Libyan Arab Force: Difference between revisions
m v2.05b - Bot T20 CW#61 - Fix errors for CW project (Reference before punctuation) |
Fixed typo, repetition of words Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
||
| (45 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Volunteer army in Libya (1941–1951)}} |
{{Short description|Volunteer army in Libya (1941–1951)}} |
||
The '''Libyan Arab Force''' |
The '''Libyan Arab Force''', also known as the [[Senusiyya|Sanusi]] Army, consisting of five infantry battalions made up of volunteers, was established to aid the British war effort. With the exception of one military engagement near [[Benghazi]], this force's role did not extend beyond support and gendarmerie duties.{{sfn|Vandewalle|2006|p=36}} It was initially known as the '''British Arab Force''' and was renamed the '''Cyrenaica Defence Force''' in March 1943. |
||
==Background== |
==Background== |
||
Following the outbreak of [[World War II]] in |
Following the outbreak of [[World War II]] in 1939, [[Idris of Libya]] supported the [[United Kingdom]]—which was now at war with Italy—in the hope of ridding his country of Italian occupation. He argued that even if the Italians were victorious, the situation for the Libyan people would be no different than before the war. Delegates from both the Cyrenaicans and Tripolitanians agreed that Idris should conclude agreements with the British that they would gain independence in return for support during the war.{{sfn|Vandewalle|2006|p=36}} [[Vladimir Peniakoff]] was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] and served in the Libyan Arab Force,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35063|supp=y|pages=681–682|date=31 January 1941}}</ref> before creating a unit known as [[Popski's Private Army]]. |
||
Shortly after Italy entered the war, a number of Libyan leaders living in exile in Egypt called on their compatriots to organise themselves into military units and join the British in the war against the Axis powers. |
Shortly after Italy entered the war, a number of Libyan leaders living in exile in Egypt called on their compatriots to organise themselves into military units and join the British in the war against the Axis powers. Five battalions, which were initially designed for guerrilla warfare in the [[Jabal al Akhdar]] region of [[Cyrenaica]], were established under British command. Because the high mobility of the desert campaigns required a considerable degree of technical and mechanical expertise, the Libyan forces were used primarily as auxiliaries, guarding military installations and prisoners. One battalion participated in the fighting at the [[Siege of Tobruk]] (April–November 1941). |
||
| ⚫ | After the British retreat from Cyrenaica during [[Operation Sonnenblume]] (6 February – 25 May 1941) the military administration of Cyrenaica lapsed. In the course of 1941, the British proposed to send the Libyan-Arab-Force to Syria.<ref>Todd M. Thompson: ''Covert Operations, British Views of Islam and Anglo-Sanusi Relations in North Africa, 1940–45'', in: The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, Vol. 27 (2009), No. 2, pp. 293–323 (here: p. 302).</ref> In the autumn preparations were made for the administration of Cyrenaica again once it had been reoccupied. On 14 October, GHQ Middle East revived a small military administration for Cyrenaica commanded by Brigadier [[Stephen Hemsley Longrigg|Stephen Longrigg]]. A small number of people were transferred to 102 Military Mission which had trained the British Senussi Army, later called the Libyan Arab Force. The new establishment began on 19 December at the fall of Derna.{{sfn|Rodd|1970|pp=243–244}} |
||
{{irrelevant|date=May 2024}} |
|||
| ⚫ | After the British retreat from Cyrenaica during [[Operation Sonnenblume]] ( |
||
| ⚫ | After Britain occupied Cyrenaica, the need for the British-trained and equipped Sanusi troops appeared to be over. The Sanusi Army was reluctant to disband and the majority of its members arranged to be transferred to the local police force in Cyrenaica under the British military administration. It was finally disbanded in August and September 1943. When Libya gained its independence in 1951, veterans of the original Sanusi Army formed the nucleus of the [[Royal Libyan Army]]. |
||
The force did partake in the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]] as 3rd Libyan Arab Force under [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)]] and was assigned guard duties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usacac.army.mil/sites/default/files/documents/carl/nafziger/942BJOC.pdf |title=British Forces Battle of El Alamein 23 October 1942 |website=usacac.army.mil}}</ref> Later on the [[Western Desert campaign]] in 1943, at least one battalion was stationed in Egypt as 2nd Libyan Arab Force.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/124/2020/07/British-Troops-Egypt-1943.pdf |title=British Troops in Egypt (1943) |website=www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk}}</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | After Britain occupied Cyrenaica, the need for the British-trained and equipped Sanusi troops appeared to be over. The Sanusi Army was reluctant to disband and the majority of its members arranged to be transferred to the local police force in Cyrenaica under the British military administration. It was finally disbanded in August and September 1943. |
||
The roots of the 1951–2011 Libyan armed forces can be traced to the Libyan Arab Force (popularly).{{sfn|Metz|1989}} |
The roots of the 1951–2011 Libyan armed forces can be traced to the Libyan Arab Force (popularly).{{sfn|Metz|1989}} |
||
| Line 29: | Line 26: | ||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
* [https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/the-libyan-arab-force-during-the-second-world-war/ The Libyan Arab Force during the Second World War] at [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)]] |
* [https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/the-libyan-arab-force-during-the-second-world-war/? The Libyan Arab Force during the Second World War] at [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)]] |
||
[[Category:African resistance to colonialism]] |
|||
[[Category:Libya in World War II]] |
[[Category:Libya in World War II]] |
||
[[Category:Libyan nationalism]] |
|||
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1939]] |
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1939]] |
||
[[Category:Libya–United Kingdom relations]] |
[[Category:Libya–United Kingdom relations]] |
||
Latest revision as of 22:56, 14 December 2024
The Libyan Arab Force, also known as the Sanusi Army, consisting of five infantry battalions made up of volunteers, was established to aid the British war effort. With the exception of one military engagement near Benghazi, this force's role did not extend beyond support and gendarmerie duties.[1] It was initially known as the British Arab Force and was renamed the Cyrenaica Defence Force in March 1943.
