Italy 1941 1942 Associated articles The Capture of Kufra (French: Prise de Koufra, Italian: Cufra) was part of the Allied Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War.

Kufra was the obvious target and the troops available to the Free French commander in Chad, Lieutenant Colonel Jean Colonna d'Ornano [fr], were 5,000 tirailleurs (riflemen) of the Senegalese Light Infantry Regiment of Chad (Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais du Tchad (RTST) in twenty companies garrisoning various places and three detachments of méharistes (camel cavalry), in Borkou, Tibesti and Ennedi.

The LRDG and Free French first raided the Italian airfield at Murzuk, in the Territorio Sahara Libico–Fezzan region in south-western Libya.

D'Ornano and ten Free French (three officers, two sergeants and five Chadian soldiers) met LRDG patrols on 6 January 1941 at Kayouge.

[4] A diversionary raid by French camel cavalry failed after it was betrayed by local guides and these troops were relegated to reconnaissance.

Kufra was protected by two defensive lines around the El Tag fort with barbed wire, trenches, machine-guns and light anti-aircraft guns.

[5] Leclerc asked the LRDG to deal with the Saharan company, based in El Tag fort in the Kufra oasis.

Due to the fire-power of the Italian vehicles, armed with 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon, and constant air attack, T Patrol was driven off, losing four trucks and Major Clayton, who was captured with several others.

Aware of the French approach, the Italians organised another strong mobile column from the Saharan company (seventy men, ten AS37 and five trucks).

Despite losing many trucks to the 20 mm guns of the Italian AS37 cars, the French drove off the Compagnia Sahariana as the Kufra garrison failed to intervene.

The Italian garrison was permitted to withdraw to the north-west and the French forces took over eight SPA AS.37 Autocarro Sahariano light trucks, six lorries, four 20 mm cannon and 53 machine-guns.