Battle of Bir Hakeim
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{{Infobox Military Conflict |conflict=Battle of Bir Hakeim |partof=World War II, North African Campaign |image= |caption= |date=May 26, 1942 - June 11, 1942 |place=Bir Hakeim, Libya |result=Axis victory |combatant1=Free French Forces |combatant2=Afrika Korps |commander1=Marie Pierre Koenig |commander2=Erwin Rommel |strength1=3703 |strength2=? |casualties1= deads 140, wounded 229, prisonners 814 |casualties2= 3300 }} Template:Campaignbox Western Desert
The Battle of Bir Hakeim (May 26, 1942 - June 11, 1942) was fought, during World War II, between the German/Italian Afrika Korps and the 1st Free French Brigade, with support from the British 7th Armoured Division. The German commander was Generaloberst Erwin Rommel and the French commander was General Marie Pierre Koenig. The outnumbered Free French Brigade heroically resisted for 16 days. It allowed the Allied Forces to regroup and prepare for the battle of El Alamein. The Free French suffered 1,183 dead, wounded and prisoners, killed versus 3,300 soldiers of the Afrika Korps.
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.
The battle
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, 3, and 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 escaped.
Units involved in the defending 1st Free French Brigade were:
- 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 13th half-brigade of the Foreign Legion
- 1st battalion of naval fusiliers
- 1st battalion of 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 (trains/automobiles)
- a light medical ambulance
Notable Personalities of the Battle of Bir Hakeim
fr:Bataille de Bir Hakeim it:Battaglia di Bir Hakeim sr:Битка за Бир Хакејм