Battle of Bir Hakeim

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Part of World War II, North African Campaign

Date	May 26, 1942 - June 11, 1942
Location	Bir Hakeim, Libya
Result	German Pyhrric victory

Combatants

Commanders

Strength

3703

Casualties

140 Dead, 229 Wounded, 814 Captured

3300 Dead and Wounded, 277 Captured

Western Desert Campaign
Compass – Sonnenblume – Tobruk – Brevity – Battleaxe – Crusader – Gazala – Bir Hakeim – 1st Alamein – Alam Halfa – Agreement – 2nd Alamein

The Battle of Bir Hakeim (May 26, 1942 - June 11, 1942) is a World War II battle following the Afrika Korps' 1942 campaign. It was fought between the German/Italian Panzer Army Africa and the 1st Free French Brigade. The German commander was Generaloberst Erwin Rommel and the French commander was General Marie Pierre Koenig. The Free French Brigade's 16 days resistance delayed the offensive and gave the then retreating British Eighth Army enough time to escape from Rommel and regroup at El Alamein.

1 Location
2 The battle
3 Consequences and aftermath
4 Notable Personalities of the Battle of Bir Hakeim
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Location

Bir Hakeim is located in eastern Libya around 90 kilometres south of Tobruk. The fort was blocking the advance of the Afrika Korps on its way to El Alamein.

[edit] The battle

Map of the Battle of Bir Hakeim

The Germans attacked Bir Hakeim on May 26 1942. Over the next two weeks, the Luftwaffe flew 1,400 sorties against the defenses, whilst 4 German/Italian divisions attacked. On June 2, June 3, and June 5, the German forces requested that Koenig surrender; he refused and launched counterattacks with his Bren gun carriers. Despite the explosion of the defence's ammunition dump, the French continued to fight using ammunition brought in by British armored cars during the night. Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force dropped water and other supplies.

On June 9, the British Eighth Army authorized a retreat and during the night of June 10/June 11 the defenders of Bir Hakeim split into small groups and escaped east after leaving the badly wounded to hold the lines.

[edit] Consequences and aftermath

Axis losses were heavy compared to the Free French. But, and despite 35,000 British surrendering in Tobruk Navarinni's 30,000 troops on June 21, Rommel was delayed in his pursuit of the Eighth Army. He caught up at El Alamein, where the British had been reinforced with 5 fresh divisions (one of which armoured).

Rommel needed to eliminate this pocket of resistance. If Bir Hakeim had not held out, the routed [British-led] Allied forces might not have regrouped to prevent Germany from seizing Egypt, and the strategically vital Suez Canal. The resistance at Bir Hakeim let the Allies consolidate their defenses at El Alamein, and then to counter-attack.

Units involved in the defending 1st Free French Brigade were:

2nd and 3rd battalions of the 13th Demi-Brigade (13 DBLE) of the French Foreign Legion
1st battalion of Fusiliers de Marine (naval fusiliers)
1st battalion of Troupes de marine (marine infantry)
the Pacific battalion
2nd march battalion of Oubangui-Chari
1st Artillery Regiment
22nd North African company (6 sections)
1st company (engineers)
signals company
101st transport company (mechanized unit of Le Train)
a light medical ambulance