Operation Compass
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Operation Compass (also it, Battaglia della Marmarica) was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. British, Empire and Commonwealth forces attacked
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
forces of the 10th Army (Marshal
Rodolfo Graziani Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli (; 11 August 1882 – 11 January 1955), was a prominent Italian military officer in the Kingdom of Italy's '' Regio Esercito'' ("Royal Army"), primarily noted for his campaigns in Africa before and durin ...
) in western
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
and
Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...
, the eastern province of
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
, from December 1940 to February 1941. The
Western Desert Force The Western Desert Force (WDF) was a British Army formation active in Egypt during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. On 17 June 1940, the headquarters of the British 6th Infantry Division was designated as the Western Des ...
(WDF) ( Lieutenant-General
Richard O'Connor General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor, (21 August 1889 – 17 June 1981) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars, and commanded the Western Desert Force in the early years of the Second World War. ...
) with about advanced from
Mersa Matruh Mersa Matruh ( ar, مرسى مطروح, translit=Marsā Maṭrūḥ, ), also transliterated as ''Marsa Matruh'', is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway ...
in Egypt on a five-day raid against the Italian positions of the 10th Army, which had about in fortified posts around
Sidi Barrani Sidi Barrani ( ar, سيدي براني  ) is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the Egypt–Libya border, and around from Tobruk, Libya. Named after Sidi es-Saadi el Barrani, a Senussi sheikh who was a head of ...
in Egypt and in Cyrenaica. The WDF swiftly defeated the Italians in their fortified posts and at Sidi Barrani and then exploited the success, forcing the rest of the 10th Army out of Egypt and capturing the ports along the Libyan coast. The 10th Army was cut off as it retreated towards
Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...
and defeated at the
Battle of Beda Fomm The rapid British advance during Operation Compass (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941) forced the Italian 10th Army to evacuate Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Libya. In late January, the British learned that the Italians were retreating a ...
, the remnants being pursued to El Agheila on the
Gulf of Sirte The Gulf of Sidra ( ar, خليج السدرة, Khalij as-Sidra, also known as the Gulf of Sirte ( ar, خليج سرت, Khalij Surt, is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya, named after the oil port of Sidra or ...
. The British took over and Libyan prisoners, hundreds of
tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
s, and more than and many
aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
, against WDF losses of killed and wounded, about of the infantry. The WDF was unable to continue beyond El Agheila, due to worn out vehicles and the diversion in March 1941 of the best-equipped units in
Operation Lustre Operation Lustre was an action during the Second World War: the movement of British and other Allied troops (Australian, New Zealand and Polish) from Egypt to Greece in March and April 1941, in response to the failed Italian invasion and the l ...
for the Battle of Greece. Italian reinforcements were rushed to Libya to defend
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
, assisted by the and .


Background


10th Army

When war was declared, the 5th Army (General
Italo Gariboldi Italo Gariboldi (20 April 1879 – 3 February 1970) was an Italian senior officer in the Royal Army (''Regio Esercito'') before and during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by German dictator Adolf Hitler for his ...
) was in
Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...
the western Libyan province and the 10th Army (General
Mario Berti Mario Berti (3 February 1881 – 1964) was an Italian officer during World War I and a general in the Spanish Civil War and World War II.Macksey, p. 35 Personal life Mario Berti was born in La Spezia, which is located in modern-day Liguria. His ...
) was in
Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...
to the east. Once the French in Tunisia no longer posed a threat to Tripolitania, units of the 5th Army were used to reinforce the 10th Army. When Governor-General of Libya
Italo Balbo Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa. Due to his young a ...
was killed by
friendly fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while en ...
, Marshal Graziani took his place. Graziani expressed doubts about the capabilities of the large non-mechanized force to defeat the British, who though smaller in numbers were motorised. After being reinforced from the 5th Army, the 10th Army controlled the equivalent of four corps with and . The XX Corps had the
60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" The 60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" ( it, 60ª Divisione di fanteria "Sabratha") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Sabratha was raised in May 1937, in Gharyan in Italian Libya and named after the near ...
and the XXI Corps had the 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo", the 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre" and the
63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" The 63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" ( it, 63ª Divisione di fanteria "Cirene") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed on 1 October 1937 in Benghazi in Italian Libya and named for the nearb ...
. XXII Corps had the
61st Infantry Division "Sirte" The 61st Infantry Division "Sirte" ( it, 61ª Divisione di fanteria "Sirte") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed on 9 May 1937 in Misrata in Italian Libya and named for the Libyan city ...
and XXIII Corps had the 4th CC.NN. Division "3 Gennaio" and the
64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" The 64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" ( it, 64ª Divisione di fanteria "Catanzaro") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was activated on 3 June 1940 and named for the Southern Italian city of Cat ...
. The new Libyan Divisions Group () had the Maletti Group, the 1st Libyan Division (
Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Luigi Sibille) and the 2nd Libyan Division (Major-General Armando Pescatori). The only non-infantry formation was the partially motorised and lightly armoured Maletti Group. The Maletti Group (
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Pietro Maletti) was formed at Derna on 8 July 1940, with seven Libyan motorised infantry battalions, a company of
Fiat M11/39 The Carro Armato M11/39 was an Italian medium tank first produced prior to World War II. The M11/39 saw service in Africa and Italy (1939–1944). The official Italian designation was Carro Armato (armoured vehicle) M11/39. The designation for t ...
tanks, a company of L3/33 tankettes, motorised artillery and supply units, as the main motorised unit of the 10th Army. On 29 August, as more tanks arrived from Italy, the (Libyan Tank Command olonel Valentini was formed with three groups: 1st Tank Group (Colonel Aresca) with the I Tank Battalion "M" and the XXI, LXI, and LXII Tank battalion "L", 2nd Tank Group (Colonel Antonio Trivioli), with the II Tank Battalion "M", less one company and the IX, XX, and LXI Tank Battalion "L"s and Maletti Group with one company from the LX Tank Battalion "L", one company from the II Tank Battalion "M", and three Libyan infantry battalions. became part of the (Royal Corps of Libyan Colonial Troops), with the 1st Libyan Division and the 2nd Libyan Division.


