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Kufra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kufra (also spelled Cufra) is an Oasis in Southeastern Libya that played a minor role in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. It is in a particularly isolated location not only because it is in the middle of the Sahara Desert but also because it is surrounded on three sides by Depressions, to the North and East specifically by the Qattara Depression. The French spelling is Koufra, the Italian Cufra.
The Buma airfield at Kufra has fallen into disrepair and is little-used since World War II. The town surrounding the Oasis is dominated by the old fort of El Tag, built by the Italians in the mid-1930s. The fort was also used as a radio post to guide in Italian aircraft as well as to maintain communication with Italian East Africa. These factors, along with Kufra's dominance of the Fezzan region of Libya, explains the Oasis' strategic importance and why it was a point of conflict during World War II.
Kufra is located at 24.17 degrees North Latitude, 23.28 degrees East Longitude.
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Prior to World War II Kufra was an important trade/travelling route for various nomadic desert people including the Senussi who made the Oasis their capital at one point in response to encroaching British, Italian and French designs on the region. When it appeared the Italians were the most aggressive nation in the region the Senussi called upon the French to help defend their capital. This probably was the provocation that actually stepped up Italian aggression in the area. The Italians took Kufra in 1931 as described below.
The French had a single 75 mm Mle1928 Schneider mountain gun in Koufra, otherwise only MGs and rifles.
In Chad Leclerc had at disposal 5000 Senegalese tirailleurs from the RTST (Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais du Tchad) spread in 20 companies in different garrissons, and also 3 meharist groups (GN==groupe nomade) in 3 areas: Borkou, Tibesti and Ennedi.
In 1931, Italian General Graziani took Koufra thanks to 3000 men, armored cars, 1 artillery battery and about 20 planes.
The Italians built the World War I-style fort of El Tag, an airfield and a radio-giono post to guide the Italian aircraft to the Buma airfield and to maintain communications with Italian East Africa.
Kufra's relevance in World War II was as an airbase for Italian aircraft travelling to and from Italian East Africa. Libya, Eritrea, Italian Somalialand and after an invasion in 1936, Ethiopia were all Italian colonies at the time. However after the Italians invaded the British Allies of France and Greece in 1940 the Suez Canal and all land routes to East Africa were closed to the Italians. Without a land link to their East Africa possessions the Italians were forced to rely upon aircraft for transportation to and from East Africa, which was an active combat theater for some time of the war.
Kufra was taken despite determined Italian resistance on March 1, 1941 by Free French forces and elements of the Long Range Desert Group as described below.
8 March 1941. France had fallen, her empire in tatters, but her flag still flew from the isolated but strategically important ex-Italian fort of El Tag which dominated the Kufra oasis in Southern Libya. Free France had struck a blow, a beginning in the campaign to recapture France and defeat the Axis.
Colonel Leclerc and the intrepid Lt Col d’Ornano (commander of French Forces in Chad), on the orders of De Gaulle in London, were tasked with attacking Italian positions in Libya with the motley forces at their disposal in Chad which had declared for Free France. Kufra was the obvious target. The task of striking at the heavily defended oasis at Kufra was made all the more difficult by the use of inadequate transport to cross sand dunes and the rocky Fech Fech, considered to be impassable to vehicles.
Fortunately for the French, assistance was received from Major Clayton of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), who was keen to join with the Free French to test the Italians. Clayton had under his command G (Guards) and T (New Zealand) patrols, a total of seventy-six men in twenty-six vehicles.
In order to assist in the attack against Kufra, a raid was mounted against the airfield at the oasis of Murzuk, capital of the Fezzan region of Libya. Ten Free French (three officers, two sergeants and five native soldiers) under D’Ornano met with Clayton’s LRDG patrols on 6 January 1941 at Kayouge. The combined force reached Murzuk on 11 January. In a daring daylight raid, they surprised the sentries and swept through the oasis, devastating the base. The majority of the force attacked the main fort, while a troop from T patrol under Lieutenant Ballantyne engaged the airfield defences, destroying 3 Caproni aircraft and capturing a number of prisoners.
The success of the raid was tempered by the loss of a T patrol member and the intrepid d’Ornano. Another wounded French officer cauterised his leg wound with his own cigarette, much to the admiration of the LRDG. A diversionary raid by mounted Meharistes Colonial Cavalry failed after it was betrayed by local guides, prompting Leclerc to relegate these troops to recon duties only.
