The defense of Bir Hakeim, a remote watering hole in the Libyan desert, by Free French forces in May-June 1942 is one of the most legendary moments in French military history during World War II. Even though they ultimately lost, these defenders, including units from the famous French Foreign Legion, held their ground for 15 days against four divisions of German and Italian troops led by the renowned General Erwin Rommel.
The Axis forces targeted Bir Hakeim because it was part of the Allied defenses known as the Gazala Line, which protected the crucial port of Tobruk. When they finally fell, around 2,700 out of the original 3,700 Free French soldiers managed to escape and continue fighting. Meanwhile, Rommel went on to defeat the remaining Allied forces at the Battle of Gazala and captured Tobruk in June 1942, marking his biggest win in North Africa.
The Western Desert Campaigns
In the early years of WWII, the Allies, mainly British and Commonwealth forces, were super focused on keeping the Suez Canal out of enemy hands, specifically from the Axis powers like Germany and Italy. North Africa was key for controlling important shipping routes in the Mediterranean. Malta played a big role in this, and holding onto that island fortress meant they needed to secure airfields in the North African desert too. Plus, at this point in the war, it was pretty much the only place where British and French troops could actually take on Germany and Italy on land. After the embarrassing Dunkirk Evacuation and the humiliating Fall of France in 1940, any win would really boost the Allies’ morale.
Because of all this, a bunch of battles took place in the desert, known as the Western Desert Campaigns (from June 1940 to January 1943). Initially, the British Eighth Army was up against poorly equipped Italian forces, but things changed when German troops with better gear and training joined in. Starting in January 1941, the Axis forces in Africa got a major boost from General Erwin Rommel, who had already made a name for himself with his fast armor tactics during the Fall of France. Rommel led the Deutsche Afrika Korps (DAK) and quickly proved himself by capturing El Agheila in March 1941 and Mersa Brega on April 1.
By July, he was in charge of all German and Italian forces in North Africa, even though he still had to answer to the Italian high command. He scored two victories against Allied offensives in May and June (called Brevity and Battleaxe), but then faced defeat in November during the Crusader offensive. Rommel struggled with not enough troops and a lack of supplies (like food, fuel, and ammo), but by January 1942, things started looking up, and he decided to go on the offensive despite being told to focus on defense.
The British Eighth Army, made up of various British, British Empire, and Free French soldiers, was led by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie (1897-1985). The overall head of Allied forces in the Middle East was General Claude Auchinleck (1884-1981). At this point in the Western Desert Campaigns, the British Army was struggling with poor equipment, training, and leadership. On the flip side, Rommel’s troops, while smaller in number, were more professional, better organized, and had a solid grasp of teamwork across different units (Dear, 992).
The Gazala Line
Rommel was hell-bent on capturing Tobruk, which was super important for logistics in the area. He quickly reclaimed most of the land lost during the Crusader offensive and then focused on the Allied defenses at Gazala, about 64 km (40 miles) west of Tobruk. Hitting the Eighth Army first would throw a wrench in British plans to push Rommel back ahead of a big Allied landing in North Africa set for November 1942.
The Gazala Line was made up of a bunch of isolated strongpoints, each defended by a brigade, with tanks scattered in between. These strongholds were protected by barbed wire, trenches, and a serious belt of minefields. The line stretched from Gazala on the coast down to Bir Hakeim, a remote outpost that guarded an important desert route, though it was really just a few Bedouin tracks.
Bir Hakeim was basically a rundown fort with a couple of concrete shacks. Besides a small hill called the ‘Observatory,’ there weren’t many features to help with defense. It had a natural well but was mostly just a dot on the map. Plus, since it was at the end of the Gazala Line, it was surrounded by open desert, making it vulnerable to attacks from all sides. A Free French Force was assigned to defend this spot. Ironically, this was exactly where Rommel planned to launch a major attack because if Bir Hakeim stayed in Allied hands, it would threaten the southern flank of his main assault on the Eighth Army. Taking Bir Hakeim was a must.
The French Defences
The 1st Free French Brigade at Bir Hakeim was led by Brigadier-General Marie Pierre Koenig, who had quite the resume. He commanded about 3,700 troops, including two battalions from the famous French Foreign Legion and some infantry battalions made up of colonial troops from Chad and Congo. There was also an artillery battalion and a company of anti-tank gunners in the mix.
Koenig wasn’t new to battle; he had tons of experience from World War I and various campaigns in places like Morocco, Norway, France, Dakar, Gabon, and Syria. This savvy commander knew how to defend what looked like an impossible position at Bir Hakeim.