Western Desert Force

Middle East Command under General Archibald Wavell had about some outside Egypt, and . The RAF had in two squadrons of
Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
, one of
Gloster Gladiators The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. Developed private ...
, three of
Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...
s, three of
Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its g ...
s and one of
Bristol Bombay The Bristol Bombay was a British troop transport aircraft adaptable for use as a medium bomber flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. Design and development The Bristol Bombay was built to Air Ministry Specification ...
s, about and The
Western Desert Force The Western Desert Force (WDF) was a British Army formation active in Egypt during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. On 17 June 1940, the headquarters of the British 6th Infantry Division was designated as the Western Des ...
(WDF) was commanded by Lieutenant-General
Richard O'Connor General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor, (21 August 1889 – 17 June 1981) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars, and commanded the Western Desert Force in the early years of the Second World War. ...
with the 4th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Noel Beresford-Peirse) and the 7th Armoured Division (Major-General Sir Michael O'Moore Creagh). From 14 December, troops of the 6th Australian Infantry Division (Major-General
Iven Giffard Mackay Lieutenant General Sir Iven Giffard Mackay, (7 April 1882 – 30 September 1966) was a senior Australian Army officer who served in both world wars. Mackay graduated from the University of Sydney in 1904 and taught physics there fr ...
), replaced the 4th Indian Division, which was sent to East Africa, less one brigade. The British had some fast
Cruiser Mk I The Tank, Cruiser, Mk I (A9) was a British cruiser tank of the interwar period. It was the first cruiser tank: a fast tank designed to bypass the main enemy lines and engage the enemy's lines of communication, as well as enemy tanks. The Cruiser ...
,
Cruiser Mk II The Tank, Cruiser, Mk II (A10), was a cruiser tank developed alongside the A9 cruiser tank, and was intended to be a heavier, infantry tank version of that type. In practice, it was not deemed suitable for the infantry tank role and was classi ...
and
Cruiser Mk III The Tank, Cruiser, Mk III, also known by its General Staff specification number A13 Mark I, was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. It was the first British cruiser tank to use the Christie suspension system, which gave higher speeds ...
tanks with
Ordnance QF 2-pounder The Ordnance QF 2-pounder ( QF denoting "quick firing"), or simply "2 pounder gun", was a British anti-tank gun and vehicle-mounted gun employed in the Second World War. It was the main anti-tank weapon of the artillery units in the Battle o ...
guns, which were superior to Fiat M11/39 tanks. The British also had a battalion of
Matilda II The Infantry Tank Mark II, best known as the Matilda, was a British infantry tank of the Second World War.Jentz, p. 11. The design began as the A12 specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the machi ...
infantry tank The infantry tank was a concept developed by the United Kingdom and France in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were designed to support infantrymen in an attack. To achieve this, the vehicles were generally heavily vehicle armo ...
s that while slow, were also equipped with the 2-pounder; the armour of the Matildas could not be penetrated by Italian anti-tank guns or field guns.


Border skirmishes

Italy declared war on Britain and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
on 10 June 1940. During the next few months there were raids and skirmishes between Italian forces in Libya and British and Commonwealth forces in Egypt. On 12 June 1940, the Mediterranean Fleet bombarded Tobruk. The force included the cruisers and and exchanged fire with the Italian cruiser . Royal Air Force Blenheim bombers from 45, 55 and 211 squadrons, hit with one bomb. On 19 June, the British submarine fired two torpedoes at but missed. The gunners on then supported the local land-based anti-aircraft units and claimed 47 British aircraft shot down or damaged. The naval gunners also shot down a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 aircraft and killed Italo Balbo, the Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-chief of Italian forces in North Africa.


Prelude


E

On 13 September 1940, the Italian 10th Army advanced into Egypt in E. As the Italians advanced, the small British force at
Sollum Sallum ( ar, السلوم, translit=as-Sallūm various transliterations include ''El Salloum'', ''As Sallum'' or ''Sollum'') is a harbourside village or town in Egypt. It is along the Egypt/Libyan short north–south aligned coast of the Mediterra ...
withdrew to the main defensive position east of Mersa Matruh. The Italian advance was harassed by the 3rd Coldstream Guards, attached artillery and other units. After recapturing
Fort Capuzzo Fort Capuzzo it, (Ridotta Capuzzo) was a fort in the colony of Italian Libya, near the Libyan-Egyptian border, next to the Italian Frontier Wire. The '' Litoranea Balbo'' ran south from Bardia to Fort Capuzzo, inland, west of Sollum, then ea ...
, the Italians advanced approximately in three days and on 16 September, the advance stopped at Maktila, beyond
Sidi Barrani Sidi Barrani ( ar, سيدي براني  ) is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the Egypt–Libya border, and around from Tobruk, Libya. Named after Sidi es-Saadi el Barrani, a Senussi sheikh who was a head of ...
. The Italians dug in and awaited reinforcements and supplies along the , an extension of the () being built from the frontier. Five fortified camps were built around Sidi Barrani from Maktila, east along the coast, south to Tummar East, Tummar West and Nibeiwa; another camp was built at Sofafi on the escarpment to the south-west.


British plan

Following the Italian advance, Wavell ordered the commander of British Troops Egypt, Lieutenant-General Sir
Henry Maitland Wilson Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, (5 September 1881 – 31 December 1964), also known as Jumbo Wilson, was a senior British Army officer of the 20th century. He saw active service in the Second Boer War and then during the ...
, to plan a limited operation to push the Italians back. Operation Compass, for administrative reasons, was originally planned as a five-day raid but consideration was given to continuing the operation to exploit success. On 28 November, Wavell wrote to Wilson that, The 7th Support Group was to observe the Italian camps on the escarpment around Sofafi, to prevent the garrisons from interfering, while the rest of the division and 4th Indian Division passed through the Sofafi–Nibeiwa gap. An Indian brigade and Infantry tanks of
7th Royal Tank Regiment The 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army from 1917 until disbandment in 1959. History The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. The regi ...
(7th RTR) would attack Nibeiwa from the west, as the 7th Armoured Division protected their northern flank. Once Nibeiwa was captured, a second Indian brigade and the 7th RTR would attack the Tummars. Selby Force (3rd Battalion
Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
plus some artillery) from the Matruh garrison was to contain the enemy camp at Maktila on the coast and the Royal Navy would bombard Maktila and Sidi Barrani. Preparations were kept secret and only a few officers knew during the training exercise held from that the objectives marked out near Matruh were replicas of Nibeiwa and Tummar; the troops were also told that a second exercise was to follow and did not know that the operation was real until 7 December, as they arrived at their jumping-off points. Late on 8 December, an Italian reconnaissance aircrew reported that attack on Maktila and Nibeiwa was imminent but Maletti was not informed. On 9 December, the 1st Libyan Division was at Maktila and the 2nd Libyan Division was at Tummar. The Maletti Group was at Nibiewa and the 4th CC.NN. Division "3 Gennaio" and the headquarters of the Libyan Corps were at Sidi Barrani. The 63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" and the headquarters of XXI Corps were at Sofafi and the 64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" was at Buq Buq. The headquarters of the XXIII Corps and the 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre" were in Sollum and Halfaya Pass respectively and the 62nd Infantry Division "Marmarica" was at Sidi Omar, south of Sollum. Berti was on sick leave and Gariboldi, the 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo" and the 10th Army Headquarters were far back at Bardia. (By the time Berti arrived in Libya, so had the British.) Operation Compass (/Battle of the
Marmarica Marmarica ( Greek Μαρμαρική) in ancient geography was a littoral area in Ancient Libya, located between ''Cyrenaica'' and ''Aegyptus''. It corresponds to what is now the Libya and Egypt frontier, including the towns of Bomba (ancien ...
) began on the night of The Western Desert Force with the 7th Armoured Division, 4th Indian Division and the 16th Infantry Brigade advanced to their start line. The RAF made attacks on Italian airfields and destroyed or damaged on the ground. Selby Force (Brigadier A. R. Selby) with (the maximum for whom transport could be found), moved up from Matruh, set up a brigade of dummy tanks in the desert and reached a position south-east of Maktila by dawn on 9 December. Maktila had been bombarded by the
monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...
and the
gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...
; Sidi Barrani had been bombarded by the gunboat .


