Kufra is an oasis in Libya whose coordinates are 23.3°N, 22.9°E. Very isolated in the southwest of Libya, it has the particularity of being surrounded on three sides by depressions.
The Battle of Kufra
On December 21, 1940, the Leclerc column, made up of 400 men under the orders of Colonel Philippe Leclerc, launched an action in Fezzan.
The light reconnaissance patrol reached Kufra on February 7, 1941 and reported its observations to the rest of the group:the bombardments carried out by the French air force, including 12 Lysanders and 6 Blenheims, on Kufra had not yielded great results.
On February 16, the French arrived on the outskirts of Kufra and routed the Italians of the Sahariana di Cufra. Then begins the siege of Kufra.
Lieutenant Ceccaldi's single cannon fires a few dozen rounds a day while constantly moving his piece, a mountain 75, in order to trick the enemy into believing that a large armed force is attacking him. At the same time patrols test the defenses of the position.
Harassed by 10 days of combat, the Italians try to negotiate. Leclerc promises them honorable treatment in the event of surrender. The captain commanding the Italian forces accepts the offer and signs the capitulation of the stronghold.
The BBC will announce the distant battle of Kufra a little later in very complimentary terms.
The Oath of Kufra
The next day, March 1, 1941, Colonel Philippe Leclerc, who had definitively established himself as a leader for his men, took the "Koufra oath" with them:
“I swear not to lay down my arms until our colors, our beautiful colors, float over Strasbourg Cathedral. »
He will respect this oath by liberating Strasbourg on November 23, 1944 at the head of the 2nd Armored Division.