North Africa (general region)
Subject
Subject Source: Local sources
Found in 296 Collections and/or Records:
Item
(Untitled), 09 Dec 1941
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/46/63-64
Scope and Contents
Telegrams from Major-General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander-in-Chief, Middle East] to WSC on battle in Libyan desert, Crusader [codename for major British operation in North Africa]; "Enemy is apparently in full retreat towards the west".
Dates:
09 Dec 1941
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 12 Dec 1941
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/46/95-98
Scope and Contents
Telegram from WSC to Major-General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander-in-Chief, Middle East] and the Minister of State, Middle East [Oliver Lyttelton, later 1st Lord Chandos] advising that 18th Division has been diverted to Bombay [India] but Crusader, Acrobat and Gymnast [codenames for major British operation in North Africa, the operation against Tripoli, Libya, and for the plans for the British occupation of North West Africa] should continue; General Sir Archibald Wavell [Commander-in-...
Dates:
12 Dec 1941
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 26 Nov 1941
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/45/110
Scope and Contents
Telegram from Major-General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander- in-Chief, Middle East] to WSC on battle in Libyan Desert, [Crusader, codename for major British operation in North Africa].
Dates:
26 Nov 1941
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 03 Feb 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/69B/108
Scope and Contents
Telegram from General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in- Chief, Middle East, to WSC regarding the latest position in North Africa: estimates no more than 1000 prisoners captured by enemy in Benghazi [Libya]; positions at Mechili [? Al Makili, Libya] and Tengeder [? Bir Tanjadar, Libya] being consolidated; our mobile columns and fighting patrols operating actively in the vicinity of Msus [? Masus, Libya] and Charruba; suggests enemy may continue eastward movement and identifies possible...
Dates:
03 Feb 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Item
(Untitled), 03 Feb 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/69B/114-115
Scope and Contents
Telegram from General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander- in-Chief, Middle East, to WSC regarding the latest position in North Africa: describes troop positions; states that the immediate intention is to stabilise on a general line of present positions while retaining control of No Man's Land; believes that the tank situation is favourable and that the enemy is at the end of a long line of communications; is preparing a defensive position on a general line Sollum-Giarabub [Libya].
Dates:
03 Feb 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Item
(Untitled), 12 Feb 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/70/22-23
Scope and Contents
Letter from H Freeman Matthews [Counsellor, United States Embassy, London] to WSC reciting texts of two telegrams from the President of the United States [Franklin Roosevelt] to WSC, on the actions of the French Vichy Government in supplying the axis powers in North Africa, enclosing the text of a telegram sent to Marshal Philippe Petain [Prime Minister of France] and also concerning changes at ABDA [Australian, British, Dutch and Australasian] Command, requesting a delay in the announcement...
Dates:
12 Feb 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 15 Mar 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/71B/164
Scope and Contents
Telegram from WSC to General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East: comments on the implications of delaying an attack, particularly for Malta and North Africa and on comparative allied and enemy tank numbers; states that he is sending Sir Stafford Cripps [Lord Privy Seal] to India via Cairo [Egypt] to put across the views of the War Cabinet, accompanied by Lieutenant-General Archibald Nye [Vice-Chief of the Imperial General Staff].
Dates:
15 Mar 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 15 May 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/75/39-40
Scope and Contents
Telegram from the Minister of State in the Middle East [Richard Casey] to WSC reporting on his first ten days in Egypt and the impressions he has gained: includes comments on the harmonious working of the army and air force; the administrative work of Lieutenant-General Thomas Riddell- Webster [Lieutenant General in charge of Administration Middle East]; organisation of supplies in the Middle East; the situation in Syria and Egypt; relations with United States forces; the use of Spitfires...
Dates:
15 May 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 20 May 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/75/62-63
Scope and Contents
Telegram from WSC to General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander-in-Chief Middle East] marked "most secret" regarding impending battle in North Africa: states that "We feel that the time has come for a trial of strength in Cyrenaica [Libya] and that the survival of Malta is involved"; comments on the need to prevent newspaper speculation; expresses his confidence in Auchinleck and the army but urges him to assume direct command; asks whether the New Zealand Division ought to be nearer the...
Dates:
20 May 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 22 May 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/75/71-72
Scope and Contents
Telegram from General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander- in-Chief, Middle East] to WSC marked "most secret" regarding the impending battle in North Africa: states that "I am now absolutely clear as to my task and I will do my utmost to accomplish it to your satisfaction"; thanks WSC for arrangements regarding publicity and for his expression of confidence; comments on his own decision not to take command personally in Libya; comments on his own decision not to move the New Zealand Division...
Dates:
22 May 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 26 May 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/75/79-81
Scope and Contents
Telegram from Field Marshal Jan Smuts [Prime Minister of South Africa] to WSC marked "most secret and personal" reporting his conclusions on general strategy based upon his visit to the Middle East: comments on the situation in Libya and states that he considers "conclusive operations in Libyan bulge essential for our real victory"; comments on the importance of holding a Middle East block, including Iran, Iraq, India, Ceylon [later Sri Lanka] and the Indian Ocean, from both German and...
