Chronology of Main Events from March to November 1941
The items within square brackets [ ] are not included in the present volume
| 1941 | General | Mediterranean Sea | Western Desert | Greece and Crete | Turkey and Yugoslavia | Syria | Iraq and Persia | Red Sea and East Africa |
| March | 1 [Bulgaria joins Axis] | Air attacks on Malta | 24 Axis occupy El Agheila | 4 Final Athens Conference | 8 Allied-Yugoslav staff talks at Athens | Free French propaganda campaign | Political situation in Iraq grows | Free French propaganda campaign against French Somaliland fails |
| 11 Lend-Lease Act signed by President Roosevelt | 28 Action off Cape Matapan | 5 Sailing of the British forces for Greece begins | 18 Mr Eden and Turkish Foreign Minister meet in Cyprus | worse 31 Regent flees from Baghdad | 25 Blockade of French Somaliland ordered | |||
| 9–16 Italian offensive in Albania | 25 Yugoslavia signs Tripartite Pact | [27 Capture of Keren] | ||||||
| 26 Italians attack shipping in Suda Bay |
27 Coup d’état in Yugoslavia |
|||||||
| April | Heavy air attacks on Malta Two operations to reinforce Malta with aircraft | 1 Axis take Mersa Brega | 6 Germans invade Greece | 6 Germans invade Yugoslavia | British-Free French discussions about action in Syria | 3 Rashid Ali seizes power | [Capture of Asmara] | |
| 11–24 Captain Mack’s destroyers at Malta | 3 Benghazi abandoned | 11–14 Withdrawal to Olympus-Servia line | 13 Germans occupy Belgrade | 30 Siege of Habbaniya begins | [5 Capture of Addis Ababa] | |||
| 21 Bombardment of Tripoli | 7 Generals Neame and O’Connor captured | 15–19 Withdrawal to Thermopylae | 8 [Capture of Massawa] | |||||
| 8 Axis take Mechili | 21 Decision to evacuate Greece | 11 Red Sea opened to United States shipping. Lakes campaign in Galla-Sidamo begins. | ||||||
| 10–11 Axis troops reach Bardia and Sollum | 24–30 The embarkation | Patriot operations in Gondar area. | ||||||
| 13–14,16–17 and 30 April to 4 May Axis attacks on Tobruk | 27 Germans enter Athens | Blockade of French Somaliland continues | ||||||
| May |
Fliegerkorps X begins to leave Sicily |
Operation to reinforce Malta with aircraft | Attack on Tobruk fails | Germans invade Crete | Axis use Syria as base for supporting Iraq revolt | 5 Middle East assumes operational control in Northern Iraq, and 8 in Southern Iraq | 5 Emperor Haile Selassie enters Addis Ababa | |
| Dawson Mission appointed for Middle East | Axis air attacks on Malta decrease | British attack Halfaya-Sollum-Capuzzo, (BREVITY) | Loss of Maleme airfield | 19 Decision to prepare a force for Syria (EXPORTER) | 6 Siege of Habbaniya lifted 13 Habforce enters Iraq 19 Capture of Falluja | 16 [Duke of Aosta surrenders at Amba Alagi] Successful Lakes campaign | ||
| ACM Longmore replaced by A.M. Tedder | Passage of TIGER convoy | Germans recapture Halfaya Pass | Decision to evacuate | 27–30 Advance on Baghdad | 23 Capture of Soddu Gondar area: Patriot operations | |||
| Intendant-General appointed | The embarkation | 31 Armistice signed | Blockade of French Somaliland continues | |||||
|
Bismarck sunk |
[Contents of table merged onto page 326]
Chronology of Main Events From March to November 1941
The items within square brackets [ ] are not included in the present volume
| 1941 | General | Mediterranean Sea | Western Desert | Syria | Iraq & Persia | Red Sea and East Africa |
| June | Beginning of regular flow of American supplies | Four operations to reinforce Malta with aircraft | Tobruk besieged | British and Free French enter Syria | German intrigues in Persia increase | Galla-Sidamo: 5 British cross River Omo Capture of Jimma |
