Action at Bir el Gubi (November 1941)

Action at Bir el Gubi (November 1941)
	Part of Operation Crusader during the Second World War
	; Italian M13/40 tanks in North Africa.
Date	19 November 1941
Location	Biʾr al-Ġubbiyy, Italian Libya31°32′15″N 24°01′51″E / 31.5374°N 24.0307°E
Result	Italian victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Italy
Commanders and leaders
John Scott-Cockburn	Mario Balotta
Strength
22nd Armoured Brigade 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars 158 Crusader tanks; ; 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters); 4th County of London Yeomanry;	132nd Armoured Division "Ariete" 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment 146 × M13/40 tanks; ; 8th Bersaglieri Regiment; 132nd Artillery Regiment "Ariete";
Casualties and losses
100 killed and wounded; 32 captured; 52 tanks destroyed;	95 killed and wounded; 82 missing; 12 guns lost; 34 tanks destroyed; 15 damaged;

The Action at Bir el Gubi (November 1941) (Arabic: بئر الغبي, romanized: Biʾr al-Ġubbiyy, lit. 'Well of the Depressed Terrain') or first battle of Bir el Gubi (prima battaglia di Bir el Gobi in Italian) took place on 19 November 1941 near Biʾr al-Ġubbiyy, Libya. It was one of the opening engagements of Operation Crusader in North Africa and resulted in a success for the Italian armoured forces.