Dates:
26 May 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 28 May 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/75/97-98
Scope and Contents
Telegram from WSC to the President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt: informs Roosevelt that he is sending a report of his conversations with Vyacheslav Molotov [Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs] covering "Bolero" [codename for build-up of United States forces in Britain for invasion of Europe], "Sledgehammer" [codename for plan to attack coast of France in 1942] and "Super Round- up" [codename for the liberation of France in 1943, later Overlord]; comments on talks with United...
Dates:
28 May 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 29 May 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/75/114-116
Scope and Contents
Telegram from the Minister of State in the Middle East [Richard Casey] to WSC marked "most secret" commenting on the difficulties of increasing the proportion of fighting manpower within the total strength of the army in the Middle East: states that the matter has already received considerable attention; comments on problems of geography, lack of industrial development and distance from sources of production which necessitate large support services; discusses the possibility of diluting...
Dates:
29 May 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 09 Jun 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/76/65-66
Scope and Contents
Telegram from WSC to General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander-in-Chief, Middle East] marked "most secret and personal" informing him of decision to divert the 8th Armoured Division and the 44th Division from South Africa to the Middle East, and commenting on reasons why these troops are no longer required in Australia or India.
Dates:
09 Jun 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 16 Jun 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/76/122
Scope and Contents
Telegram from WSC to Field Marshal Jan Smuts [Prime Minister of South Africa] marked "personal and secret" reciting the text of a draft message that WSC prepared for General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander-in-Chief, Middle East] but did not send [see CHAR 20/76/121] and commenting on the chance afforded to the Eighth Army by the enemy attack of delivering a "preconceived rupturing counter-stroke".
Dates:
16 Jun 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 18 Jun 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/76/137
Scope and Contents
Telegram from Field Marshal Jan Smuts [Prime Minister of South Africa] to WSC marked "most secret and personal" commenting on the battle in the Libyan desert: agrees with the text of WSC's draft message to General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander-in-Chief, Middle East] and comments on the "defensive spirit" of "our Commands"; comments on the implications of an initiative by General Erwin Rommel [Commander of the German Afrika Korps]; states that "Position at moment looks grave.".
Dates:
18 Jun 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 24 Jun 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/77/19-20
Scope and Contents
Telegram from General Sir Claude Auchinleck [Commander in Chief Middle East] to WSC marked "personal and most secret" regarding the situation in North Africa: deeply regrets "this severe blow" and comments on advantages to enemy of capture of Tobruk [Libya]; comments on "untenable" position of continuing resistance at the Salum frontier and describes build up of forces at Matruh [Egypt]; comments on risks of drawing too many troops from rest of Middle East theatre. [see also CHAR...
Dates:
24 Jun 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
The Churchill Papers are made available to researchers using Churchill Archives Centre and worldwide in digital format. The digital edition of the Churchill Papers is published by Bloomsbury Academic and is available online to subscribing institutions at churchillarchive.com. The Churchill archive is freely available in our reading rooms and onsite at Churchill College (via the Churchill College wireless network). Researchers can download images of documents directly from churchillarchive.com and so are encouraged to consider bringing a laptop or other device for this purpose. For conservation reasons, the fragile originals are no longer issued to researchers.
This digital edition is open to researchers unless otherwise marked in the catalogue. Some material has been closed by the Cabinet Office or by Churchill Archives Centre in accordance with data protection legislation.
Item
(Untitled), 28 Jun 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/77/34-36
Scope and Contents
Telegram from the Minister of State in the Middle East [Richard Casey] to WSC marked "personal and most secret" reporting on the battle in North Africa: States that General Claude Auchinleck [Commander in Chief Middle East] is telegraphing him directly and regularly from Eighth Army Headquarters; comments on Auchinleck's plan of campaign ; states that the battle will be a mobile one fought between Matruh [Egypt] and El Alamein [Egypt] and southwards to the Qattara depression [Egypt];...
Dates:
28 Jun 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
The Churchill Papers are made available to researchers using Churchill Archives Centre and worldwide in digital format. The digital edition of the Churchill Papers is published by Bloomsbury Academic and is available online to subscribing institutions at churchillarchive.com. The Churchill archive is freely available in our reading rooms and onsite at Churchill College (via the Churchill College wireless network). Researchers can download images of documents directly from churchillarchive.com and so are encouraged to consider bringing a laptop or other device for this purpose. For conservation reasons, the fragile originals are no longer issued to researchers.
This digital edition is open to researchers unless otherwise marked in the catalogue. Some material has been closed by the Cabinet Office or by Churchill Archives Centre in accordance with data protection legislation.
Item
(Untitled), 30 Jun 1942 - 01 Jul 1942
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/77/49
Scope and Contents
Telegram from General Jan Smuts [Prime Minister of South Africa] to WSC suggesting that the Royal Air Force concentrate its maximum bombing force against the German army and ports in North Africa instead of bombing towns in Germany.
