Editing Fort Capuzzo (section)

==Second World War==

===1940===
{{see also|Western Desert Campaign}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = First Action of Fort Capuzzo
| place       = Fort Capuzzo, [[Sallum]], [[Libya]]
|image = File:The British Army in North Africa 1940 E378.jpg
|image_size = 250px
|caption= [[Rolls-Royce Armoured Car]] at the [[Frontier Wire (Libya)|Frontier wire]], 1940
| partof      = [[North African Campaign]] of the [[Second World War]]
| date        = 14 June – 16  December 1940
| combatant1  = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| combatant2  = {{flagcountry|Fascist Italy (1922-1943)}}
| result      = British victory
| coordinates = {{Coord|31|34|51|N|25|03|08|E|type:event_region:LY|display=inline}}
| commander2  = Francesco Argentino
| units1      = [[7th Queen's Own Hussars|7th Hussars]]<br />[[1st Royal Tank Regiment]]<br />[[4th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|4th Armoured Brigade]]<br />[[No. 33 Squadron RAF]]<br />[[No. 211 Squadron RAF]]
| units2      = [[2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre"]]<br />[[Maletti Group]]
| casualties1 = 150
| casualties2 = 3,500 casualties<br />150 killed
}}
On 14 June 1940, four days after the Italian declaration of war on Britain, the [[7th Queen's Own Hussars|7th Hussars]] and elements of the [[1st Royal Tank Regiment]] captured Fort Capuzzo. The  [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) contributed the [[Gloster Gladiator|Gladiator]] fighters of [[No. 33 Squadron RAF|33 Squadron]] and [[Bristol Blenheim|Blenheim]] bombers of [[No. 211 Squadron RAF|211 Squadron]] to the attack and the [[11th Hussars]] took Fort Maddalena about {{cvt|60|mi}} further south.{{sfn|Playfair|Stitt|Molony|Toomer|2004a|pp=113, 118}} The fort was not occupied long for lack of troops and equipment but demolition parties visited each night to destroy Italian ammunition and vehicles.{{sfn|Moorehead|2009|p=13}} For the rest of June, the British patrolled to the north, south and west and began the [[Siege of Giarabub]]. The Italian [[Tenth Army (Italy)|10th Army]] concentrated in the area from Bardia to Tobruk and brought forward the [[Maletti Group]], a combined tank, infantry and artillery force, equipped with a company of [[Fiat M11/39]] medium tanks, which were superior to their older [[L3/33]] tankettes.{{sfn|Christie|1999|p=49}}

The Italians reoccupied Fort Capuzzo and held it with part of the [[2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre"]] (Lieutenant-General [{{lang|it|Luogotenente Generale}}] Francesco Argentino). On 29 June, the Maletti Group repulsed British tanks with its artillery and then defeated a night attack.{{sfn|Christie|1999|p=49}}{{sfn|Moorehead|2009|pp=15–16}} During the frontier skirmishes from 11 June to 9 September, the British claimed to have inflicted {{nowrap|3,500 casualties}} for a loss of {{nowrap|150 men.}}{{sfn|Playfair|Stitt|Molony|Toomer|2004a|pp=119, 187, 206}} On 16 December, during [[Operation Compass]] (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941) the 4th Armoured Brigade of the [[Western Desert Force]] captured Sidi Omar and the Italians withdrew from Sollum, Fort Capuzzo and the other frontier forts; Number {{nowrap|9 Field}} Supply Depot was established at the fort for the [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured Division]].{{sfn|Playfair|Stitt|Molony|Toomer|2004a|p=278}}

===1941===

On 10 April, after the Axis advance from El Agheila, small British mobile columns began to harass {{lang|de|Afrika Korps}} units around Fort Capuzzo, which was captured by the Germans on 12 April. Attacks by {{lang|de|Kampfgruppe Herf}} from 25 to 26 April, led the British columns to fall back.{{sfn|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Toomer|2004b|pp=36, 168, 204–205}} During [[Operation Brevity]] (15–16 May) an operation to capture the area between Sollum and the fort and inflict casualties, the [[22nd Guards Brigade|22nd Guards Brigade Group]] and the 4th RTR was to capture the fort and then attack northwards. The operation began on 15 May and the fort was captured by the 1st Durham Light Infantry (1st DLI) and a squadron of [[Infantry tank]]s.{{sfn|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Toomer|2004b|pp=159, 160–162}}

A counter-attack by II Battalion, Panzer Regiment 5 (with eight operational tanks) inflicted many losses and forced the 1st DLI back to [[Musaid]]. The German force advanced from Fort Capuzzo on the following afternoon.{{sfn|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Toomer|2004b|pp=159, 160–162}} Three Italian battalions with artillery from the [[102nd Motorized Division "Trento"|102nd Motorised Division "Trento"]] took over the area between Sollum, Musaid and Fort Capuzzo. Late on 15 June, the 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR) attacked Fort Capuzzo during [[Operation Battleaxe]] (15–17 June) and scattered the defenders. The British tanks broke through but infantry were slow to follow up and the tanks were not able rapidly to exploit the success.{{sfn|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Toomer|2004b|pp=164, 168–170}}

[[File:Defence of Fort Capuzzo by Italian anti-aircraft gunners.jpg|thumb|upright=.75|left|{{center|Defence of Fort Capuzzo by Italian anti-aircraft gunners, 15 June 1941}}]]
Next day, the 22nd Guards Brigade consolidated at the fort and Panzer Regiment 8 attacked near Capuzzo, only to be repulsed by the 4th Armoured Brigade. German attempts to work round the British flank failed but reduced the tank regiments in the area to {{nowrap|21 runners.}} On 17 June, the danger of encirclement increased as German attacks reached Sidi Suleiman and the 22nd Guards Brigade was ordered to retreat at {{nowrap|11:00 a.m.}} The remnants of the armoured brigades covered the British withdrawal, eventually to the start line, assisted by the RAF.{{sfn|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Toomer|2004b|pp=164, 168–170}} On 22 November, the fort was captured by the [[2nd Division (New Zealand)|2nd New Zealand Division]], during [[Operation Crusader]] (18 November – 30 December) which then advanced on Tobruk, apart from the 5th New Zealand Brigade which remained to capture the Sollum barracks.{{sfn|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004c|p=48}}

===1942===
[[File:Ridotta Capuzzo 3.jpg|thumb|{{centre|The main gate of Fort Capuzzo late in the campaign.}}]]
Axis forces recaptured the fort around 22 June 1942, after the [[Battle of Gazala]] (26 May – 21 June 1942) capturing {{convert|500|LT|t|abbr=on}} of fuel and {{convert|930|LT|t|abbr=on}} of foodstuffs, despite demolitions since the British withdrawal from Gazala has begun on 14 June.{{sfn|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004c|pp=48, 281}} After the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]] (23 October – 11 November 1942) Fort Capuzzo changed hands for the last time. German rearguards retired from Sidi Barrani on 9 November; next day, the [[22nd Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|22nd Armoured Brigade]] advanced on Fort Capuzzo from the south and by 11 November, the last Axis troops had withdrawn from the frontier, despite orders to hold the area from Halfaya to Sollum and Sidi Omar.{{sfn|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004d|pp=93–95}}

===Post war===
{{main|Allied occupation of Libya}}

After the Allied conquest in 1943, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica were ruled under the [[British Military Administration (Libya)|British Military Administration of Libya]] until Libyan independence in 1951, as a kingdom under Muhammad Idris bin Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi (King [[Idris of Libya]]). Fort Capuzzo and the frontier wire disappeared into obscurity.{{sfn|B61|1966|p=3}}