Battle of the Camps


Nibeiwa

At on 9 December, a detachment of artillery commenced diversionary fire from the east on the fortified camp at Nibeiwa for an hour, which was held by the Maletti Group and at the divisional artillery began a preliminary bombardment. The 11th Indian Infantry Brigade, with 7th RTR under command, attacked Nibeiwa from the north-west, which reconnaissance had established as the weakest sector. By Nibeiwa had been captured; Maletti had been killed in the fighting along with were wounded; and Libyan soldiers were taken prisoner. Large quantities of supplies were captured for British casualties of


The Tummars

The attack on Tummar West began at after the 7th RTR had refuelled and artillery had bombarded the defences for an hour. Another approach from the north-west was made and tanks broke through the perimeter, followed twenty minutes later by the infantry. The defenders held out for longer than the Nibeiwa garrison but by Tummar West was overrun except for the north-eastern corner. The tanks moved on to Tummar East, the greater part of which was captured by nightfall. The 4th Armoured Brigade had advanced to Azziziya, where the garrison of surrendered and light patrols of the 7th Hussars pushed forward to cut the road from Sidi Barrani to Buq Buq, while armoured cars of the 11th Hussars ranged further west. The tanks of 7th Armoured Brigade were held in reserve ready to intercept an Italian counter-attack. The 2nd Libyan Division lost and killed, and wounded, with the survivors being taken prisoner.


Maktila

Unaware of the situation at the Tummars, Selby sent units to cut the western exits from Maktila but the 1st Libyan Division filtered through and escaped. Selby Force followed up the retreat as the 1st Libyan Division moved the from Maktila to Sidi Barrani and drove part of the column into sand dunes north of the coast road. Cruiser tanks of the
6th Royal Tank Regiment The 6th Royal Tank Regiment (6 RTR) was a regiment of the Royal Tank Regiment, of the British Army, until 1959. It originally saw action as 6th Battalion Tank Corps in 1917. First World War When tanks were first used in action in 1916, they wer ...
(6th RTR) arrived in a sandstorm and overran the Italians in the dunes at about then joined Selby Force to continue the pursuit. The Italian defenders were caught at Sidi Barrani, in a pocket backing on to the sea. When the British attacked again at dawn on 11 December, mass surrenders began everywhere, except at Point 90 where troops of the 2nd Libyan Division held out for a short time, after which surrendered.


Sidi Barrani, Buq Buq and Sofafi

On 10 December, the 16th Infantry Brigade was brought forward from 4th Indian Division reserve and with part of the 11th Indian Brigade under command, advanced in lorries to attack Sidi Barrani. While moving across exposed ground, some casualties were incurred but with support from artillery and the 7th RTR, it was in position barring the south and south western exits to Sidi Barrani by The British attacked at supported by the divisional artillery and the town fell by nightfall; the remains of the two Libyan Divisions and the 4th CC.NN. Division "3 Gennaio" were trapped between the 16th Infantry Brigade and Selby Force. On 11 December, Selby Force and some tanks attacked and overran the 1st Libyan Division and by the evening, the 4th CC.NN Division "3 Gennaio" had also surrendered. On 11 December, the 7th Armoured Brigade was ordered out of reserve to relieve the 4th Armoured Brigade in the Buq Buq area, mop up and capture large numbers of men and guns. A patrol from the 7th Support Group entered Rabia and found it empty; the 63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" had withdrawn from Rabia and Sofafi overnight. An order to the 4th Armoured Brigade to cut them off west of Sofafi arrived too late and the Italians were able to retire along the escarpment and join Italian forces at Halfaya. Italian casualties were killed, wounded and


Exploitation

Over the next few days the 4th Armoured Brigade, on top of the escarpment and the
7th Armoured Brigade 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
on the coast, attempted a pursuit but supply problems and the large number of prisoners (twenty times the number planned for) impeded the advance. Italian forces crowded along the coast road and retreating from Sidi Barrani and Buq Buq, were bombarded by ''Terror'' and the two gunboats, which fired on the Sollum area all day and most of the night of 11 December. Late on 12 December, the only Italian positions left in Egypt were the approaches to Sollum and the area of Sidi Omar. The Italians had lost and Libyan casualties, most taken prisoner, and against casualties. The WDF paused to reorganise and then moved quickly west along the , through
Halfaya Pass Halfaya Pass ( ar, ممر حلفيا, translit=Mamarr Ḥalfayā ) is in northwest Egypt, 11.5 kilometres east of the border with Libya and 7.5 kilometres south of the other, more major pass in the ridge today. A high, narrow escarpment extends ...
and re-captured Fort Capuzzo in
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
. On 7 December, Wellington bombers from Malta and Blenheim bombers from Egypt carried out raids on the Italian air bases at Castel Benito,
Benina Benina is a suburban borough ( formerly Basic People's Congress) administrative division of Benghazi, Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the ...
and
El Adem Gamal Abdel Nasser Airbase () is a Libyan Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الليبية, translit=al-Quwwāt al-Ǧawwiyya al-Lībiyya, Berber: Adwas Alibyan Ujnna) base, located about 16 km south of Tobruk. It is believed to onc ...
, the attack on Castel Benito being particularly successful, with hits on five hangars and strafing runs which hit many Italian aircraft; the attacks continued until the end of the year.


Pursuit


Sollum, Halfaya and Fort Capuzzo

Exploitation continued by the two armoured brigades and the 7th Support Group, with the infantry of 16th Infantry Brigade (which had been detached from the 4th Indian Division) following up. By 15 December,
Sollum Sallum ( ar, السلوم, translit=as-Sallūm various transliterations include ''El Salloum'', ''As Sallum'' or ''Sollum'') is a harbourside village or town in Egypt. It is along the Egypt/Libyan short north–south aligned coast of the Mediterra ...
and the Halfaya Pass had been captured and the British by-passed Italian garrisons further south in the desert. Fort Capuzzo, inland at the end of the frontier wire, was captured by 7th Armoured Division in December 1940, as it advanced westwards to Bardia. The 7th Armoured Division concentrated south-west of Bardia, waiting for the arrival of 6th Australian Division. By this time the WDF had taken and captured and while suffering casualties of and eight missing.


Bardia

The 6th Australian Division (
Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Iven Mackay Lieutenant General Sir Iven Giffard Mackay, (7 April 1882 – 30 September 1966) was a senior Australian Army officer who served in both world wars. Mackay graduated from the University of Sydney in 1904 and taught physics there fr ...
) attacked the Italian XXIII Corps (Lieutenant-General []
Annibale Bergonzoli Annibale Bergonzoli (1 November 1884 – 31 July 1973), nicknamed ''"barba elettrica"'', " Electric Whiskers", was an Italian Lieutenant General who served during World War I, the Spanish Civil War and World War II. In 1940 he commanded the de ...
) at Bardia from 3 to 5 January 1941, assisted by air support, naval gunfire and artillery. The 16th Australian Infantry Brigade attacked at dawn from the west, where the defences were known to be weak.
Sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...
s blew gaps in the
barbed wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...
with
Bangalore torpedo A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially ...
es, then filled in and broke down the sides of the anti-tank ditch with picks and
shovel A shovel is a tool used for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Most shovels are hand tools consisting of a broad blade fixed to a medium-length handle. Shovel blades are usually made o ...
s. The Australian infantry and 23 Matilda II tanks of the 7th RTR, overran the Italian defences and took The 17th Australian Infantry Brigade exploited the breach made in the perimeter and pressed south, as far as a secondary line of defences known as the Switch Line. On the second day, the 16th Australian Infantry Brigade captured Bardia, cutting the fortress in two. Thousands of prisoners were taken and the remnants of the Italian garrison held only the northern and southernmost parts of the fortress. On the third day, the 19th Australian Infantry Brigade advanced south from Bardia, supported by artillery and the remaining six Matilda tanks. The 17th Australian Infantry Brigade attacked and the two brigades reduced the southern sector of the fortress. The Italian garrisons in the north surrendered to the 16th Australian Infantry Brigade and the 7th Support Group outside the fortress; about were taken, along with and medium tanks and hundreds of motor vehicles. Italian casualties also included and wounded.


