Battle of Bir Hakeim

E26170

The Battle of Bir Hakeim was a pivotal 1942 North African engagement in which Free French forces held off Axis troops in the Libyan desert, significantly delaying the advance toward Egypt.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II battle
battle
alsoKnownAs Battle of Bir Hakeim
surface form: "Battle of Bir Hacheim"
attackingForce 15th Panzer Division
21st Panzer Division
German Afrika Korps
surface form: "Afrika Korps"

Ariete Armoured Division
Italian XX Motorised Corps
Italian Trieste Division
surface form: "Trieste Motorised Division"
belligerent Free French Forces
Kingdom of Italy
Nazi Germany
United Kingdom
commander Erwin Rommel
Ettore Baldassarre
Friedrich von Mellenthin
Marie-Pierre Kœnig
conflict North African campaign
surface form: "Western Desert Campaign"
coordinateRegion southern end of the Gazala line
country Libya
date May–June 1942
defendingForce 1st Free French Brigade
1st Free French Brigade
surface form: "Brigade française libre du général Kœnig"
effect allowed Allied forces to withdraw from the Gazala line
contributed to preparation of the First Battle of El Alamein
delayed Axis advance toward Egypt
endDate 1942-06-11
followedBy Battle of El Alamein
surface form: "First Battle of El Alamein"

Battle of Tobruk (1942)
surface form: "fall of Tobruk (1942)"
location Bir Hakeim
Libya
Libyan Desert
notableFor boosting Charles de Gaulle’s Free French prestige
high Axis casualties relative to objective
stubborn Free French defense
symbolic importance for Free French Forces
opponent Allies of World War II
surface form: "Allied powers"

Axis powers
outcome Axis forces captured Bir Hakeim position
Free French forces conducted a breakout
partOf Battle of Gazala
surface form: "Gazala battles"

North African campaign
surface form: "North African Campaign"
precededBy earlier actions on the Gazala line
result strategic Allied success
tactical Axis victory
startDate 1942-05-26
theatre North African campaign
surface form: "North African theatre of World War II"
timePeriod World War II
year 1942

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Battle of Bir Hakeim alsoKnownAs Battle of Bir Hakeim
this entity surface form: "Battle of Bir Hacheim"
Bir-Hakeim namedAfter Battle of Bir Hakeim
Pont de Bir-Hakeim namedAfter Battle of Bir Hakeim
Battle of Gazala notableEngagement Battle of Bir Hakeim
this entity surface form: "defence of Bir Hakeim"
Free French Forces participatedIn Battle of Bir Hakeim
FFL participatedIn Battle of Bir Hakeim
subject surface form: "Free French Forces"
Marie-Pierre Kœnig participatedIn Battle of Bir Hakeim
Free France significantEvent Battle of Bir Hakeim

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