Axis Forces Surrender in North Africa: 250,000 Captured
Col. Gen. Dietloff von Arnim surrendered on Cap Bon, ending Axis resistance in North Africa after 150,000 troops fell into Allied hands since early May. General von Sponeck abandoned his last-bullet stance once British artillery outmatched his defenses, triggering a mass collapse where tanks rolled through coast roads and prisoners streamed in by the thousands. This total defeat forced the remaining German and Italian forces to yield to American, British, and French commands, clearing the Mediterranean for future operations.
May 12, 1943
83 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 12
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