Battle of Beda Fomm
Beda Fomm, on the coast road about 32 km north of Ajdabiya, Libya
What happened
British and Australian forces under Richard O'Connor and Michael O'Moore Creagh fought the retreating Italian 10th Army. In the Second World War, a British offensive called Operation Compass had pushed the Italian army out of Egypt and across eastern Libya. As the Italians retreated along the coast road, a fast British column cut across the desert and blocked the road near Beda Fomm. The Italians tried for two days to break through, and on 7 February 1941 the 10th Army surrendered.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended Operation Compass, in which the British captured over 130,000 prisoners. It drove the Italians out of the region of Cyrenaica.
What came next
Many British troops were sent to Greece. On 11 February 1941 the first German Afrika Korps troops under Erwin Rommel landed in Libya, and the British now faced a stronger opponent.
Did you know?
The huge Italian convoy the British first saw was mostly made up of rear-area staff and civilians, not fighting troops.
Timeline
- 9 December 1940Operation Compass begins.
- 5 February 1941A British column blocks the coast road near Beda Fomm.
- 7 February 1941The Italian 10th Army surrenders.
- 11 February 1941The first Afrika Korps troops land in Libya.