Capture of Tobruk


Derna–Mechili

The area east of the Jebel Akhdar mountains was garrisoned by XX Corps (Lieutenant-General Annibale Bergonzoli) with the 60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" and the Babini Group, which had The tank force included M.13/40 tanks, which needed ten days to be made battle-worthy but had been rushed forward anyway. The ''Sabratha'' Division held a line from Derna, along Wadi Derna to Mechili, with the Babini Group at Mechili, Giovanni Berta and Chaulan, guarding the flank and rear of the infantry. On 23 January, the 10th Army commander, General
Giuseppe Tellera Giuseppe Tellera (March 14, 1882 in Bologna – February 7, 1941) was a general in the Italian Army during World War II. Italian Tenth Army On 23 December 1940 General Tellera took over the command of the Italian Tenth Army from Lt. Gen ...
ordered a counter-attack against the British, to avoid an envelopment of XX Corps from the south. Next day, the Babini Group, with ten to fifteen of the new M.13/40s, attacked the 7th Hussars as they headed west to cut the Derna–Mechili track north of Mechili. The British swiftly retired, calling for help from the 2nd RTR, which complacently ignored the signals. The British lost several tanks and knocked out two M.13s, until eventually, the 2nd RTR mobilised, caught the Italian tanks sky-lined on a ridge and knocked out seven M.13s, for the loss of a cruiser and six light tanks. To the north, the 2/11th Australian Battalion engaged the ''Sabratha'' Division and ''Bersaglieri'' companies of the Babini Group at Derna airfield, making slow progress against determined resistance. The 19th Australian Brigade began to arrive in the morning and Italian bombers and fighters attacked the Australians. The Italians swept the flat ground with field artillery and machine-guns, stopping the Australian advance short of the objective. On 26 January, the 2/4th Australian Battalion cut the Derna–Mechili road and a company crossed Wadi Derna during the night against bold Italian counter-attacks. The Italians disengaged on the night of before the garrison was trapped and rearguards of the Babini Group cratered roads, planted mines and booby-traps and managed to conduct several skilful ambushes, which slowed the British pursuit. Derna was occupied unopposed on 29 January and the Australians began a pursuit along the , closing on Giovanni Berta during 31 January.


Battle of Beda Fomm

In late January, the British learned that the Italians were retreating along the () from Benghazi. The 7th Armoured Division was dispatched to intercept the remnants of the 10th Army by moving through the desert, south of the Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) via
Msus Msus or Zawiyat Msus ( ar, زاوية مسوس), also Masous is a village in eastern Libya. It's located on the southeast of Benghazi, and far from Suluq on the same direction by . There is a road linking her to Suluq. It's also linked with Char ...
and Antelat, as the 6th Australian Division pursued the Italians along the coast road, north of the jebel. The terrain slowed the British tanks and Combe Force (Lieutenant-Colonel John Combe), a flying column of wheeled vehicles, was sent ahead across the chord of the jebel. Late on 5 February, Combe Force arrived at the south of Benghazi and set up road blocks near Sidi Saleh, about north of Ajedabia and south-west of Antelat; the leading elements of the 10th Army arrived thirty minutes later. Next day, the Italians attacked to break through the roadblock and continued to attack into 7 February. With British reinforcements arriving and the Australians pressing down the road from Benghazi, the remnants of the 10th Army surrendered. From Benghazi to Agedabia, the British took captured and


Desert operations


Giarabub, Kufra and Uweinat

Italian garrisons held Giarabub south of Sollum, Kufra Oasis, Jalo at the west end of the
Great Sand Sea The Great Sand Sea is an approximately sand desert (erg) in the Sahara between western Egypt and eastern Libya in North Africa. Some 74% of the area is covered by sand dunes. Geography The Great Sand Sea stretches about from north to south an ...
and Murzuk, south of Tripoli. The oasis of
Giarabub Jaghbub ( ar, الجغبوب) is a remote desert village in the Al Jaghbub Oasis in the eastern Libyan Desert. It is actually closer to the Egyptian town of Siwa than to any Libyan town of note. The oasis is located in Butnan District and was ...
was attacked in January 1941 and captured in March by the 6th Australian Cavalry Regiment and an Australian infantry battalion. Further south, on the far side of the Sand Sea, the oasis of
Kufra Kufra () is a basinBertarelli (1929), p. 514. and oasis group in the Kufra District of southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. At the end of nineteenth century Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in ...
was attacked by
Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
from
French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (french: link=no, Afrique-Équatoriale française), or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, and comprising what are ...
, in concert with
Long Range Desert Group The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. Originally called the Long Range Patrol (LRP), the unit was founded in Egypt in June 1940 by Major Ralph Alger Bagnold, acti ...
(LRDG) patrols. (Kufra later fell after the two-month
Capture of Kufra The Capture of Kufra (, it, Cufra) was part of the Allied Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War. Kufra is a group of oasis, oases in the Kufra District of south-eastern Cyrenaica in the Libyan Desert. In 1940, it was part of the c ...
in March 1941.) Further west, on the border with
Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
, the Italian base at
Murzuk Murzuk, Murzuq, Murzug or Merzug ( ar, مرزق) is an oasis town and the capital of the Murzuq District in the Fezzan region of southwest Libya.Robinson, Harry (1960) "Murzuq" ''The Mediterranean Lands'' University Tutorial Press, London, p. 414 ...
was raided in January, when a patrol of the new Long Range Patrol Unit and a local sheikh travelled to rendezvous near Kayugi with a small Free French detachment. The force attacked Murzuk and destroyed three aircraft and a hangar; the French commander was killed, most of the Italians surrendered and several prisoners were taken. The raiders then shot up three forts and departed. At
Jebel Uweinat Mount Uwaynat or Gabal El Uweinat ( ar, جبل العوينات ', Arabic for 'Mountain of the springs') is a mountain range in the area of the Egyptian-Libyan- Sudanese tripoint. Because of thousands of prehistoric rock art sites, it is consi ...
, a massif inland, at the junctions of Egypt, Libya and Sudan, were landing grounds with an Italian garrison. The base was the closest Italian outpost to
Italian East Africa Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the S ...
() and an Italian raid from Uweinat on Wadi Halfa in Sudan was possible. Destruction of the dockyards and railway workshops and the sinking of vessels on the Nile could cut the communications between Khartoum and Cairo. British patrols visited Faya and rendezvoused with another French detachment with General
Philippe Leclerc Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque (22 November 1902 – 28 November 1947) was a Free-French general during the Second World War. He became Marshal of France posthumously in 1952, and is known in France simply as le maréchal ...
for an attack on Kufra. The British were
strafed Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such ...
by aircraft and ambushed by armoured cars of an Italian
Auto-Saharan Company The Auto-Saharan Companies (''Compagnie Auto-Avio-Sahariane'') were Italian military units specialised in long range patrols of the Sahara Desert. The units operated from the late 1930s to the Italian surrender in 1943. History The Saharan com ...
(), which destroyed several lorries. Leclerc decided that an attack on Kufra was not possible and the remaining British returned to Cairo, after a journey of . Kufra was captured by the French on 1 March and became the new LRDG base in April.


