for the attack and responded aggressively. The battle for North Africa raged for a year and a half. Only superior numbers and new materiel from the Americans enabled the Allies to force Rommel’s Nazi forces into full retreat.
On Feb. 12, 1941, German Gen. Erwin Rommel arrived in Libya. It was during the heat of World War ii, and Rommel was leading an Axis advance from the Mediterranean coast across North Africa. Germany’s ally Italy had been trying for a year to conquer the territory up to the Suez Canal but had been defeated handily by Allied forces.
In blitzkrieg fashion, Rommel’s German Africa Corps sped eastward across the desert. They reached the Egyptian border in two months. Adolf Hitler’s German high command actually worried that Rommel was moving too fast. A delegation was sent to check his advance and take stock of his supplies. The report back to Berlin indicated that Rommel was vulnerable to shortages of ammunition and fuel.
The British intercepted this cable. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered an immediate attack on Rommel’s forces. Rommel, the “desert fox,” was ready for the attack and responded aggressively. The battle for North Africa raged for a year and a half. Only superior numbers and new materiel from the Americans enabled the Allies to force Rommel’s Nazi forces into full retreat.
On Feb. 12, 1941, German Gen. Erwin Rommel arrived in Libya. It was during the heat of World War ii, and Rommel was leading an Axis advance from the Mediterranean coast across North Africa. Germany’s ally Italy had been trying for a year to conquer the territory up to the Suez Canal but had been defeated handily by Allied forces.
In blitzkrieg fashion, Rommel’s German Africa Corps sped eastward across the desert. They reached the Egyptian border in two months. Adolf Hitler’s German high command actually worried that Rommel was moving too fast. A delegation was sent to check his advance and take stock of his supplies. The report back to Berlin indicated that Rommel was vulnerable to shortages of ammunition and fuel.
The British intercepted this cable. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered an immediate attack on Rommel’s forces. Rommel, the “desert fox,” was ready for the attack and responded aggressively. The battle for North Africa raged for a year and a half. Only superior numbers and new materiel from the Americans enabled the Allies to force Rommel’s Nazi forces into full retreat.
