Chronology of Main Events from September 1941 to September 1942
Items within square brackets [ ] are not included in the present volume
| General | Mediterranean Sea | Western Desert | Red Sea & East Africa | Persia & Iraq |
| 1941 | ||||
| September | ||||
| [Operation to reinforce Malta with aircraft] | Tobruk besieged | [East Africa Command formed] [Gondar area: | [British and Russian forces enter Teheran] Start of development of supply route to Russia | |
| [German submarines reach the Mediterranean] | 18 Eighth Army formed 19-27 | 25 Italians at Wolchefit surrender] | ||
| [24-28 HALBERD convoy to Malta] | Second stage of relief of Australians in Tobruk | [Blockade of French Somaliland continues] | ||
| October | ||||
| 2 Allocation of Lend-Lease funds to the Middle East | [Force K arrives at Malta] | |||
| 24 Germans capture Kharkov | Tobruk besieged | [Preparations to attack Gondar] | ||
| November | ||||
| Ninth Army formed | 9 Force K sinks the ‘Duisburg’ convoy | 9 Western Desert Air Force formed | [Blockade of French Somaliland continues] | |
| US Military North African Mission set up in Cairo |
13 Loss of HMS Ark Royal after reinforcing Malta with aircraft |
12-15 Third stage of relief of Australians in Tobruk | 21 Red Sea transferred to Mediterranean Station | |
| 22-28 Rostov lost and retaken by the Russians | 16-19 & 21-22 Mediterranean Fleet and Forces H and K operating in support of CRUSADER | Tobruk besieged | [Gondar: 27 General Nasi surrenders] | US Military Iranian Mission set up in Baghdad |
|
25 Loss of HMS Barham |
18 CRUSADER begins | [End of campaign in Italian East Africa] [Blockade of French Somaliland continues] | ||
| December | ||||
| 7-8 Japanese attack Pearl Harbour and land in Malaya | First attempt to relieve Tobruk fails: British pause to regroup | [Blockade of French Somaliland continues] | ||
| 13 Action off Cape Bon | 5 British advance resumed | |||
| 11 Germany and Italy declare war on USA |
14 Loss of HMS Galatea |
10 Relief of Tobruk | ||
| 22 First Washington Conference to decide Allied policy | 17 First Battle of Sirte | 16 Enemy withdraws from Gazala | ||
| 19 Disaster to Force K | 25 British troops enter Benghazi | |||
|
19 Italian human torpedoes attack Alexandria harbour: HMS Queen Elizabeth and Valiant damaged |
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| General | Mediterranean Sea | Western Desert | Red Sea & East Africa | Persia & Iraq |
| 1942 | ||||
| January | ||||
| 1 United Nations Declaration | Three small convoys reach Malta from Alexandria | 2 Bardia surrenders | [Blockade of French Somaliland continues] | 12 Command of Troops in Iraq passes from India to the Middle East |
| 29 Treaty of Alliance between UK, Soviet Union and Persia | 17 Sollum and Halfaya surrender | |||
| 21 Axis forces advance from Mersa Brega | ||||
| 28 British evacuate Benghazi and retire towards Gazala | ||||
| February | ||||
| 2-7 Egyptian Cabinet crisis | 12-15 Convoy from Alexandria fails to reach Malta | 2 Eighth Army stabilizes the line Gazala-Bir Hacheim | [Blockade of French Somaliland continues] | 16 Tenth Army formed |
| 15 Fall of Singapore | ||||
| 25 Mr. Lyttelton leaves, temporarily succeeded by Sir Walter Monckton | ||||
| March | ||||
| 20 Sir Stafford Cripps visits Middle East | Heavy air attacks on Malta | Lull in the Desert continues | [Blockade of French Somaliland continues] | |
| 7, 21, 29 Three operations to reinforce Malta with aircraft | ||||
|
11 Loss of HMS Naiad |
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| 22 Second Battle of Sirte | ||||
| 23 Convoy reaches Malta only to be sunk in harbour | ||||
| April | ||||
| 3 Admiral Cunningham leaves, temporarily succeeded by Admiral Pridham-Wippell | 10 Force H leaves Gibraltar for Madagascar Air attacks on Malta reach their peak Tenth Submarine Flotilla leaves Malta | Both sides preparing for major operations | ||
| 15 HM the King awards Malta the George Cross | ||||
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20 USS Wasp reinforces Malta with Spitfires |
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| General | Mediterranean Sea | Western Desert | Persia and Iraq |
| 1942 | |||
| May | |||
| 4 Mr. R. G. Casey becomes Minister of State, Middle East | Air attacks on Malta gradually decrease | 10 War Cabinet orders General Auchinleck to attack during May | |
| 5 British forces land on Madagascar |
9 USS Wasp and HMS Eagle reinforce Malta with Spitfires |
26 Axis forces attack Gazala–Bir Hacheim positions | |
| 8 General Dobbie leaves Malta; succeeded by General Lord Gort |
18 HMS Eagle repeats the operation |
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| 20 Admiral Sir Henry Harwood arrives as Naval C.-in-C. USAAF strategic bomber force arrives | 14-15 Failure of human torpedo attack at Alexandria | ||
| June | 5-6 The ‘Cauldron’ disaster | ||
| Peak sinkings in Atlantic | 3, 9 Two operations to reinforce Malta with Spitfires | 10 Bir Hacheim evacuated | |
| 4-6 Japanese naval defeat at Midway Island | 12-16 HARPOON convoy reaches Malta from the west; VIGOROUS from the east turns back | 11-12 Defeat of the British armour | |
| Formation of US Army Command and US Middle East Air Force | 14 Decision to withdraw from the Gazala positions | ||
| 18-25 Second Washington Conference | 21 Loss of Tobruk | ||
| 27 General Eisenhower appointed C.-in-C. Allied Expeditionary Force | 25 General Auchinleck takes direct command of 8th Army at Matruh | ||
| July | |||
| Anglo-American agreement on operation TORCH | 1-14 Heavy air attacks on Malta renewed | 1-5 Rommel’s attempt to break through at El Alamein defeated | |
| 24 Germans occupy Rostov USAAF tactical air forces begin to arrive in the Middle East | 15, 21 Two operations to reinforce Malta with Spitfires 10th Submarine Flotilla returns to Malta | 10-26 Repeated British attacks end indecisively. Both sides exhausted | |
| August | |||
| 4-10 Mr. Churchill in Cairo | 10-15 PEDESTAL convoy to Malta | 13 General Montgomery takes command of 8th Army | US Persian Gulf Service Command set up |
| 12 He attends the First Moscow Conference |
11 Loss of HMS Eagle |
30-31 Axis offensive begins: Battle of Alam el Halfa | 21 Persia and Iraq Command (PAIC) set up. General Maitland Wilson appointed to command |
| 15 General Alexander succeeds General Auchinleck as C.-in-C. | 11,17 Two operations to reinforce Malta with Spitfires | ||
| 16 Germans reach Maikop in the Caucasus | 12 Loss of HMS Manchester | ||
| 24 Allied Force HQ set up in London for TORCH | |||
| September | |||
| Peak of struggle for Stalingrad | 2 Rommel begins to withdraw | ||
| 7 Battle over | |||
| British prepare to take the offensive |
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