Almásy and Bagnold, in search of the oasis of Zerzura

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This episode is the one that Saul Kelly tells us in his work The Lost Oasis. Almásy, Zerzura and the Desert War , a book that mixes exploration and military history to bring to light some events that were decisive for the outcome of the Second World War. That is why we have interviewed the author to tell us about this fascinating history and these explorers who were involved in the most important war conflict of the th century. Why have so many Europeans been obsessed with finding Zerzura throughout history? Since the ancient Greeks, Europeans have been fascinated by what might be in the interior of Africa, especially in the sands of the Libyan desert. Local traditions spoke of a lost oasis housing fabulous wealth that had been discovered by the pharaohs. Since the beginning of the th century, European explorers have sought to find this oasis. The book focuses on a group of explorers who founded the Zerzura Club and traveled through the Libyan desert to find the mythical oasis.

What was the link between them? What united the members of the Zerzura Club, apart from their desire to find the lost oasis, was their military experience. They were all interested in finding the routes and wells in the Libyan desert that would allow them, in the event of war, to transport men and materials in trucks and cars behind enemy lines. Almásy and Bagnold, in search of the oasis B2B Email List of Zerzura Selima crater field through which Ralph Bagnold's British expedition passed in ©Saul Kelly Ralph Bagnold and László Almásy are the main protagonists of The Lost Oasis . Could you tell us a little about them? Ralph Bagnold was a scientist at heart, interested in dune formation and desert navigation. It was his unrivaled knowledge of the Libyan desert that made him the first choice to found the British Long Range Desert Group in to intervene against the Italians and then the Germans in Libya. Almásy was basically an adventurer, who would accept money from anyone as long as he financed his trips through the desert by car and plane.



His ties to the Axis-collaborating Egyptian royal family and his familiarity with desert routes persuaded the Abwehr (German military intelligence) that he was the one to lead Rommel's spies to Cairo. In the book we can find spies, explorers, double agents and betrayals. Why were Egypt and Libya so important to the Axis countries? Geostrategically, Egypt is the most important country in the Middle East. It is the connection by land between Africa and Asia, and the connection by sea, through the Suez Canal, between Europe and Asia. The Axis countries realized, between -, that if they could advance east from the Italian colony of Libya and drive the British out of Egypt, they would control these routes and dominate the Middle East. Combined with a German advance through the Caucasus, it would have severely damaged the British war effort before the United States could fully mobilize its capabilities. Almásy and Bagnold, in search of the oasis of Zerzura The Great Sea of ​​Sand between Egypt and Libya. An arduous route that both László Almásy and Ralph Bagnold tried to traverse.