After the success of the Murzuk raid Leclerc, who had assumed overall command, marshalled his forces to take on Kufra itself. Intelligence indicated that the Oasis was defended by two defensive lines based around the El Tag fort which included barbed wire, trenches, machine guns and light AA defences. The garrison was thought to comprise a battalion of Askaris (Colonial Infantry) under Colonel Leo, plus supporting troops.
In addition to the static defences, the oasis was defended by La Compania Sahariana de Cufra, a specialist mobile force and the forerunner of the famous “Sahariana” companies of the mid war period. The company was comprised of desert veterans crewing various Fiat and Lancia trucks equipped with HMGs and 20 mm AA weapons, together with some armoured cars. The company also had the support of its own air arm to assist in long range reconnaissance and ground attack.
Leclerc could not pinpoint the Saharianas, so he tasked the LRDG with the job of hunting them down and robbing the defenders of their mobile reserve.
Unfortunately for the LRDG, a radio intercept unit at Kufra picked up their radio traffic and they were spotted from the air. The defenders had been on their guard since Murzuk.
G patrol had been kept in reserve and Major Clayton was leading T patrol, 30 men in 11 trucks.
The patrol was at Bishara on the morning of 31 January when an Italian aircraft appeared overhead.
The trucks scattered and made for some hills, and the plane flew away without attacking them. The patrol took cover among some rocks in a small wadi at Gebel Sherif and camouflaged the trucks, before preparing to have lunch. The plane returned and circled over the wadi, where it directed a patrol of the Auto-Saharan Company to intercept the LRDG.
During fierce fighting, the LRDG patrol came off second best to superior Italian firepower and constant air attack. After severe losses, the surviving seven trucks of the patrol were forced to withdraw, leaving behind their commanding officer, who was captured along with several others. Other survivors embarked on epic journeys to seek safety. After this reverse, the LRDG force was forced to withdraw and refit, leaving Leclerc the services of one LRDG vehicle from T patrol crucially equipped for desert navigation.
Lecelerc pressed on with his attack, in spite of losing a copy of his plan to the enemy with the capture of Major Clayton. After conducting further reconnaissance, Leclerc reorganized his forces on 16 February. He abandoned his two armoured cars and took with him the remaining serviceable artillery piece, a crucial decision.
On the 17th, Leclerc’s forces brushed with the Saharianas and despite a disparity in firepower were able to drive them off, as the Kufra garrison failed to intervene.
Following this, El Tag was surrounded, despite a further attack from the Saharianas and harassment from the air, the French laid siege to the fort. The lone 75 mm gun was placed 3000 m from the fort, beyond range of the defences and accurately delivered 20 shells per day at regular intervals.
Despite having superior numbers, Italian resolve faltered. Negotiations to surrender began on 28 February and finally on 1 March 1941 the Free French captured El Tag and with it, the oasis at Kufra.
This section describes the Order of Battle for the World War II Battle for Kufra (described above).
In the El Tag fort defending the oasis the Italian colonel Leo had 580 Ascaris and various Italian detachment (engineers, signals etc.) but he had also the Compania Saharina di Cufra (Saharinas armed with MGs and 20 mm guns) (Captains Mattioli and Moreschini). The fort itself is defended by Scwharzlose and Fiat 1914/35 MGs as well as 20 mm Breda guns.
In January 1941 : raid on Mourzouck from Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna d'Ornano in collaboration with LRDG patrols (Major Clayton). French raiders coming from Chad and British raiders coming from Egyptia made their junction on January 6 at Kayougue. On January 11 Mourzouck is reached and attacked. One New-Zealand soldier and the Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna d'Ornano are KIAs. Several other French meharist raids were organiazed in order to have a better idea of the Italian order of battle and status.
The LRDG under the authority of Leclerc for the later Koufra raid were assigned the task to neutralize the Saharina di Cufra : 22 Chevrolets, 2 Fords and a French detachment from the GN Tibesti (Lieutenant Dubut) with one Brandt 81 mm Mle27/31 mortar. The column is spotted by the Italians and attacked in the Djebel Cherif. After 1 hour of battle the LRDG lost 4 vehicles, several KIAs, MIAs (including Clayton) and several men who escaped in the desert, later rescued by French forces. All the LRDG except one vehicle + crew (who remained with the French troops) returned to Egyptia.
The Koufra raid : Initially the Leclerc column is made up of 101 "white" French troops and 295 Senegalese and Chadian colonial soldiers : 396 men ; but several vehicles and their men were not available for the attack because of mechanical breakdowns.
