Battle Of Tug Argan

The Second World War's East African campaign is mostly forgotten, and maybe for good reason. The area was largely under British control and had little strategic significance for either side, but it still experienced some of the most intense fighting outside of the main European and Pacific theaters.

The Italian and British armies engaged in combat in the Battle of Tug Argan on August 11, 1940, which was one of the early engagements in the campaign. They didn't expect Italian forces to travel that far into British-controlled territory for an outpost that might best be described as "sometimes hospitable," therefore it was a weakly held position. However, it was fantastic for the morale of the Italian forces, which could be useful in other situations.

The British soldiers were defeated in less than five days despite having strong defenses, albeit at a tremendous cost to Italy. The Italian force lost more than 2,000 troops that day despite having the numerical superiority. Around 250 British soldiers lost their lives, but they were able to leave the position before it was assaulted.

Date: 11–15 August 1940
Location: British Somaliland

Result: Italian victory