Libya witnessed many of the World War II battles in 1941 and 1942. Most of the battles were seen in the north west areas of the country, this has lead to many sites remaining from Italian, British and Australian descent.
Being located on the Mediterranean Sea, Libya became a favorite for many armed forces as a base where they could easily transport armory and soldiers via the ocean. One of these places was the port of Benghazi. While there are not any remnants of World War II in Benghazi Port, there is a British cemetery in the area with over 1,200 graves.
Things to See
The biggest tourist attraction when it comes to World War II in Libya is the area of Tobruk. Tobruk is home to four World War II cemeteries. It is here you will find the Commonwealth, British, French and German cemeteries along with a host of monuments. This is a very popular tourist destination with thousands of travelers visiting the area each year to pay their respects to those that lost their lives in the war.
Beda Fomm is a coastal town in Libya on the north western edge and is also home to the Australian war memorial. It is here where the final battle of Operation Compass took place.
RAF Castel Benito is found in Tripoli. This is where all the Italian parachutists trained. It became a parachute school from the 1930’s through to the 1960’s and was then closed down.
In Benghazi you can find the British Cemetery, but it’s also home to El Magrun, which was an Italian concentration camp.
Be sure to visit El Tag, this was a World War II fort built by the Italians and Fort Capuzzo, which is a famous Italian World War II fort.