Mediterranean and North Africa · British Commonwealth vs Italy
Operation Compass
9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941
Planned as a five-day raid, O'Connor's Western Desert Force destroyed the Italian camps at Sidi Barrani and kept going. In two months it advanced 500 miles, took Bardia, Tobruk and Benghazi, and captured some 130,000 prisoners for fewer than 2,000 casualties.
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Day by day
— Nibeiwa
Two divisions, 31,000 men against 150,000, came out of the desert behind the Italian camps after a two-night approach march. At 07:15 the Matildas of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment drove in through the unmined rear gate at Nibeiwa; the camp was taken in an hour and General Maletti was killed at the door of his dugout. Tummar West and Tummar East fell the same afternoon, and Sidi Barrani on the 11th.
— Bardia
The 4th Indian Division was taken away for the Sudan on 11 December and the 6th Australian Division came up in its place. It attacked the Bardia perimeter at 05:30 on 3 January behind twenty-three Matildas, and in three days took the fortress and 40,000 prisoners, among them General Bergonzoli's staff. The 7th Armoured had already gone round to the west and cut the Tobruk road.
— Tobruk
The same method was used again at Tobruk: the Australians broke the perimeter wire before dawn on the 21st on a narrow front south-east of the town, and the fortress with its harbour, 25,000 men and a working water plant was in British hands by the afternoon of the 22nd. The port made everything that followed possible. Rain and the Jebel now lay between the Eighth Army and Benghazi.
— Beda Fomm
Told on the 4th that the Italians were leaving Benghazi, O'Connor sent the 7th Armoured Division straight across the neck of the Jebel through Msus and Antelat, over 240 kilometres of unmapped stone desert. Combe's forward force of armoured cars and gunners was astride the coast road south of Beda Fomm two hours before the head of the Tenth Army reached it. In two days of fighting around the Pimple the column of 20,000 men and 100 tanks surrendered.
— El Agheila
The armoured cars went on to El Agheila, 800 kilometres from the start line. In two months the Western Desert Force had destroyed ten Italian divisions and taken about 130,000 prisoners, 400 tanks and 1,290 guns, for 500 dead and 1,373 wounded. On the 9th Churchill halted it to send its divisions to Greece, and the 7th Armoured was pulled out to refit; the first German troops landed at Tripoli five days later.
