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In the scorching deserts of Egypt and Libya, American airmen fought their first sustained campaign in the Mediterranean Theater. From June 1942 to February 1943, US Army Air Forces joined British forces in a decisive struggle that would determine the fate of North Africa and establish patterns of Allied cooperation for the remainder of World War II.
The US Army's Egypt-Libya Campaign ended on 12 February 1943, when the Allied forces finally succeeded in driving all Axis forces out of Libya. From 1942, U.S. forces assisted the British Empire in fighting Axis forces in Egypt and Libya as part of what the US military called the Mediterranean Theater of Operations.
The Egypt-Libya Campaign represented America's first sustained military commitment in the Mediterranean Theater during World War II. While primarily an air campaign, it established crucial patterns of Anglo-American cooperation that would define the remainder of the war in Europe and the Mediterranean.
"The close cooperation between American and British staffs set the tone for Anglo-American cooperation for the rest of the war in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operations." - US Army Center of Military History
In June 1942 the United States Army Forces in the Middle East (USAFIME) was created to replace both the North African Mission in Cairo and the Iranian Mission in the Persian Corridor. On June 16 the War Department named Army General Russell L. Maxwell as the first commander of USAFIME.
Key Commanders:
In November, Lt. Gen. Frank M. Andrews assumed command of USAFIME, replacing Maxwell. Andrews was an experienced airman, and one of his first acts was to establish the Ninth Air Force to replace USAMEAF.
Command Evolution
|
Date |
Organization |
Commander |
Mission |
|
June 1942 |
USAFIME Created |
Gen. Russell Maxwell |
Coordinate all US forces |
|
November 1942 |
Ninth Air Force Established |
Lt. Gen. Frank Andrews |
Air operations leadership |
|
February 1943 |
Campaign Conclusion |
Combined Allied Command |
Final push into Tunisia |
The initial unit to arrive was given the codename HALPRO. It was under the command of Col. Harry A. Halverson and consisted of twenty-three B-24D Liberator heavy bombers with hand-picked crews.
First Combat Mission: HALPROs first mission was flown on June 12, 1942 against the Romanian oil facilities at Ploieşti. Thirteen B-24s flew this first U.S. mission against a European target causing negligible damage.
Activated as 9th Air Force on 8 April 1942, the command fought in World War II both in the Western Desert Campaign in Egypt and Libya and as the tactical fighter component of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe.
Major Subordinate Commands:
Aircraft and Equipment Used:
The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October - 11 November 1942)
The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein.
US Air Support Role: Ninth Air Force P-40F fighters (57th, 79th, and 324th Fighter Groups) supported the British Eighth Army's drive across Egypt and Libya, escorting bombers and flying strafing and dive-bombing missions against airfields, communications, and troop concentrations.
Allied Forces at El Alamein:
Axis Forces:
Primary Targets:
Other targets attacked were shipping and harbor installations in Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, Crete, and Greece to cut enemy supply lines to Africa.
B-24D Liberator Heavy Bomber:
P-40F Warhawk Fighter:
B-25 Mitchell Medium Bomber:
Logistical Challenges: By mid-August SOS, USAFIME, had only about 1,000 personnel assigned, and by early November there were still less than 3,000. Although some 6,000 additional men were en route or at least scheduled for transport to the theater, most did not actually arrive until early in 1943.
Panzer IV Medium Tank:
Messerschmitt Bf 109F Fighter:
M13/40 Medium Tank:
Aircraft: Macchi C.200 Saetta fighters, Savoia-Marchetti bombers
Bombardment Groups
Fighter Groups
Support Units
Military Cooperation Precedent
The Egypt-Libya Campaign established essential patterns of Allied cooperation that proved crucial for later Mediterranean and European operations. American air units learned valuable lessons about desert warfare, joint operations, and coordinated air-ground tactics.
Transition to Tunisia Campaign
On 8 November 1942, Operation TORCH, the Anglo-American amphibious invasion of the western portion of North Africa, began, and the Axis forces found themselves squeezed between two Allied offensives.
The campaign's conclusion directly led to the Tunisia Campaign, where Axis forces made their final stand in North Africa before surrendering in May 1943.
Service Record Research
Documentation for Descendants
The Egypt-Libya Campaign marked a crucial chapter in American military history, representing the first sustained US Army commitment to the Mediterranean Theater. Though primarily an air campaign, it demonstrated American capability to conduct complex joint operations alongside Allied forces in challenging desert conditions.
In the final analysis, although the U.S. Army provided no ground combat troops to the Egypt-Libya Campaign, the close cooperation between American and British staffs set the tone for Anglo-American cooperation for the rest of the war in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operations.
The 15,000+ American servicemen who participated in this campaign played a vital role in turning the tide of war in North Africa, contributing directly to the eventual Allied victory in the Mediterranean Theater and the broader war effort.
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Archival Collections:
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