Aftermath


Analysis

The success of the 7th Armoured Division encouraged a belief in the Royal Tank Regiment that manoeuvre could win battles; the engagement with the
Babini Group The Babini Group ( it, Raggruppamento Babini, also known as the Special Armoured Brigade ) was an armoured unit. The group was formed by the Italian Royal Army () in Italian North Africa (Libya) at the start of the Western Desert Campaign o ...
on 24 January, led to a conclusion that armoured divisions needed more artillery. No integration of tanks with infantry or the use of anti-tank guns offensively was considered necessary. The lack of cover in the desert encouraged dispersion to avoid air attack but this reduced firepower at the decisive point. Due to the exiguous nature of supply and transport, conservation during lulls also encouraged the use of "
jock column During the Second World War, Jock columns were small combined arms groups of armoured cars, artillery and motorised infantry, generally drawn from the British 7th Armoured Division. They were used in the Western Desert Campaign by the British Ar ...
s" (a small mobile force formed of a motorised infantry company, a field-gun battery and several armoured cars). The success of such columns against the Italians led to exaggerated expectations, which were confounded when German aircraft and better-equipped and -armed troops arrived in Libya. The 7th Armoured Division concluded that the defensive mentality of the Italians had justified the taking of exceptional risks, which would be unjustified against German troops.


Casualties

The WDF suffered casualties of and The RAF lost comprising six Hurricane and five Gladiator fighters, three Wellington bombers, a
Vickers Valentia The Vickers Valentia was a 1920s British flying boat designed during the First World War. History Three Valentia prototypes were built by the Vickers Company at their Barrow works (Walney Island perhaps), having been ordered in May 1918 as a ...
bomber/transport and eleven Blenheim light bombers. A far larger number of aircraft became non-operational due to damage, which could not be repaired quickly for lack of spare parts, a problem made worse by the increased use of explosive bullets by the Italians. (On 14 December, a raid on Bardia by nine Blenheims cost one aircraft shot down and seven damaged by explosive bullets.) The Italian 10th Army lost at least killed, about taken prisoner and losses of and


Subsequent operations

A week after the Italian surrender at Beda Fomm, the Defence Committee in London ordered Cyrenaica to be held with the minimum of forces and the surplus sent to Greece. In the WDF (now XIII Corps), the 6th Australian Division was fully equipped and had few losses to replace. The 7th Armoured Division had been operating for eight months, wearing out its mechanical equipment and was withdrawn to refit. Two regiments of the 2nd Armoured Division with the WDF were also worn out, leaving the division with only four tank regiments. The 6th Australian Division went to Greece in March, with a brigade group of the 2nd Armoured Division containing the best equipment. The remainder of the division and the new 9th Australian Division, minus two brigades and most of its transport sent to Greece, were replaced by two under-equipped brigades of the 7th Australian Division. The division took over in Cyrenaica, on the assumption that the Italians could not begin a counter-offensive until May, even with German reinforcements. The 3rd Armoured Brigade of the 2nd Armoured Division was left in Cyrenaica comprising an under-strength light tank regiment, a second regiment using captured Italian tanks and from mid-March a cruiser tank regiment, also equipped with worn-out tanks. The 2nd Support Group had only one motor battalion, a field artillery regiment, one anti-tank battery and a machine-gun company; most of the divisional transport had been sent to Greece. A few thousand men of the 10th Army escaped the disaster in Cyrenaica but the 5th Army in Tripolitania had four divisions. The Sirte, Tmed Hassan and Buerat strongholds were reinforced from Italy, which brought the Italian armies up to about German reinforcements were sent to Libya to form a blocking detachment () under Directive 22 (11 January), these being the first units of the ( Erwin Rommel). On 25 March 1941, Graziani was replaced by Gariboldi.


Orders of battle


10th Army

December 1940, detail taken from Montanari (1990) unless specified. * Supreme Commander Italian Forces in North Africa, Marshal
Rodolfo Graziani Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli (; 11 August 1882 – 11 January 1955), was a prominent Italian military officer in the Kingdom of Italy's '' Regio Esercito'' ("Royal Army"), primarily noted for his campaigns in Africa before and durin ...
* 10th Army, General
Italo Gariboldi Italo Gariboldi (20 April 1879 – 3 February 1970) was an Italian senior officer in the Royal Army (''Regio Esercito'') before and during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by German dictator Adolf Hitler for his ...
, from 23 December General
Giuseppe Tellera Giuseppe Tellera (March 14, 1882 in Bologna – February 7, 1941) was a general in the Italian Army during World War II. Italian Tenth Army On 23 December 1940 General Tellera took over the command of the Italian Tenth Army from Lt. Gen ...
( Killed in action IA7 February 1941)


Libyan Divisions Group

* Libyan Divisions Group, headquarters in
Sidi Barrani Sidi Barrani ( ar, سيدي براني  ) is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the Egypt–Libya border, and around from Tobruk, Libya. Named after Sidi es-Saadi el Barrani, a Senussi sheikh who was a head of ...
General Sebastiano Gallina ** 1st Libyan Division, at
Al Maktilah AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (Aladdin), Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (EastEnders), Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British ...
(General Giovanni Cerio) *** 1st Libyan Infantry Group, 3 × battalions, 1 × anti-tank company with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** 2nd Libyan Infantry Group, 3 × battalions, 1 × anti-tank company 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** 1st Libyan Artillery Group, 2 × groups with 77/28 mod. 5 field guns *** II Mixed Engineer Battalion *** Attached units **** 1 × group from the 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre" with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns **** 2 × batteries with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns **** 1 × battery with 105/28 howitzers **** 1 × gun company with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns ** 2nd Libyan Division, between Ras el Dai and Alam el Tummar (General Armando Pescatori) *** 3rd Libyan Infantry Group, 4 × battalions, 1 × anti-tank company with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** 4th Libyan Infantry Group, 4 × battalions, 1 × anti-tank company 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** 2nd Libyan Artillery Group, 2 × groups with 77/28 mod. 5 field guns *** I Mixed Engineer Battalion *** Attached units **** IX Tank Battalion "L", with
L3/35 The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tan ...
tankettes **** 1 × group from the 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre" with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns **** 1 × group with 105/28 howitzers **** 2 × batteries with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns **** 1 × anti-tank company with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns ** 4th CC.NN. Division "3 Gennaio", in Sidi Barrani (General Fabio Merzari) *** 228th CC.NN. Legion, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars *** 250th CC.NN. Legion "Indomita", 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars *** 204th Artillery Regiment, 2 × groups with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns, 1 × group with 100/17 mod. 1914 howitzers *** IV CC.NN. Machine Gun Battalion *** IV CC.NN. Mixed Engineer Battalion *** 4th CC.NN. Anti-Tank Company, with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** Attached units **** 1 × artillery group with 105/28 howitzers **** 1 × artillery group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns


