North African Campaign Timeline

1942

21 January;
- Rommel's second offensive begins
- A lone He 111 of the Sonderkommando Blaich successfully bombs the Fort Lamy air field
23 January: Agedabia captured by Axis forces
29 January: Benghazi captured by Axis forces
4 February: Front line established between Gazala and Bir Hakeim
26 May: Axis forces assault the Gazala line, the Battle of Gazala and Battle of Bir Hakeim begins
11 June: Axis forces begin offensive from "the Cauldron" position
13 June: "Black Sunday". Axis inflicts heavy defeat on British armoured divisions
21 June: Tobruk captured by Axis forces
28 June: Mersa Matruh, Egypt, falls to Rommel.
30 June: Axis forces reach El Alamein and attack the Allied defences, the First Battle of El Alamein begins
4 July: First Battle of El Alamein continues as Axis digs in and Eighth Army launch series of attacks
31 July: Auchinleck calls off offensive activities to allow Eighth Army to regroup and resupply
13 August: Alexander and Montgomery take command respectively of Middle East Command and Eighth Army
30 August: Rommel launches unsuccessful Battle of Alam el Halfa
23 October: Montgomery launches Operation Lightfoot starting the Second Battle of El Alamein
5 November: Axis lines at El Alamein broken
8 November: Operation Torch is launched under the command of General Eisenhower, Allied forces land in Morocco and Algeria.
9 November: Sidi Barani captured by Eighth Army
13 November: Tobruk captured by Eighth Army
15 November: British forces capture Derna in Libya.
17 November: First Army (Operation Torch's Eastern Task Force) and Axis meet at Djebel Abiod in Tunisia
20 November: Benghazi captured by Eighth Army
27 November: First Army advance halted between Terbourba and Djedeida, 12 miles from Tunis, by Axis counterattack
10 December: First Army front line pushed back to defensive positions east of Medjez el Bab
12 December: Eighth Army starts an offensive towards Axis forces near El Agheila
22 December: First Army starts three day offensive towards Tebourba which fails
25 December: Sirte captured by Eighth Army