Maps of the North African Campaign
The following maps show the vast area over which the 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats) and subsequently the 8th Army fought; initially against the Italian Army, which was utterly defeated, and then against the powerful German Afrika Corps, Commanded by General Rommel, supported by what remained of the Italian Army.
This map shows the eastern half of North Africa. The British troops in Egypt were formed into the Mobile Force and assembled in the small town of Mersa Matruh as the war clouds gathered over Europe in 1938. This Mobile Force which subsequently became the 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats) consisted only of the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, the 7th, 8th and 11th Hussars, the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, No.5 Company Royal Army Service Corps and the 2nd/3rd Field Ambulance. Co-operating with them was the 2nd Field Company, Royal Engineers. Their equipment was lamentable, old and out of date. The Artillery had 3.7 Howitzers towed by lightly armoured vehicles. The 7th Hussars had various sorts of old tank and no ammunition for their heavy machine-guns. The 8th Hussars had Ford 15 -cwt. trucks armed with medium machine-guns. The 11th Hussars had Rolls-Royce armoured cars of First War vintage and some Morris light armoured cars. The 1st Royal Tank Regiment had brought from England a few months before all the light tanks available, but these had been in service for so long that the potential mileage capacity of their track was nearly exhausted and the only new track available did not fit properly.
The initial invasion of Egypt by the Italian Army.
The total defeat of the Italian Army.
Germany enters the North African Campaign with Rommel's Afrika Corp. pushing back the British Forces into Egypt.
The 8th Army under Montgomery build the El Alamein defensive line.
Rommel's Afrika Corp fails in an attempt to break Montgomery's El Alamein Defences.
Total Defeat of the Axis Forces by the 8th Army.
More information on the North African and other campaigns fought by the 7th Armoured Division on the History of the 7th Armoured Divison (The Desert Rats) Website