[Gambara]

I´m trying to make a detailed map of North Africa (Libya and Egypt) and would appreciate any information on locations of harbours and airstrips in North Africa during ww2.

If you have some knowledge, please drop me a line !

/Gambara

[david]

Hello Gambara :)

Harbours are easy. Going from West to East, Tripoli, Benghazi, Tobruk & Alexandria.

Airports/Airfields/Landing grounds; are trickey because there were few if any before the conflict.During the conflict they were continually being built.
A site that can help you is......
http://riv.co.nz/rnza/rt/htm look under "maps" The map of Libya only covers Eastern Libya however.

Hope this is of some use.

All the best, David.

[JeffreyF]

If you know someone with Chris Shore's book 'Courage Alone' it should have a listing of Italian air fields. It doesn't tell you which ones were dirt strips, grass fields, all weather, major installations, etc though.

[Gambara]

Indeed valuable information ! Thanks a lot !

/Gambara :D

[david]

If you are still interested in this subject, I now have lots more info.

[JeffreyF]

I'm interested. ;)

[david]

I'll post it later tonight or tomorrow morning.

[david]

O.K. The full monty!

PORTS & harbours West to East.

TRIPOLI
zuetina
BENGHASI
apollonia
derna
bomba
gazala
TOBRUK
bardia
sollum
sidi barrani
mersa matruh
ALEXANDRIA
PORT SAID
SUEZ


AIRPORTS & airstrips. West to East.

West of El Aghelia not known

el aghelia
marada
el amar
agedabia
el magrun
ghemines
soluch
el berka
BENINA
torca
el abiar
el haseiat
sahabi
barce
msus
MARAUA
jalo
el hamyia
apollonia
cirene
mechili
derna
martuba
bomba
tmimi
gazala
acroma
bir el gubi
EL ADEM
tobruk
EL GUBBI
bu amud
sidi rezegh
jarabub
gambut
gasr el arid
baheira
gseien
maddalena + 1 10Km East
menastir
sidi azeiz
amseet
capuzzo
sollum
siwa
buq buq
bir enba
sidi barrani
maktila
garwala
MERSA MATRUH
qasaba
sidi hanneish
maaten baggush
fuka
qotifiya
ghazal
el hamman
burg el arab
AMIRIYA
DEKHEILA
ABOUKIR
idku
bir victoria
MATARIYA
abbassia
el mezze
CAIRO
HELWAN
el faiyum
bilbeis
fayid
deversoir
ABU SUEIR
PORT SAID
ISMALIA
SUEZ
shardur

The real surprise to me was the lack of Airports compared to the abundance of airstrips. Especially out side the Delta area. For airports read large airstrips capable of refitting more squadrons than ordinary airstrips.

[Kuno]

Impressive list; Dave.

Just without going back to the book. West of EL AGHEILA I can recall the following Landing Grounds:

Marble Arch
Sultan
En Nofilia
Sirte
Hun
Zillah
Bu Njem
Buerat Hasun
Bir Dufan
Sedada
Sebha
Serdeles
Mizda
Ghadames
Ghat
Murzuk
Metiga
Castel Benito

(Castel Benito is todays TRIPOLIS Intl. Airport)


What else?

Giarabub
Gialo
Augila
Kufra

...as I said, I have just recalled them...

[david]

Impressive list; Kuno.


Gambara/JefferyF Jalo = Gialo & Jarabub = Giarabub. The latter are the Italian spellings & therefore more appropriate.

[JeffreyF]

Oh like I don't already know about the J and Italian. You should see all the different spellings of this name I've seen people give to me. When my nonno passed away they had to remake the posters three times because they kept mispelling my name. :lol:

[david]

Sorry mate :oops:

Only when Kuno duplicated them, I thought I had better add that for clarity. :P

[Kuno]

:oops:

David - I did not read your list carefully.

All - or most of- the names have their origins in the arab language. This is why there is always a phonetic translation into either German, French, English or Italian.

If you spell such words loud > They sound more or less similar.

Another example is the word for the dry riverbeds:

Oued (French)
Uadi (Italian)
Wadi (German)
Wadi ( English) (Same writing as German)

Cheers, Kuno

[david]

No problem :)

Very interesting by the way.

[michele]

Hi to all.

Other examples about spelling of northern african names:

Gebel (italian) - Djebel (French) -Jebel (english)
Siua (italian) - Siwa (english)
Tobruch (italian) - Tobruk (english)
Cufra (italian) - Koufra (french)
etc.

In italian "j" is not standard (you find it only few times in literature and in some surnames as replacement of "i" when half-consonant). It is read as in german, not as in english. The sound of english "j" is in italian written with "g" (when followed by i or e) or "gi" (when followed by a,o,u)
In the same way, the sound of english "sh" is written in italian with "sc" (when followed by i or e) or "sci" (when followed by a,o,u).

Hope it could help.
Bye.

[david]

I must admit that I thought the English spelling was "Tobruch" & that it was the Germans who spelt it "Tobruk". But I might be wrong!

[michele]

No, David, you could be right :wink: for Tobruch/Tobruk. Tobruch is found in italian sources but Tobruk in not-italian books. So, considering that "ch" doesn't sound as "k" in english (:?: honestly I am never sure about english pronunciation), I have always thought that Tobruk was not only german but also english spelling.

Good bye.

[Andy H]

My List between from El Aghelia to Benghazi:

Marsa Brega
Gasr El Sahabi
El Hseiat
Melah en Nogra
El Amar
Giof El Matar
Agedabia 1&2
Saunno
Gebbanet Sciahavan
Carcura
Magrun 1&2
Zeit Msus
Ghemines
Soluch
Hoscraui
Terria
Gascir
Berka 1, 2&3

In addition the Allies built some 100+ landing strips that were just identified by a number