The battle was fought for control of the Tripolitanian town of Misrata, a major supply base for Ottoman forces.

[3] On 16 June 1912 the troopships carrying the Special Division, escorted by the battleships Re Umberto, Sicilia and Sardegna and by the torpedo boats Airone and Clio, arrived near the coast of Misrata and landed a battalion of seamen, as well as other units, near the village of Bu Sceifa.

As such, the Italians spent the next week creating a base of operations by bringing supplies on-shore and fortifying their position.

The Italian column on the right met resistance from Turkish-Arab forces entrenched on the eastern edge of the oasis but continued to advance.

[5][6] After capturing Misrata, the Italian forces fortified the area with units from the 50th and 63rd Infantry Regiment; the Alpini Battalions "Verona" and "Mondovì"; a company of Eritrean Askari; some artillery batteries as well as engineers and service personnel.