| 18 Pact of Friendship and Non-Aggression between Turkey and Germany | 15–17 British attack at Halfaya-Sollum-Capuzzo (BATTLEAXE) fails | Capture of Damascus | British occupy Mosul | Gondar area: Patriot operations | ||
| 22 Germans invade Russia | Habforce advances on Palmyra | Command of troops in Iraq revert to India | Blockade of French Somaliland continues | |||
| 28 Mr Lyttleton appointed Minister of State | Capture of Assab | |||||
| July | 5 General Wavell replaced by General Auchinleck | 20–24 SUBSTANCE convoy to Malta | Tobruk besieged | Capture of Palmyra | German intrigues in Persia continue | Galla-Sidamo: Pursuit from Jimma continues |
| 12 General Bastico relieves General Gariboldi in Africa | 25/26 Italian EMB attack on Malta Grand Harbour | 18 [Australian Government requests relief of Australians in Tobruk] | 10th Indian Division advances from Deir ez Zor | Attack on Dembidollo | ||
| 31 Panzergruppe Afrika formed | 31–2 Aug. STYLE convoy to Malta | 29 Gen. Auchinleck and A.M. Tedder arrive in London to discuss British offensive | Battle of River Damour | General Gazzera asks for terms and surrenders. | ||
| Convention ending hostilities signed | Gondar area: Debra Tabor surrenders | |||||
| Patriot operations continue | ||||||
| Blockade of French Somaliland continues | ||||||
| Most of South African troops leave East Africa | ||||||
| Aug | [Signature of the Atlantic Charter] | 2 STYLE convoy reaches Malta | Tobruk besieged | Anglo-Soviet Note to Persia | 23rd Nigerian Bde returns to West Africa | |
| 19–29 [First stage in relief of Australians in Tobruk] [Planning for CRUSADER begins] | British forces enter Persia | Blockade of French Somaliland continues | ||||
| Persian resistance ceases; Government falls | ||||||
| Sep | Operation to reinforce Malta with aircraft | [Tobruk besieged] | British and Russian forces enter Teheran | East Africa Command formed | ||
| German submarines reach the Mediterranean | 2 [General Auchinleck’s preliminary orders for CRUSADER] | Start of development of supply route to Russia | Gondar area: Italians at Wolchefit surrender | |||
| 14–15 [German raid on Sofafi fails] | Blockade of French Somaliland continues | |||||
| 18 [Eighth Army formed] | ||||||
| 19–27 [Second stage in relief of Australians in Tobruk] | ||||||
| 20 Italian human torpedoes attack Gibraltar harbour | ||||||
| 24–28 HALBERD convoy to Malta | ||||||
| 1941 | General | Mediterranean Sea | Western Desert | Red Sea and East Africa | ||
| Oct | 2 Lend-Lease funds allocation for Middle East | Force K arrives Malta | [Tobruk besieged] | 24th Gold Coast Brigade leaves for West Africa | ||
| 12–15 [Third stage in relief of Australians in Tobruk] | Preparation to attack Gondar | |||||
| Blockade of French Somaliland continues | ||||||
| 21 Red Sea transferred to Mediterranean Station | ||||||
| Nov | 1 [Ninth Army formed] | [Operations to reinforce Malta with aircraft] | [Tobruk besieged] | Gondar offensive: 13 First attack on Kulkaber | ||
| 8/9 and | 18 [CRUSADER offensive begins] | 21 Second attack on Kulkaber | ||||
| 24 [Force K destroys Axis convoys] | 27 Attack on Gondar General Nasi surrenders | |||||
|
13 [Loss of HMS Ark Royal] |
End of Campaign in Italian East Africa | |||||
|
25 [Loss of HMS Barham ] |
Blockade of French Somaliland continues |
[Contents of table merged onto page 328]
[Contents of table merged onto page 328]
[Contents of table merged onto page 328]