XXI Corps

* XXI Corps, headquarters in Buq Buq General
Carlo Spatocco Carlo Spatocco (31 May 1883 – 28 January 1945) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography Spatocco was born in Chieti on May 31, 1883, the son of Francesco Spatocco, and after enlisting in the Royal Italian Army he participated ...
** XX Tank Battalion "L", with
L3/35 The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tan ...
tankettes ** LXIII Tank Battalion "L", with L3/35 tankettes ** X Machine Gun Squadrons Group ** 1 × motorcyclists company **
63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" The 63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" ( it, 63ª Divisione di fanteria "Cirene") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed on 1 October 1937 in Benghazi in Italian Libya and named for the nearb ...
, at Alam el Rabia and Bir Bofafi (General Alessandro de Guidi) *** 157th Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars *** 158th Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars *** 45th Artillery Regiment, 2 × groups with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns, 1 × group with 100/17 mod. 1914 howitzers *** LXIII Machine Gun Battalion *** LXIII Mixed Engineer Battalion *** Attached units: **** I/21st Artillery Group, with 105/28 howitzers **** III/12th Artillery Group, with 100/17 mod. 1914 howitzers **** III/21st Artillery Group, with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns **** 2 × batteries with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns **** 202nd CC.NN. Anti-Tank Company, with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns **
64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" The 64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" ( it, 64ª Divisione di fanteria "Catanzaro") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was activated on 3 June 1940 and named for the Southern Italian city of Cat ...
, at Alam Salamus (General
Giuseppe Amico Giuseppe Amico (Capua, 1 November 1890 – Slano, 13 September 1943) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography He was born in Capua on 1 November 1890, the son of Fortunato Amico and Carmela Prestieri, and began his military career ...
) *** 141st Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars *** 142nd Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars *** 203rd Artillery Regiment, 2 × groups with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns, 1 × group with 100/17 mod. 1914 howitzers *** LXIV Machine Gun Battalion *** LXIV Mixed Engineer Battalion *** 64th Anti-Tank Company, with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns ** Maletti Group, at Alam Nibeiwa and Alam el Iktufa (General Pietro Maletti, KIA 9 December 1940) *** I, V, XVII, XIX Libyan infantry battalions *** I Auto-Saharan Battalion *** II Tank Battalion "M" 4th Tank Infantry Regiment, with 37 × M11/39 tanks *** 1 × group with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns *** 1 × group with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns *** 2 × anti-tank companies with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** 1 × company with 81 mm mortars *** 1 × battery with 105/28 howitzers


XXIII Corps

* XXIII Corps, headquarters in
Sollum Sallum ( ar, السلوم, translit=as-Sallūm various transliterations include ''El Salloum'', ''As Sallum'' or ''Sollum'') is a harbourside village or town in Egypt. It is along the Egypt/Libyan short north–south aligned coast of the Mediterra ...
, General
Annibale Bergonzoli Annibale Bergonzoli (1 November 1884 – 31 July 1973), nicknamed ''"barba elettrica"'', " Electric Whiskers", was an Italian Lieutenant General who served during World War I, the Spanish Civil War and World War II. In 1940 he commanded the de ...
** 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo", at
Bardia Bardia, also El Burdi or Barydiyah ( ar, البردية, lit=, translit=al-Bardiyya or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''. ...
(General Francesco Antonelli) *** 219th CC.NN. Legion, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars *** 233rd CC.NN. Legion, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars *** 201st CC.NN. Artillery Regiment, 2 × groups with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns, 1 × group with 100/17 mod. 1914 howitzers *** CCI CC.NN. Machine Gun Battalion *** CCI CC.NN. Mixed Engineer Battalion *** 201st CC.NN. Anti-Tank Company, with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** Attached units: **** LXI Tank Battalion "L", with L3/35 tankettes ** 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre", at
Sollum Sallum ( ar, السلوم, translit=as-Sallūm various transliterations include ''El Salloum'', ''As Sallum'' or ''Sollum'') is a harbourside village or town in Egypt. It is along the Egypt/Libyan short north–south aligned coast of the Mediterra ...
and
Halfaya Pass Halfaya Pass ( ar, ممر حلفيا, translit=Mamarr Ḥalfayā ) is in northwest Egypt, 11.5 kilometres east of the border with Libya and 7.5 kilometres south of the other, more major pass in the ridge today. A high, narrow escarpment extends ...
(General Francesco Argentino) *** 231st CC.NN. Legion, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81mm mortars *** 238th CC.NN. Legion, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81mm mortars *** 202nd CC.NN. Artillery Regiment, 1 × group with 100/17 mod. 1914 howitzers, 2 × groups detached to other divisions *** CCII CC.NN. Machine Gun Battalion *** CCII CC.NN. Mixed Engineer Battalion ** 62nd Infantry Division "Marmarica", at Sidi Omar and Gabr du Fares (General
Ruggero Tracchia Ruggero Tracchia (Rome, 11 June 1884 – 29 November 1955) was an Italian general during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and World War II. He spent most of his career in Italy's African colonies. Biography Early life and career After enlis ...
) *** 115th Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81mm mortars *** 116th Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81mm mortars *** 44th Artillery Regiment, 2 × groups with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns, 1 × group with 100/17 mod. 1914 howitzers *** LXII Machine Gun Battalion *** LXII Mixed Engineer Battalion *** 62nd Anti-Tank Company, with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** Attached units: **** LXII Tank Battalion "L", with L3/35 tankettes **** 2 × batteries with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns **** 2 × anti-tank companies with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns


XXII Army Corps (Reserve)

* XXII Corps, headquarters in
Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...
General
Enrico Pitassi Mannella Enrico Pitassi Mannella (Cerignola, 31 May 1882 – Rome, 1948) was an Italian general during World War II. An artillery specialist, he was known among his colleagues as the "King of Artillerymen". Biography He was born in Cerignola, in the ...
**
61st Infantry Division "Sirte" The 61st Infantry Division "Sirte" ( it, 61ª Divisione di fanteria "Sirte") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed on 9 May 1937 in Misrata in Italian Libya and named for the Libyan city ...
, at Gambut (General Vincenzo della Mura) *** 69th Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns *** 70th Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns *** 43rd Artillery Regiment, 2 × groups with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns, 1 × group with 100/17 mod. 1914 howitzers *** LXI Mixed Engineer Battalion *** Attached units: **** I Libyan Paratroopers Battalion "Diavoli neri" **** II Paratroopers Battalion ** Artillery Command *** 10th Army Corps Artillery Regiment *** 20th Army Corps Artillery Regiment ** Special Armoured Brigade at Marsa Lucch (General
Valentino Babini Valentino Babini (Novi di Modena, 5 December 1889 – 29 December 1952) was an Italian general during World War II. He was one Italy's foremost pioneers in tank warfare and among the most important tank commanders of the Royal Italian Army durin ...
) *** I Tank Battalion "M" 4th Tank Infantry Regiment, with 37 × M11/39 tanks *** III Tank Battalion "M" 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment, with 37 ×
M13/40 The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II. It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout the war. The design was influenced by the British Vi ...
tanks *** XXI Tank Battalion "L", with L3/35 tankettes (disbanded at Tobruk late in December 1940, personnel used to raise the XXI Tank Battalion "M" at Benghazi in January 1941) *** LX Tank Battalion "L", with L3/35 tankettes *** 1 × Bersaglieri motorcycle battalion *** 1 × group with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns *** 1 × group with 100/17 mod. 1914 howitzers


