istoryworld
Events relating to africa
Italian frogmen enter the harbour at Alexandria and cripple two British battleships
Churchill gives Harold Macmillan an unusual job, negotiating on behalf of the British government in north Africa and reporting directly to Churchill
Algerian nationalist Ferhat Abbas produces a manifesto demanding independence from France
German general Erwin Rommel captures Tobruk, along with 33,000 British soldiers and valuable supplies
Auchinleck finally stops Rommel's advance, in the first battle of El Alamein
US general Dwight Eisenhower is appointed to command Allied landings in north Africa
Bernard Montgomery is appointed commander of the demoralized British and Commonwealth Eighth Army in North Africa
Rommel's new thrust towards Alexandria is halted by the British at Alam al-Halfa, a ridge near El Alamein
Montgomery launches the second battle of El Alamein against Rommel
In a few weeks Montgomery and the Eighth Army push Rommel back some 1200 miles, into Tunisia
American and British forces, under Dwight Eisenhower, land in Morocco and Algeria
After three days of resistance the French commanders in north Africa bring their troops over to the Allied side
Harold Macmillan reveals his diplomatic skills as a go-between at the Casablanca Conference
William Tubman begins a 28-year spell as president of Liberia
Roosevelt and Churchill meet in Casablanca for a strategic conference
The Casablanca Conference includes the decision to insist on unconditional surrender by the Axis powers
The victory of the Allies in north Africa brings to an end the three-year siege of Malta
May 7 - the Allies capture Tunis, taking 250,000 German and Italian prisoners and winning control of North Africa
Gamal Abdel Nasser and army colleagues form a secret party, the Free Officers, to fight for an independent Egyptian republic
Arab countries, gathered for a conference in Cairo, form the Arab League to further their joint interests
Demonstrations in Algeria spark off an uprising against French rule, which is put down with the loss of perhaps 10,000 Muslim lives
Baseball-player Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American in a major league team
Daniel Malan becomes South Africa's prime minister after his National Party wins the general election
Daniel Malan moves swiftly to reinforce apartheid, South Africa's already existing system of racial segregation
The Muslim Brotherhood carries out acts of terrorism against the Egyptian authorities and British troops