Background
[edit]Following the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Idris of Libya supported the United Kingdom—which was now at war with Italy—in the hope of ridding his country of Italian occupation. He argued that even if the Italians were victorious, the situation for the Libyan people would be no different than before the war. Delegates from both the Cyrenaicans and Tripolitanians agreed that Idris should conclude agreements with the British that they would gain independence in return for support during the war.[1] Vladimir Peniakoff was commissioned as a second lieutenant and served in the Libyan Arab Force,[2] before creating a unit known as Popski's Private Army.
Shortly after Italy entered the war, a number of Libyan leaders living in exile in Egypt called on their compatriots to organise themselves into military units and join the British in the war against the Axis powers. Five battalions, which were initially designed for guerrilla warfare in the Jabal al Akhdar region of Cyrenaica, were established under British command. Because the high mobility of the desert campaigns required a considerable degree of technical and mechanical expertise, the Libyan forces were used primarily as auxiliaries, guarding military installations and prisoners. One battalion participated in the fighting at the Siege of Tobruk (April–November 1941).
After the British retreat from Cyrenaica during Operation Sonnenblume (6 February – 25 May 1941) the military administration of Cyrenaica lapsed. In the course of 1941, the British proposed to send the Libyan-Arab-Force to Syria.[3] In the autumn preparations were made for the administration of Cyrenaica again once it had been reoccupied. On 14 October, GHQ Middle East revived a small military administration for Cyrenaica commanded by Brigadier Stephen Longrigg. A small number of people were transferred to 102 Military Mission which had trained the British Senussi Army, later called the Libyan Arab Force. The new establishment began on 19 December at the fall of Derna.[4]
After Britain occupied Cyrenaica, the need for the British-trained and equipped Sanusi troops appeared to be over. The Sanusi Army was reluctant to disband and the majority of its members arranged to be transferred to the local police force in Cyrenaica under the British military administration. It was finally disbanded in August and September 1943. When Libya gained its independence in 1951, veterans of the original Sanusi Army formed the nucleus of the Royal Libyan Army.
The roots of the 1951–2011 Libyan armed forces can be traced to the Libyan Arab Force (popularly).[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Vandewalle 2006, p. 36.
- ^ "No. 35063". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 January 1941. pp. 681–682.
- ^ Todd M. Thompson: Covert Operations, British Views of Islam and Anglo-Sanusi Relations in North Africa, 1940–45, in: The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, Vol. 27 (2009), No. 2, pp. 293–323 (here: p. 302).
- ^ Rodd 1970, pp. 243–244.
- ^ Metz 1989.
Bibliography
[edit]- Metz, Helen Chapin, ed. (1989). Libya: A Country Study. Area Handbook. Library of Congress. Federal Research Division.
- Rodd, F. (1970) [1948]. British Military Administration of Occupied Territories in Africa during the Years 1941–1947 (repr. Greenwood Press, CT ed.). London: HMSO. OCLC 1056143039.
- Vandewalle, Dirk (2006). A History of Modern Libya. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521615549.
Further reading
[edit]- Baldinetti, Anna (2010). The Origins of the Libyan Nation: Colonial Legacy, Exile and the Emergence of a New Nation-State. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781135245023.
- Kelly, Saul (2010). War & Politics in the Desert: Britain and Libya during the Second World War. London: Silphium Press. ISBN 9781900971096.