Cyrenaica military garrisons

*
Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...
** Royal Italian Army: *** XXI Libyan Coastal Battalion *** 2 × mixed engineer units *** 2 × anti-aircraft groups with 20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns **
Royal Italian Navy The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to '' Marina Militare'' (" ...
: *** cruiser San Giorgio *** 10 × coastal batteries ** *** Infantry: 2,300 men *** Artillery: 2 × groups *
Bardia Bardia, also El Burdi or Barydiyah ( ar, البردية, lit=, translit=al-Bardiyya or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''. ...
** Royal Italian Army: *** 1 × fortification machine gun squadrons group *** 3 × anti-tank companies with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** V Coastal Fortification Group *** XVII Group, with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns *** 2 × batteries with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns ** *** Infantry: 2,500 men *** Artillery: 17 × batteries *
Giarabub Jaghbub ( ar, الجغبوب) is a remote desert village in the Al Jaghbub Oasis in the eastern Libyan Desert. It is actually closer to the Egyptian town of Siwa than to any Libyan town of note. The oasis is located in Butnan District and was ...
** Royal Italian Army: *** 1 × motorised Libyan machine-gun company *** 1 × fusiliers company *** 4 × Libyan fortification machine-gun companies *** 1 × section with 2 × 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns *** 1 × platoon with 4 × 20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns *** 1/2 × anti-tank company with 6 × 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns


Libyan Sahara garrisons

*
Kufra Kufra () is a basinBertarelli (1929), p. 514. and oasis group in the Kufra District of southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. At the end of nineteenth century Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in ...
Oasis ** 2 × Libyan fortification machine gun companies ** 1 ×
Auto-Saharan Company The Auto-Saharan Companies (''Compagnie Auto-Avio-Sahariane'') were Italian military units specialised in long range patrols of the Sahara Desert. The units operated from the late 1930s to the Italian surrender in 1943. History The Saharan com ...
** 1 × Auto-Saharan Company with 20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns *
Jalu Jalu, Jallow, or Gialo ( ar, جالو) is a town in the Al Wahat District in northeastern Libya in the Jalo oasis. An oasis, a city, and it is the main center of the oasis region in eastern Libya.  It is located at the confluence of longitude an ...
Oasis ** 1 × machine gun battalion ** 1 × Libyan reserve battalion ** 1 × Auto-Saharan Company ** 1 × anti-tank company with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns ** 1 × battery with 20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns The 10th Army in Egypt consisted of 80,000 troops, 250 guns and 125 tanks.


Reinforcements

These reinforcements reached the 10th Army after the start of Operation Compass (data taken from Montanari, 1990). *
60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" The 60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" ( it, 60ª Divisione di fanteria "Sabratha") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Sabratha was raised in May 1937, in Gharyan in Italian Libya and named after the near ...
, took up positions at Derna (General Guido Della Bona) ** 85th Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars ** 86th Infantry Regiment, 3 × battalions, 1 × company with 81 mm mortars ** 42nd Artillery Regiment, 2 × groups with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns ** LXIV Machine Gun Battalion ** LXIV Mixed Engineer Battalion ** Attached units: *** 60th Bersaglieri Motorcycle Company *** XVIII Libyan Infantry Battalion *** 1 × machine gun battalion *** 1 × group with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns *** 3 × anti-tank companies with 47/32 mod. 1935 anti-tank guns *** 6 × batteries with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns *** 4 × batteries with 20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns *** 1 × chemical company * Bignami Column, took up positions at
Mechili Mechili ( ar, المخيلي) is a small village in Cyrenaica, Libya and the site of a former Turkish fort. It is nearly east of Benghazi and west of Timimi. Geography Because of its location in the desert, Mechili suffered in the past from is ...
(General Mario Bignami, organised 22 January 1940) ** 10th Artillery Regiment, 1 × group with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns (from the 25th Infantry Division "Bologna") ** VI Tank Battalion "M" 33rd Tank Infantry Regiment, with 37 × M13/40 tanks ** XXI Tank Battalion "M", with 37 × M13/40 tanks (Raised with personnel from the disbanded XXI Tank Battalion "L" in January 1941) ** XXV Motorised Machine Gun Battalion (from the 25th Infantry Division "Bologna") ** XXVII Motorised Machine Gun Battalion (from the 27th Infantry Division "Brescia") * 10th Bersaglieri Regiment ** XVI, XXXIV, XXXV Bersaglieri battalions ** 1 × battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns ** 1 × company with 81 mm mortars * V Tank Battalion "M" 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment, with 37 ×
M13/40 The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II. It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout the war. The design was influenced by the British Vi ...
tanks, joined the
Babini Group The Babini Group ( it, Raggruppamento Babini, also known as the Special Armoured Brigade ) was an armoured unit. The group was formed by the Italian Royal Army () in Italian North Africa (Libya) at the start of the Western Desert Campaign o ...
(Special Armoured Brigade) * VII Anti-aircraft Group, with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns


