CABINET PAPERS
Complete classes from the CAB & PREM series in the Public Record Office
Series One: PREM 3 - Papers concerning Defence & Operational Subjects, 1940-1945, Winston Churchill, Minister of Defence, Secretariat Papers

Part 7: PREM 3/277-325
(Subject files cover Mexico, Middle-East [including North Africa], Mines, Morocco, Naval Landing Equipment and Navy)

A substantial amount of Part 7 is taken up with the Middle East and North African campaigns during World War II.  These operations spanned an enormous geographical area, from Egypt and the Middle East to Libya and Tunisia.

• The papers document some famous actions including Beda Fomm, Operation Battleaxe, Compass, Crusader, Sidi Rezegh, Gazala, Bir Hacheim, Tobruk, the First and Second Battles of El Alamein, the Torch Landings in North Africa and the Battle of Tunisia, including operations at Kasserine Pass and Mareth.
• Other files cover Morocco, Mines, Minesweeping Operations, Naval Programmes, the Royal Navy and Naval Landing Equipment.

The papers on North Africa will be of interest to anyone researching the military campaigns in this theatre during World War II.  The importance of logistics and supply can be studied.  These papers reveal the heavy reliance of the Allies upon Gibraltar, Cairo and Alexandria, as well as on vital bases in the supply chain such as Malta (see also Part 6 of this project).