What History Teaches About Fighting In Libya

Seventy years ago at the end of March 1941, the German Afrika Korps attacked British forces around El Agheila, which is now occupied by the Libyan rebels. The Germans would fight the British and Americans fiercely in the desert before General Rommel “The Desert Fox” was forced to capitulate. Can we learn any lessons from 70 years ago about who will come out on time this time in Libya?

Franz-Stefan Gady thinks so and has a fascinating piece at the National Interest on that subject. As he points out, just like the Axis and the Allies were fighting over the old colonial route Via Balbo, a strategic highway that runs east to west, Gaddafi’s forces and the rebels are fighting over the same road today. History teaches that whoever controls the the towns along that route will come out on top. (Apparently, not too many major roads have been built in Libya!) And what will tip the balance on the battlefield? As Gady points out, air power will be key. There is very little protective cover in the Libya desert. Both Montgomery and Rommel believed that control of the air was what mattered: “If we lose the war in the air we lose the war and we lose it quickly,” said Montgomery.

Be sure to read Gady’s entire piece.