They had to travel 1650 km before reaching the objective.
- HQ : 1 Matford, 2 Chevrolet 1t, 2 Bedford 1.5t and one ER26bis radio - 1 reduced infantry company (Captain Rennepont) with 23 Bedford 1.5t - 2 platoons of the GN Ennedi (120 men) (Captain Barboten) with 1 dodge and 16 Matford V8 3t - 1 platoon of the 7th Company of the RTST (60 men) (Captain Florentin) with 1 dodge and 2 Matford V8 3t - 1 artillery platoon (Lieutenant Ceccaldi) with 2 75 mm Mle1928 Schneider mountain guns, 1 dodge, 2 Laffly S15 for the guns, 2 Laffly S15 for the ammunitions and 2 Matford V8 3t .... but only 1 gun reached the battle. - 1 armored cars "group" (Adjudant Detouche) : 2 Laffly S15TOE (armed only with a 7.5 mm MG), 1 Matford V8 3t and 1 ER26bis/39 radio.
Only about 350 men (armed with Lebel 1886/93 rifles, some 8 mm Hotchkiss Mle1914 MMGs and FM 24/29 LMGs), 2 light armored cars armed with a single 7.5 mm MG and one 75 mm gun reached Koufra to face the Italian garrison waiting for and attack in well prepared position and the Compania Saharina di Cufra. Four Saharinas with their 20 mm guns were captured in Koufra and immediately used by the French forces.
The AMD Laffly S15 TOE is not only a recon armored car, it is a hybrid vehicle armored car and armored personal carrier which can carry small infantry groups of 4-6 men. weight : 5t crew : 3 men maximum armor : 7 mm maximum speed : 60 km/h autonomy : 1000 km armament : a 7.5 mm turret MAC1931
On February 17, 1941 at 15.00 p.m. the French engaged combat with the Saharina company which had no problems destroying the trucks with their 20 mm guns but they were forced to retreat a first time. The French forces encircled the fort and prevented the Compania Saharina di Cufra to enter in El Tag. The Saharina escaped towards Tazerbo. French in fact had weaker forces to take the fort and the Italians never sent reinforcements to the fort, only a few planes attacked the French troops.
The single French 75 mm gun is at first positionned at 3000 m of the fort and opens fire (40 shells the first day and then about 20 shells perd day). This unique gun is constantly moved to give the feeling that there are many guns. On March 1, 1941 the Italian troops surrendered and were allowed to go away but I have no precisions about where and in which conditions. I think it should be towards Tazerbo like the remnants of the Compania Saharina di Cufra. On March 31 is perhaps besieged but in February and beginning March probably not.
The opening section was created by this article's author's memory with secondary sources of both the above and Europa's Wavell's War.
The Battle for Kufra: http://www.battlefront.co.nz/Article.asp?ArticleID==465.
The basis for the pre-1931 section is Wikipedia's own Senussi page.
The Italian Possession section and the Order of Battle section was obtained from the magazine "Histoire de Guerre" Issue 30; November 2002.
This is NachtLink and a research associate and myself would like to correct several mistakes in this article... Roberto (robc) makes these specific notes: There are several factual errors in the text and frequent misspellings of Italian words and names...
- It's SAHARIANA - It's COMPAGNIA SAHARIANA "CUFRA" or DI CUFRA - Actually it's COMPAGNIA AUTO-AVIO-SAHARIANA "CUFRA", frequently shortened to AUTOSAHARIANA. - Plural is SAHARIANE - There were NO armoured cars, the first arrived in North Africa in 1942 (we know why there is this old tale of armoured cars at Kufra, but this is another story) - Col. Leo was the CO of the Air Force sector; the CO of the fort garrison was Capt. Colonna. - this is no "forerunner" of the famous "mid-war sahariane"... what does this mean? the "Cufra" kept on as a Compagnia Sahariana from at least 1933 to its destruction by enemy forces a couple weeks before the end of everything in Tunisia in 1943.
Note Link to Further discussion: This might help to ratify my position as to the errors from the initial author's primary reference "Histoire de Guerre" Issue 30; November 2002 is actually fatally flawed in equipment, men and command determinant issues... and from the original author a closer scrutiny to the facts would bring to light the errors being proven of which I am bringing forth some corrections as this may finally shed light on the true and actual facts involved! Thanks my friends for alowing this addendum! Via NachtLink
Hyperlink to discussion of subject: http://www.afrika-korps.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3117&highlight=kufra