Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Gazala

Battle of Gazala was a battle fought on 26 May 1942 at Gazala, in what is now Libya; it lasted 26 days. It was part of the Mediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II, which ran from 1940 to 1945. The recorded result: Axis victory.

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Battle of Gazala
Tannenberg, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought26 May 1942lasted 26 days
WhereGazala, Libya31.950N, 23.450E
OutcomeAxis victory
BelligerentsKingdom of Italy; Nazi GermanyagainstUnited Kingdom; British India; Union of South Africa; Free French Forces; Supported by: United States
Part ofMediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II1940 to 1945

Where it sits in the Mediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II

Battle of the Espero Convoy, 1940Battle of Cape Spada, 1940Battle of Cape Passero, 1940Battle of Sidi Barrani, 1940Siege of Giarabub, 1940Battle of Kufra, 1941Operation Sonnenblume, 1941Battle of Cape Matapan, 1941Siege of Tobruk, 1941Battle of the Tarigo Convoy, 1941Battle of the Duisburg Convoy, 1941Battle of Cape Bon, 1941First Battle of Sirte, 1941Raid on Alexandria, 1941Second Battle of Sirte, 1942Battle of Gazala, 1942Battle of Bir Hakeim, 1942Axis capture of Tobruk, 1942Battle of Mersa Matruh, 1942Battle of Alam el Halfa, 1942Battle of Skerki Bank, 1942Battle of the Gulf of Gabes, 1943Battle of the Cigno Convoy, 1943Battle of Enfidaville, 1943Battle of the Campobasso Convoy, 1943Battle of Rhodes, 1943Battle of Leros, 1943Battle of Kos, 1943Action of 1 November 1944, 1944Battle of Ist, 1944Raid on Santorini, 1944Battle of Port Cros, 1944Battle of La Ciotat, 1944Battle of the Ligurian Sea, 194519401945Battle of Gazala, 1942
34 placed engagements of the Mediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date26 May 1942
to 21 June 1942
PlaceGazala, Libya
31.950N, 23.450E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Territorial changeNortheastern Marmarica recaptured by Axis forces.
Battle of GazalaBattle of GazalaBattle at Bir el HarmatBattle of Bir HakeimBattle of TobrukBritish capture of TobrukSiege of TobrukBattle at Bir el HarmatBattle of Bir HakeimBattle of TobrukDarnahShahhatSalum100 km31.950N, 23.450E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Gazala
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Gazala today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-04-05. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 175 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 144 to 190 m, 45 m of relief, flat country and today it is 100% bare ground.

bare ground: 100%bare ground 100%
west to east, 10.0 km165 to 182 mnorth to south, 10.0 km158 to 187 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1942

Battle of Gazala 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 Q327035, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Gazala, revision 1384465171, 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.