During the North Africa Campaign of WWII (1940-1943), the French Foreign Legion recruited guys from all over Europe, often those trying to escape their home countries. At Bir Hakeim, there were legionnaires from Russia, Georgia, Croatia, and even Germany. Interestingly, there was also Susan Travers, the only woman in the Foreign Legion. An Englishwoman who had worked with the Red Cross, she served as Koenig’s driver and was secretly his lover. Travers would later fight in other battles during the war and earn the prestigious Légion d’honneur.
When Koenig’s force arrived at the well on February 14, they had three months to set up defenses, and they made the most of it. They had 26 somewhat outdated but still effective 75-mm guns, 62 anti-tank guns, and 44 mortars. The area around the well was pretty flat, so the French built a defense system of trenches and underground posts arranged in circles. This way, if the enemy broke through, troops could fall back to a smaller perimeter. They also dug deep pits for artillery pieces. The whole setup was low-profile and camouflaged, making it tough to spot where the defenders were, whether from the ground or the air. The Free French had plenty of ammo and food supplies, though the food included standard British rations like tinned corned beef, which probably wasn’t what the legionnaires were used to!
The Attack
While Rommel’s German tanks were trying to flank the British by going around the Gazala Line, an Italian force, the 132a Divisione Corazzata ‘Ariete’, launched an attack on Bir Hakeim on May 27. The Italians first had to tackle the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade, which was unexpectedly positioned south of their target and blocking their path. Both sides were caught off guard in the desert, but the Italians quickly overpowered the brigade and captured 450 soldiers. When the Italian tanks reached Bir Hakeim, they ran into trouble with the extensive minefields set up for protection. They also faced effective fire from French artillery.
Still, General Giuseppe de Stefanis managed to fend off the British 4th Armoured Brigade and 7th Motorized units that were there to defend this key spot on the Gazala Line, then he pushed against the outer defenses held by the Free French. The Italians lost 32 tanks during their first two assaults and were pushed back, but they managed to encircle Bir Hakeim. Following Rommel’s orders, the Italian commander sent a group under a white flag to propose an immediate surrender to the French. Koenig shot down the offer with a message saying, “Gentlemen, thank your generals for their nice approach, but there’s no way we’re surrendering.” This wouldn’t be the last time they’d ask for a surrender over the next 15 days, butThe Free French forces, under siege, faced a growing barrage of artillery and air strikes. Thankfully, they got some backup from the Allied Desert AirOn June 8, Rommel sent in two more German battlegroups.
Tanks and infantry tried to take over Bir Hakeim while 54 fighter jets and 45 bombers, including Stukas, bombarded the underground defenses. Despite this, the Free French held their ground, though their positions were getting weaker with each attack, and they were losing heavy artillery pieces one by one. Koenig realized he couldn’t hold out much longer and asked his British superiors for backup,Koenig’s troops were totally worn out, and they were running low on ammo, food, and medical supplies. He got the order to pull back his forces on the night of June 10, but the French commander had already started making his own moves by clearing a 45-meter path through the minefield to the southwest.
Aftermath
The defense at Bir Hakeim definitely slowed Rommel down, but the Eighth Army didn’t really make the most of that time. In fact, things were looking pretty grim for the British forces. On the night of June 12, Rommel took a key British position called Knightsbridge, and the Eighth Army lost over 140 tanks in just one day. They were in total disarray, and the Gazala Line wasn’t holding up anymore. With Rommel racking up wins against scattered Allied troops, he had a clear path to Tobruk.
The Battle of Gazala wrapped up on June 17 with a huge defeat for the Allies. Rommel surrounded Tobruk on the same day and, with strong air support, took the port by June 21, capturing 33,000 soldiers. For this major win in Africa, Rommel was promoted to field marshal. The Eighth Army, despite losing 50,000 men but still being a tough force, pulled back to the El Alamein defensive line further east along the Egyptian coast. But fortunes shifted again when the British regrouped and resupplied under General Bernard Montgomery’s leadership, winning the crucial Second Battle of El Alamein in October-November 1942. This victory was just the start of a series of wins that helped secure North Africa for the Allies by May 1943.
The Battle of Bir Hakeim really put the Free French on the map as a credible fighting force during the war. It gave the French a huge morale boost and is remembered as a remarkable act of courage against tough odds. Today, there’s even a Paris Metro station named after it, which brings tons of visitors to the Eiffel Tower every year. There’s also a bridge over the River Seine called Bir Hakeim, and an original artillery piece from the defense of that spot is on display at the Musée de l’Armée in Paris.
