Battle of Bir Hakeim

31.59386944444423.479766666667Koordinaten: 31 ° 35 ' 37.93 "N, 23 ° 28' 47.16 " E

The Battle of Bir Hakeim (sometimes written Bir Hakeim ) was 26 May to 11 June 1942 during the war in North Africa during World War II instead. In the course of the company Theseus could stop the advance of the troops of Colonel General Rommel over two weeks at the Libyan desert oasis Bir Hakeim a brigade free French troops under Brigadier General Marie- Pierre Koenig.

Starting position

Bir Hakeim was part of the vast belt of defenses (called boxes ), which the Allies had built to ward off an opponent's thrust. Each of these so-called boxing the Gazala line was backed up by an Allied Brigade. The box the Free French was the southernmost point of the line and was built around a dried oasis and an abandoned fort around. The free French brigade consisted of two battalions of the Foreign Legion, and one each battalion Marines, Marinefüsiliere, Central African colonial infantry and Pacific colonial infantry. On May 26, 1942 started Colonel General Erwin Rommel in Cyrenaica companies Theseus with the aim of Tobruk and El Alamein to conquer and thus to give the war in North Africa for the Axis forces a decisive turn. At the beginning of the offensive, the Allied troops were beaten in the middle of the Gazala line and forced to retreat. Only the boxes Bir Hakeim and Ualeb thought there was still standing.

Course

After smashing the enemy's center drum pretended the advance of his troops to Gazala in the north. In fact, he concentrated his forces rapidly to the south. The standing there 3rd Indian Motorised Brigade was surprised and overwhelmed.

Under cover of darkness broke in the night of 11 June, the French troops out of the fort and fought with the loss of 500 men to the British lines by the next morning .. When the Germans occupied the position, fell 500 wounded in their captivity.

Follow

Rommel had wasted valuable time when taking Bir Hakeim, so that most of the really beaten 8th Army could conduct an orderly retreat. However, Tobruk was lost, but at El Alamein was brought to a halt Rommel's advance. His last attempt to sustainably decide the war in North Africa for the Axis powers was therefore ultimately failed because of the determined opposition of the free French forces.

Role in the culture of remembrance

Although the battle was ultimately only one episode of the war in North Africa, it shall be but in France as the beginning of the restoration of the military honor of the country after the ignominious defeat of 1940. In Paris therefore recall for a metro station and a bridge over the Seine in the XV. Arrondissement of them. Also, the musée de l' armée at the Invalides recognizes the battle by an exhibition with numerous exhibits.

A group of Maquisards in the Cevennes led to the memory of this success the name of Bir Hakeim.

However, there is some evidence that the strategic importance of Bir Hakeim was greatly enhanced by the respective propaganda machineries.

To battle the many myths were spun later. All sides used them for their own propaganda purposes. In fact, had the Battle of Bir Hakeim only subordinate strategic impact on the overall campaign. Before the end of hostilities de Gaulle's spokesman Although had hyped the oasis to the new Verdun, but Koenig protested his hand vigorously against the romanticizing of their own propaganda.