| Original caption, The War Illustrated, July 10, 1942: “Heroes Of Bir Hacheim. Of a surety the true France is expressed in the smiling and confident bearing of these two Free French warriors who fought most valiantly in the defense of Bir Hacheim. The Free French brigade under General Kœnig held out for sixteen days. They destroyed about seventy Axis tanks, inflicted severe losses in men and material on the German and Italian forces, and in night raids liberated a number of our own men who had been taken prisoner. The garrison of Bir Hacheim was withdrawn on June 10.” The Battle of Bir Hakeim, an oasis in the Libyan desert south and west of Tobruk, during the Battle of Gazala (May 26 – June 21, 1942). The Premier Division Française Libre (“First Free French Brigade”) under Général de brigade Marie-Pierre Kœnig (October 10, 1898 – September 2, 1970) defended the position from May 26 – June 11 against Axis forces of Panzerarmee Afrika commanded by Generaloberst Erwin Rommel (November 15, 1891 – October 14, 1944). The Panzerarmee captured Tobruk 10 days later on June 22, which shocked the Allied world. The delay imposed on the Axis offensive by the defense of Bir Hakeim influenced the cancellation of Operation Herkules, the Axis invasion of Malta. Rommel invaded Egypt, slowed by British delaying actions until the 1st Battle of El Alamein during July 1-27, 1942, where the Axis advance was stopped just 66 miles (106 kilometers) from Alexandria. Both sides used the battle for propaganda, Winston Churchill declared the Free French to be the “Fighting French.” The defense of Bir Hakim served notice that the Free French would stand and fight against the Nazi Germans. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2066.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.07 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 2637 x 3650 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | War Illustrated, July 10, 1942 |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 26, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Bir Hakeim |
| State or Province | Cyrenaica |
| Country | Libya |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | https://www.fold3.com/image/713279782/the-war-illustrated-no-132-vol-6-july-10th-1942-page-1-uk-historical-documents-library-1900-1960 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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