Oct. 8

Overview of World War II in Africa

• This section will introduce the significant military campaigns during World War II across the African continent.

• We will focus on the paramount strategic importance of Africa, particularly highlighting the extensive East and North African campaigns, which were crucial theaters of operations.

Context and Background

• Timeline of Events: The origins of these campaigns are deeply rooted in political and military developments from the 1920s and 1930s, primarily driven by European colonial aspirations and geopolitical tensions leading up to the global conflict.

• Italy's Role:

  • By 1939, Italy had not yet declared war, thus no direct major military power from Italy was actively engaged on the African continent.

  • Italy officially joined the war as an Axis power in June 1940, following Germany's successful invasion of France. This declaration fundamentally altered the strategic landscape in Africa.

  • This shift immediately led to direct military confrontations between Italy (Axis) and the British Empire, particularly in regions bordering Italian colonial possessions.

  • The Italian colonies of Libya in North Africa and Italian East Africa (comprising Italian Somaliland, Italian Eritrea, and recently conquered Ethiopia) became primary focal points for extensive military campaigns due to their strategic locations and resources.

Strategic Importance of Africa

• Shipping and Supply Lines:

  • Africa's importance for international shipping and transportation escalated dramatically during World War II, far surpassing its role in World War I.

  • The Mediterranean Sea transformed into a highly contested war zone due to intensive naval warfare, air threats, and minefields, effectively disrupting traditional supply routes and rendering the Suez Canal largely inaccessible for Allied shipping for significant periods of the war.

  • Consequently, Allied shipping routes reverted to historical pre-Suez Canal paths, necessitating naval convoys to circumnavigate the entire African continent via the Cape of Good Hope.

  • Major ports along the African coastline, such as Freetown in Sierra Leone, Cape Town, Durban, and Mombasa, gained immense strategic importance. These ports served as vital refueling stations, repair depots, and crucial hubs for organizing and protecting Allied convoys against potent Axis naval threats, particularly German U-boats in the South Atlantic.

• Allied Convoys:

  • Thousands of merchant ships, laden with vital supplies, troops, and equipment, were meticulously escorted by Allied warships (destroyers, corvettes) to defend against relentless German U-boat attacks in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

  • The enhanced importance of these African ports and the extensive logistical infrastructure developed around them significantly bolstered Africa's overall role in the grand strategy of the Allies, ensuring the flow of resources to British and Commonwealth forces in the Middle East and Asia.

• Air Routes:

  • The Takoradi Air Route, originating from Takoradi in Ghana, became an indispensable air bridge for directly transporting military aircraft (primarily bombers and fighters) from the Americas directly to the Middle East.

  • Due to active war zones over the Red Sea and through the Mediterranean, fully assembled flights were often impractical. Thus, aircraft were shipped in crates to Takoradi, laboriously reassembled, tested, and then flown across Africa via a network of airfields to destinations like Egypt and further east. This intricate and extensive logistical network was crucial for maintaining air superiority in crucial theaters.

The East African Campaign

• Initial Involvement:

  • Following Italy's entry into the war, Italian forces in Italian East Africa, under the command of Prince Amedeo (Duke of Aosta), launched an offensive in August 1940. Their primary objectives included expanding their empire, directly threatening British colonial territories, and, critically, cutting off British access to the Red Sea, thereby isolating the Suez Canal from the south.

  • Despite Italian East Africa being significantly surrounded by British territories (Sudan, Kenya, British Somaliland), Italy initially managed to conquer British Somaliland with relative ease, due to limited British defenses which were stretched thin across multiple theaters.

• British Counteroffensive [January 1941]:

  • Starting in January 1941, the British, initially with limited resources, received substantial reinforcements from various parts of the Empire. These included well-trained South African forces, experienced Indian Army divisions, and units from other Commonwealth nations like Rhodesia and West Africa.

  • A critical disparity in supply capabilities became pivotal: the British, controlling the seas, could continuously receive resources and reinforcements, while the Italian forces in East Africa were largely cut off from supplies due to the British naval blockade and control of the Suez Canal.

• Campaign Dynamics:

  • The British offensive, spearheaded by forces under General William Platt (from Sudan) and General Alan Cunningham (from Kenya), commenced with rapid advances, effectively utilizing local knowledge and overwhelming numerical and logistical superiority.

  • Notably, the fierce Battle of Keren (February-March 1941) in Eritrea served as a decisive turning point. This prolonged and costly engagement ultimately broke Italian resistance in the northern sector, leading to their collapse and the eventual liberation of Ethiopia in May 1941, restoring Emperor Haile Selassie to his throne. British reliance on vast resources and manpower from across the Empire proved instrumental in their overall strength and success.

• Consequences:

  • The swift and complete loss of Italy's extensive colonial territories in East Africa proved highly significant in the broader strategic context of the war. It allowed the Allies secure and unrestricted access to the Red Sea, directly improving supply lines to the Middle East and India, and fundamentally altering campaign dynamics by freeing up substantial Allied forces for other theaters.

The North African Campaign

• Preparation and Initial Attacks:

  • The North African campaign began virtually parallel to the East African campaign but rapidly escalated in scale and intensity. It was initially characterized by an Italian advance into British-held Egypt in September 1940 (Operazione E), motivated by Mussolini's ambitious imperial vision to seize the Suez Canal and establish a dominant presence in the region.

  • While Italian forces launched their offensive, their logistical shortcomings and tactical inefficiencies became apparent. German support, particularly the deployment of the Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel starting in February 1941, was crucial in bolstering Axis positions and transforming the campaign into a more formidable threat to the Allies.

• Back-and-Forth Campaign Dynamics:

  • The vast, open geography of the North African desert, particularly the Libyan and Egyptian frontiers, uniquely favored mechanized warfare, leading to a dynamic