A Moment of Silence for…
Bibliography with Notes plus Bonus Content
Holocaust Encyclopedia. Allied Military Operations in North Africa.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/allied-military-operations-in-north-africa#:~:text=During%20the%20entire%20North%20African,alone%20totaled%20more%20than%2018%2C500
“During the entire North African campaign, the Germans and Italians suffered 620,000 casualties, while the British Commonwealth lost 220,000 men. American casualties in Tunisia alone totaled more than 18,500.”
Shores, Christopher F., and Giovanni Massimello with Russel Guest. A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945: Volume One: North Africa. London: Grub Street, 2012. Kindle.
CHAPTER 10 OPERATION CRUSADER
“The pilot, Lt Stevens, who later took part in the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III, but was captured again and was one of those shot on 29 March 1944.”
Bonus Illustrations
Bonus Content
Africa Star
One of the first medals awarded to WWII veterans of the Commonwealth and UK, the Africa Star , was initially issued in July 1943.
The Medal was awarded for one or more days of service in North Africa between June 10, 1940, and May 12, 1943.
The North African theater stretched from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Suez Canal, including Malta, Greece, Crete, the Ethiopian Empire, Kenya, the Sudan, Somaliland, and Eritrea. And, of course, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
Sailors in the Royal and Merchant Navy qualified through service anywhere in the Mediterranean. RAF personnel qualified by landing in or flying over any of the areas mentioned.
Service in West Africa did NOT qualify for this medal. This means the soldiers manning the Port of Takoradi, Gold Coast (now Ghana) were not eligible! Even though the aircraft they supplied turned the tide in the Western Desert.
WWII in North Africa 