Atlas of Battles

battle, interwar and Second World War

First Battle of Bir el Gubi

First Battle of Bir el Gubi was a battle fought on 19 November 1941 in what is now Libya. It was part of Operation Crusader. The recorded result: Italian victory.

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carri armati italiani del Regio Esercito (modello M13/40) di guardia nel deserto africano
carri armati italiani del Regio Esercito (modello M13/40) di guardia nel deserto africano. Moosmüller, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought19 November 1941
WhereLibya31.537N, 24.031E
OutcomeItalian victory
BelligerentsUnited KingdomagainstKingdom of Italy
Part ofOperation Crusader1941

Where it sits in Operation Crusader

First Battle of Bir el Gubi, 1941Point 175, 1941Second Battle of Bir el Gubi, 194119411941First Battle of Bir el Gubi, 1941
3 placed engagements of Operation Crusader in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date19 November 1941
PlaceLibya
31.537N, 24.031E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Casualties and losses100 killed and wounded; 32 captured; 52 tanks destroyed
Commanders
  • John Scott-Cockburn
  • Mario Balotta
First Battle of Bir el GubiFirst Battle of Bir el GubiSecond Battle of Bir el GubiPoint 175Battle of Bir HakeimBattle at Bir el HarmatSiege of TobrukPoint 175Siege of TobrukSalum100 km31.537N, 24.031E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1941

First Battle of Bir el Gubi is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 57 in present-day Libya.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3636346, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Action at Bir el Gubi (November 1941), revision 1385695149, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.