Curated category
Campaigns, operations and battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom
- North African campaignOn the 11th of June 1940, British forces launched raids against Italian positions in Libya. This action followed Italy's declaration of war on France and the…
- Malayan campaignIn 1941, the Japanese military found itself trapped by its own expansion. Four years of fighting in China had drained resources, and oil imports from the…
- Tunisian campaignThe first two years of the war in North Africa were defined by chronic supply shortages and transport problems. The North African coast has few natural…
- Western Desert campaignIn the summer of 1940, a scorpion stung an Italian soldier near Sidi Omar. That small creature lived in the Western Desert, which stretched about 500 miles…
- Anglo-Iraqi WarThe Kingdom of Iraq, also known as Mesopotamia, remained under British control through a League of Nations mandate until 1932.
- Guadalcanal campaignOn the 7th of December 1941, Japanese forces attacked the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack killed almost 2,500 people and…
- Syria–Lebanon campaignOn the 1st of April 1941, Iraq fell under the control of nationalists led by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani. This regime appealed for support from Italy and Germany.
- Dutch East Indies campaignJapan lacked native oil sources and could not produce enough to meet even 10% of its needs. The Dutch East Indies stood as the fourth-largest exporter of oil…
- Battle of the AtlanticIn September 1939, the German U-boat fleet numbered only fifty-seven vessels. Most were small Type II boats designed for coastal minelaying rather than deep…
- Balkans campaign (World War II)The Italian invasion of Greece began on the 28th of October 1940. Italian forces crossed the border and made limited gains in the initial days.
- East African campaign (World War II)On the 9th of May 1936, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini proclaimed the formation of Italian East Africa from Ethiopia after the Second Italo-Abyssinian…
- Greco-Italian WarOn the 4th of February 1939, Benito Mussolini addressed the Fascist Grand Council and declared Greece to be a vital enemy of Italy.