Battle of Kufra (1931)
| Battle and Siege of Kufra | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Second Italo-Senussi War | |||||||||
Rodolfo Graziani and Amedeo D'Aosta's troops in Cufra | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Italy | Senussi | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Rodolfo Graziani Amedeo D'Aosta | ‘Abd el Galil Seif en Naser (?) | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
4,000 men 20 airplanes 5,000 camels | 600 men | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 2 killed and 16 wounded |
100 killed, 14 wounded and 250 captured Only a few escaped | ||||||||
The Battle of Kufra occurred during the Italian colonization of Libya and was a climactic moment in the Second Italo-Senussi War. The Italians were divided into divisions which attacked Awjila, Jalu, Zella, and Tazirbu, fighting mainly against the Zuwayya tribe.
Graziani's campaign against the Sanussi was at that time one of the largest desert campaigns committed, and was likewise a navigational and organizational accomplishment, given that Italian troops had to cross hundreds of miles of waterless desert before engaging in battle.