Bir Hakeim

The Oxford Companion to World War II | 2001 | 700+ words | Copyright

Bir Hakeim, fortress held in May– June 1942 by Maj-General Koenig's 1st Free French Brigade Group during the Western Desert campaign. Its pivotal position at the southern end of the British Gazala Line, which had been established west of Tobruk in Libya made it of critical importance to Rommel when he advanced eastwards to take Tobruk. Though heavily attacked, and eventually surrounded, the French, supported by the Western Desert Air Force, refused to surrender until, on the night of 10/11 June 1942, they were ordered to withdraw. Out of a total of 3,600 who had fought off the first attack 2,700 made their way to safety. Bir Hakeim did much to establish the Free French as a fighting force.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Bir Hakeim." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Bir Hakeim." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-BirHakeim.html

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Bir Hakeim." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-BirHakeim.html

Learn more about citation styles