During World War II, New Zealand forces returned to Egypt to fight against both German and Italian incursions in Egypt and known as the Western Desert Campaign. In May 1941, New Zealand Prime Minister Peter Fraser paid a visit to Egypt to visit with his country's troops and personnel. New Zealand troops partook in several battles within Egypt including the first and second Battles of El Alamein in 1942 which turned the tide of the North African wars and ended the Axis threat to Egypt and the Suez Canal.