Show Beginning o of End n Came With i Allied Victory in Africa Hitler committed his second strategic strategic stra blunder in 1942 1992 when he failed to conquer Egypt and seize control of the Mediterranean The Axis knew the value of ot the Mediterranean and by keeping control control control con con- of the western end through use of the Italian fleet and Tunisia kept the British from using it as a supply line for Egypt and the Suez canal But that was not enough British convoys dared the Italian fleet t and brought supplies to embattled Malta bombed day and night like nothing was ever bombed before But the I supplies went through and Malta I stood g giving ging ing the British a base Field Marshal Erwin Rommel the German commander in North Africa Africa Af Af- rica had made two attempts to end British resistance in Libya The Axis forces had almost been successful successful successful suc suc- in the first two attempts but had been checked and then driven back Now Rommel decided to try again Rommel's Final Attempt Rommel launched the third and final Axis Ais offensive against Egypt EgyptI in May 1942 Nothing happened at first and then the British were ambushed ambushed am am- bushed and lost almost all its armor armora a a tragic blow at that stage The British fell back to El only 60 miles from Alexandria with their backs to the wall Rommel tried in vain for the final breakthrough but victory eluded him The British aerial bombardment bombard ment of German home industry and transportation Hitler's failure to crush the Russians and the steady growth of Allied air power in the eastern Mediterranean reduced the assistance that Rommel was able to get and kept him from getting all the supplies he needed The Axis was beaten in the Mediterranean Mediterranean Medi Medi- when the British broke broke through in a counterattack at El ElAI AI and then drove the Afrika Korps west to the final defeat in the fall faU of 42 and the crushing Allied victories following the landing of ot American troops in North Africa on November 8 1942 1992 I Progress in Pacific In the Pacific the U. U S S. S fleet had won notable victories during that fateful year of 1942 We had beaten the Japs decisively in the Coral sea I battle in May and had whipped them again in the battle of the Solomons Solomons- whipped them so badly that the imperial imperial imperial im im- Jap fleet was to retire to to home ports and concentrate on the defense of the homeland r i iw w v rI I |