Capture of Kufra

Capture of Kufra
Part of Operation Compass, during the Second World War

UN map of Libya, Kufra (now Al Kufrah) to the south-east
Date31 January – 1 March 1941
(1 month and 1 day)
Location24°11′N 23°17′E / 24.183°N 23.283°E / 24.183; 23.283
Result Allied victory
Belligerents

 Italy

Commanders and leaders
Fascist Italy Capt. Colonna
Strength
1 FFF Battalion (350 men)
1 LRDG (76 men)
60 trucks
2 Italian Askari Company (310 men)
1 Auto-Saharan Company (120 men)
20 trucks
4 aircraft
Casualties and losses
4 killed
21 wounded
3 killed
4 wounded
282 captured
3 aircraft destroyed

The Capture of Kufra (French: Prise de Koufra, Italian: Cufra) was part of the Allied Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War. Kufra is a group of oases in the Kufra District of south-eastern Cyrenaica in the Libyan Desert. In 1940, it was part of the colony of Italian Libya Libia Italiana, which was part of Africa Settentrionale Italiana (ASI), which had been established in 1934. With some early assistance from the British Long Range Desert Group, Kufra was besieged from 31 January to 1 March 1941 by Free French forces which forced the surrender of the Italian and Libyan garrison.