Dates:
30 Jun 1942 - 01 Jul 1942
Conditions Governing Access:
From the Fonds:
The Churchill Papers are made available to researchers using Churchill Archives Centre and worldwide in digital format. The digital edition of the Churchill Papers is published by Bloomsbury Academic and is available online to subscribing institutions at churchillarchive.com. The Churchill archive is freely available in our reading rooms and onsite at Churchill College (via the Churchill College wireless network). Researchers can download images of documents directly from churchillarchive.com and so are encouraged to consider bringing a laptop or other device for this purpose. For conservation reasons, the fragile originals are no longer issued to researchers.
This digital edition is open to researchers unless otherwise marked in the catalogue. Some material has been closed by the Cabinet Office or by Churchill Archives Centre in accordance with data protection legislation.
Item
(Untitled), 28 Mar 1943
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/93B/110-111
Scope and Contents
Letter from WSC to Sir Alexander Hardinge [King's Private Secretary] marked "Secret" stating: that he had heard that General Dwight Eisenhower [Commander in Chief of North African Theatre of Operations, United States Army] was "rather hurt" that King George VI's message to the troops before the battle had not gone through him and that WSC took responsibility for this; that Torch [Allied Invasion of West North Africa] which was supposed to be a United States operation had now fallen into the...
Dates:
28 Mar 1943
Conditions Governing Access:
From the File:
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Item
(Untitled), 1946
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/246/29-101
Scope and Contents
Page proofs for a supplement to the London Gazette entitled "Operations in East Africa, November 1940 - July 1941", reprinting contemporary despatches and reports by General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East (21 May 1942), Lieutenant-General Sir William Platt, on the operations in Eritrea and Abyssinia [Ethiopia] (11 September 1941) and Lieutenant-General Sir Alan Cunningham on East Africa Force Operations (6 June 1941 and 22 July 1941) with various appendices and...
Dates:
1946
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Found in:
Churchill Archives Centre
/
GBR/0014/CHAR and CHUR, The Papers of Sir Winston Churchill
/
Chartwell Papers
/
Official: Prime Minister
/
Official: Prime Minister: African, Mediterranean, and Middle East theatres, 1939-43: proofs of contemporary despatches and reports, to be published as supplements to the London Gazette, and a copy of a pamphlet on the New Zealand Division in Egypt and Libya in 1942, with accompanying correspondence. [some material probably used in the production of WSC's "Second World War"].
Item
(Untitled), Aug 1946
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/246/141-156
Scope and Contents
"Revised" page proofs of a supplement to the London Gazette entitled "Operations in the Middle East, 5 July 1941 - 31 October 1941" reprinting a contemporary despatch by General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief the Middle East Forces (8 March 1942), on Syria and Palestine, Cyprus, Iran [Persia], Turkey, co-operative planning with India, East Africa, Sudan, the Western Desert, Tobruk [Libya], and Egypt, and administrative matters, with appendices including communications from...
Dates:
Aug 1946
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Found in:
Churchill Archives Centre
/
GBR/0014/CHAR and CHUR, The Papers of Sir Winston Churchill
/
Chartwell Papers
/
Official: Prime Minister
/
Official: Prime Minister: African, Mediterranean, and Middle East theatres, 1939-43: proofs of contemporary despatches and reports, to be published as supplements to the London Gazette, and a copy of a pamphlet on the New Zealand Division in Egypt and Libya in 1942, with accompanying correspondence. [some material probably used in the production of WSC's "Second World War"].
Item
(Untitled), Jul 1946 - Aug 1946
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/246/167-182
Scope and Contents
Page proofs for a supplement of the London Gazette entitled "Operations in North West Africa 8th November 1942 to 13th May 1943" reprinting a contemporary despatch by Lieutenant-General [Kenneth] Anderson, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, 1st Army, (7 June 1943) with later War Office preface and footnotes. [annotated].
Dates:
Jul 1946 - Aug 1946
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Found in:
Churchill Archives Centre
/
GBR/0014/CHAR and CHUR, The Papers of Sir Winston Churchill
/
Chartwell Papers
/
Official: Prime Minister
/
Official: Prime Minister: African, Mediterranean, and Middle East theatres, 1939-43: proofs of contemporary despatches and reports, to be published as supplements to the London Gazette, and a copy of a pamphlet on the New Zealand Division in Egypt and Libya in 1942, with accompanying correspondence. [some material probably used in the production of WSC's "Second World War"].
Item
(Untitled), 01 Aug 1940 - 01 Sep 1940
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/13/5
Scope and Contents
Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, August 1940. Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet]; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; the Chiefs of Staff, General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence], and other senior military figures; F A Lindemann [later 1st Lord Cherwell, Prime Minister's Personal Assistant]; a press statement by WSC; and a minute...
Dates:
01 Aug 1940 - 01 Sep 1940
Conditions Governing Access:
Open
Item
(Untitled), 01 Nov 1940 - 30 Nov 1940
Reference Code: GBR/0014/CHAR 20/13/8
Scope and Contents
Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, November 1940.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; the Chiefs of Staff; senior civil servants including Sir James Grigg [Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War] and Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet]; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence].Subjects covered by the minutes include: air force plans...
Dates:
01 Nov 1940 - 30 Nov 1940
Conditions Governing Access:
Open