Western Desert Force

Western Desert Force, 9 December 1940 Details taken from Christie (1999) and Montanari (1990) unless specified. * Commander-in-Chief, Middle East (General Sir Archibald Wavell) *
Western Desert Force The Western Desert Force (WDF) was a British Army formation active in Egypt during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. On 17 June 1940, the headquarters of the British 6th Infantry Division was designated as the Western Des ...
(Lieutenant-General
Richard O'Connor General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor, (21 August 1889 – 17 June 1981) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars, and commanded the Western Desert Force in the early years of the Second World War. ...
) ** 1st Battalion, Royal Sussex (7th Indian Infantry Brigade battalion) ** 4th Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment (7th Indian Infantry Brigade battalion) **
7th Royal Tank Regiment The 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army from 1917 until disbandment in 1959. History The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. The regi ...
(Until 11 December, then 6th Australian Division) ** 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery ** 7th Heavy Field Regiment
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
** 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery ** 6 × light anti-aircraft batteries ** 7th Armoured Division (Major General Michael O'Moore Creagh) *** 4th Armoured Brigade (Brigadier J. A. L. Caunter) **** 7th Queen's Own Hussars (−1 troop) **** 2nd Royal Tank Regiment ****
6th Royal Tank Regiment The 6th Royal Tank Regiment (6 RTR) was a regiment of the Royal Tank Regiment, of the British Army, until 1959. It originally saw action as 6th Battalion Tank Corps in 1917. First World War When tanks were first used in action in 1916, they wer ...
***
7th Armoured Brigade 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
(Brigadier Hugh E. Russell) **** 3rd The King's Own Hussars **** 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars **** 1st Royal Tank Regiment *** Support Group (Infantry Brigade) (Brigadier
William Gott Lieutenant-General William Henry Ewart Gott, (13 August 1897 – 7 August 1942), nicknamed "Strafer", was a senior British Army officer who fought during both the First and the Second World Wars, reaching the rank of lieutenant-general while ...
) **** 1st Battalion
King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...
**** 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade **** 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery **** 4th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery *** 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) (Reconnaissance) *** 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery *** 106th (Lancashire Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (2 × anti-tank batteries, 2 × anti-aircraft batteries) *** 2nd (Cheshire) Field Squadron
Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
*** 141st Field Park Royal Engineers *** 2 ×
Royal Air Force Regiment The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by royal warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such t ...
armoured car companies ** 4th Indian Division (Major General Noel Beresford-Peirse, until 11 December) ***
5th Indian Infantry Brigade The 5th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was converted from the 9th Indian Infantry Brigade in September 1939, and assigned to the 4th Indian Infantry Division. The brigade fi ...
(Brigadier
Wilfrid Lewis Lloyd Major General Wilfrid Lewis Lloyd CBE, DSO and Bar, MC (1 March 1896 – 22 January 1944) was an officer in the British Army and the British Indian Army during the First and Second world wars. Early life Lloyd was born in York, England, on 1 ...
) **** 1st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers **** 3rd Battalion,
1st Punjab Regiment The 1st Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form in 1956, when it was amalgamate ...
**** 4th Battalion,
6th Rajputana Rifles The 6th Rajputana Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army. They moved away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment se ...
**** 1× anti-tank company ***
11th Indian Infantry Brigade The 11th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the Indian Army during World War II. It was relocated from India to Egypt in the middle of August 1939 and trained at Fayed in Ismailia Governorate on the Great Bitter Lake. I ...
(Brigadier
Reginald Savory Lieutenant General Sir Reginald Arthur Savory (26 July 1894 − 14 June 1980) was a British Indian Army officer who served during both World War I and World War II. Military career Educated at Uppingham School, he then attended the Royal Milit ...
) **** 1st Battalion,
6th Rajputana Rifles The 6th Rajputana Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They were formed in 1922, after the Indian government reformed the army. They moved away from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The regiment se ...
**** 2nd Battalion,
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Al ...
**** 4th Battalion,
7th Rajput Regiment 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
**** 1 × anti-tank company *** 16th British Infantry Brigade (Brigadier
Cyril Lomax Major-General Cyril Ernest Napier Lomax, (28 June 1893 – 30 August 1973) was an officer in the British Army during the First World War and Second World War. During the latter he commanded the 16th Infantry Brigade in North Africa and the Mid ...
, until 11 December) **** 2nd Battalion,
Queen's Regiment The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the ar ...
**** 1st Battalion,
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
**** 2nd Battalion,
Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...
*** Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse) (Reconnaissance) *** 1st Battalion,
Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution ...
(machine gunners, 1 × company) *** 1st Field Regiment Royal Artillery *** 25th Field Regiment Royal Artillery *** 31st Field Regiment Royal Artillery *** 4th Field Squadron Royal Engineers *** 12th Field Squadron Royal Engineers *** 18th Field Squadron Royal Engineers *** 21st Field Squadron Royal Engineers *** 11th Field Park Royal Engineers **
7th Indian Infantry Brigade The 7th Indian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Indian Army during World War II. It was formed in September 1939, by the redesignation of the Poona Independent Brigade as the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade and renumbered 4th in June 1 ...
(Brigadier Harold Briggs,
Mersa Matruh Mersa Matruh ( ar, مرسى مطروح, translit=Marsā Maṭrūḥ, ), also transliterated as ''Marsa Matruh'', is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway ...
garrison, two battalions detached, until 11 December) *** 2nd Battalion,
11th Sikh Regiment The 11th Sikh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1922, when after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.S ...
(detached from) **
Selby Force Selby is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731. The town was histori ...
(Brigadier Arthur Selby) *** 3rd Battalion,
Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
*** 1 × company
Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution ...
(Machine Gunners) *** 1 × company, 1st Battalion,
South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot an ...
*** 1 × company, 1st Battalion,
Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. T ...
*** 1 × platoon, 1st Battalion
Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...
*** 1 × troop, 7th Queen's Own Hussars *** 1 × section, 8th Field Regiment Royal Artillery *** 1 × section, 107th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery **
6th Australian Division The 6th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. It was raised briefly in 1917 during World War I, but was broken up to provide reinforcements before seeing action. It was not re-raised until the outbreak of World War II, when ...
(Major General
Iven Mackay Lieutenant General Sir Iven Giffard Mackay, (7 April 1882 – 30 September 1966) was a senior Australian Army officer who served in both world wars. Mackay graduated from the University of Sydney in 1904 and taught physics there fr ...
, from 11 December) *** 16th Australian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Arthur Allen) **** 2/1st Australian Battalion **** 2/2nd Australian Battalion **** 2/3rd Australian Battalion *** 17th Australian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier
Stanley Savige Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, (26 June 1890 – 15 May 1954) was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in the First World War and Second World War. In March 1915, after the outbreak of the First World War, Savi ...
) **** 2/5th Australian Battalion **** 2/6th Australian Battalion **** 2/7th Australian Battalion *** 19th Australian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier
Horace Robertson Lieutenant General Sir Horace Clement Hugh Robertson, (29 October 1894 – 28 April 1960) was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served in the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean War. He was one of the first graduates ...
) **** 2/4th Australian Battalion **** 2/8th Australian Battalion **** 2/11th Australian Battalion *** 6th Division Reconnaissance Regiment (Reconnaissance) *** 2/1st Field Regiment *** 2/2nd Field Regiment *** 2/3rd Field Regiment *** 2/1st Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers *** 2/2nd Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers *** 2/3rd Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers The Western Desert Force consisted of about 31,000 soldiers, 120 guns, 275 tanks and sixty armoured cars. The 4th Indian Division was exchanged with the 6th Australian Division for the pursuit after the first part of Operation Compass.


See also

*
North African campaign timeline This is a timeline of the North African campaign. 1940 •May 1940 — Army of Africa (France) — 14 regiments of zouaves, 42 regiments of Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan tirailleurs, 12 regiments and demi-brigades of the Foreign Legion and 1 ...
*
List of British military equipment of World War II The following is a list of British military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. This also would largely apply to Commonwealth of Nations countries in World War II like Australia, India and South Africa as ...
*
List of Australian military equipment of World War II At the beginning of the Second World War, Australia did not have an extensive manufacturing industry. Furthermore, it was only partially independent from the United Kingdom (Britain). Therefore, most of Australian weapons and equipment during wa ...
* List of Italian military equipment in World War II *
Military history of Italy during World War II The participation of Italy in the Second World War was characterized by a complex framework of ideology, politics, and diplomacy, while its military actions were often heavily influenced by external factors. Italy joined the war as one of the ...


Notes


Footnotes


References

Books * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * published in Theses * Websites *


Further reading

Books * * * * * * * * * * * * * Journals * Newspapers * published in * published in Reports * Theses * Websites *


External links


La battaglia della Marmarica

A few memories of Corporal Nazzareno Ganino of the ''Sabratha'' Division

The Italian Army in Egypt during World War II

The Engagement at Derna, AWM

Animated Map of Operation Compass


{{DEFAULTSORT:Compass, Operation 1940 in Egypt 1941 in Egypt 1940 in Italy 1941 in Italy 1940 in Libya 1941 in Libya Battles of World War II involving Australia Battles and operations of World War II involving India Battles of World War II involving Italy Battles of World War II involving France
Compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
Military history of India during World War II Military operations involving the United Kingdom Western Desert campaign Libya in World War II Egypt in World War II World War II operations and battles of Europe Military history of Italy during World War II December 1940 events January 1941 events February 1941 events