World War II Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! =====Western Europe/Atlantic and Mediterranean (1942β1943)===== [[File:8th AF Bombing Marienburg.JPEG|right|thumb|American [[Eighth Air Force]] [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] bombing raid on the Focke-Wulf factory in Germany, 9 October 1943]] Exploiting poor American naval command decisions, [[Second Happy Time|the German navy ravaged Allied shipping off the American Atlantic coast]].{{sfn|Milner|1990|p=52}} By November 1941, Commonwealth forces had launched a counter-offensive in North Africa, [[Operation Crusader]], and reclaimed all the gains the Germans and Italians had made.{{sfn|Beevor|2012|pp=224β228}} The Germans also launched a North African offensive in January, pushing the British back to positions at the [[Battle of Gazala#Gazala line|Gazala line]] by early February,{{sfn|Molinari|2007|p=91}} followed by a temporary lull in combat which Germany used to prepare for their upcoming offensives.{{sfn|Mitcham|2007|p=31}} Concerns that the Japanese might use bases in [[French Madagascar|Vichy-held Madagascar]] caused the British to [[Battle of Madagascar|invade the island]] in early May 1942.{{sfn|Beevor|2012|pp=380β381}} An Axis [[Battle of Gazala|offensive in Libya]] forced an Allied retreat deep inside Egypt until Axis forces were [[First Battle of El Alamein|stopped at El Alamein]].{{sfn|Rich|1992|p=178}} On the Continent, raids of Allied [[commando]]s on strategic targets, culminating in the failed [[Dieppe Raid]],{{sfn|Gordon|2004|p=129}} demonstrated the Western Allies' inability to launch an invasion of continental Europe without much better preparation, equipment, and operational security.{{sfn|Neillands|2005|p=60}} In August 1942, the Allies succeeded in repelling a [[Battle of Alam el Halfa|second attack against El Alamein]]{{sfn|Keegan|1997|p=277}} and, at a high cost, managed to [[Operation Pedestal|deliver desperately needed supplies to the besieged Malta]].{{sfn|Smith|2002}} A few months later, the Allies [[Second Battle of El Alamein|commenced an attack of their own]] in Egypt, dislodging the Axis forces and beginning a drive west across Libya.{{sfn|Thomas|Andrew|1998|p=8}} This attack was followed up shortly after by [[Operation Torch|Anglo-American landings in French North Africa]], which resulted in the region joining the Allies.{{sfn|Ross|1997|p=38}} Hitler responded to the French colony's defection by ordering the [[Case Anton|occupation of Vichy France]];{{sfn|Ross|1997|p=38}} although Vichy forces did not resist this violation of the armistice, they managed to [[Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon|scuttle their fleet]] to prevent its capture by German forces.{{sfn|Ross|1997|p=38}}{{sfn|Bonner|Bonner|2001|p=24}} Axis forces in Africa withdrew into [[Tunisia]], which was [[Tunisian campaign|conquered by the Allies]] in May 1943.{{sfn|Ross|1997|p=38}}{{sfn|Collier|2003|p=11}} In June 1943, the British and Americans began [[Combined Bomber Offensive|a strategic bombing campaign]] against Germany with a goal to disrupt the war economy, reduce morale, and "[[Dehousing|de-house]]" the civilian population.<ref>[https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/USSBS/ETO-Summary.html#tc "The Civilians"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105044932/https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/USSBS/ETO-Summary.html#tc |date=5 November 2013 }} the United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report (European War)</ref> The [[Bombing of Hamburg in World War II|firebombing of Hamburg]] was among the first attacks in this campaign, inflicting significant casualties and considerable losses on infrastructure of this important industrial centre.{{sfn|Overy|1995|pp=119β120}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page