WAR OVER lta Ca a) PU me 4WAR OVER THE DESERT The situation in the Mediterranean area, where England is employing superior forces against our allies, requires that Germany should assist for reasons of strategy, politics, and psychology: I therefore order as follows: 1. Commanderin-Chief Army will provide covering forces sufficient to render valuable service to our allies in the defence Of Tripolitania, particularly against British armoured divisions. Special orders for the composition of this force will follow. 2.X. Fliegerkorps will continue to operate from Sicily. Its chief task will be to attack British naval forces and British sea communications between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. In addition, by use of intermediate airfields in Tripolitania conditions will be achieved for immediate support of the Graziani Army Group by means of attack on British port facilities and bases on the coast of Western Egypt and in Gyrenaica... Extract from Hitler's War Directive No 22: German Support for Battles in the Mediterranean Area, 1 January 1941194 @ War Over the Desert RIGHIT: On 10 Jme 1940, hen the Westera| cmp Was sos ove, tay declared war on France and Hatin, Hitler and the imperious and inept Mussolini met in Mlinchen to {scans the terms fof the proposed Trench aemistice and are pictured here inspecting 3 sand of hooour ute Machen way station. In September 1940, aly invaded Egy and a month ater tacked Greece In bowh cases Kalan forces were defexted and Hitler vas obliged 10 send German forces to intervene The Background F: ‘some time prior to the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini had coveted the British and French possessions in North and East Africa. Their capture would tenable him to link the colony of Libya, which had been an Italian possession since 1942, with Eritrea ‘and Abyssinia, the latter having been invaded by Italy in 1935, Mussolini looked upon the German vietories in Europe during the first naif of 1940 with envy and, Unable to resist the opportunity to take a share of the Nazi successes, declared war on Britain and France on 10 June 1940. The problem was that although Italy possessed a large and modem navy, its ‘army was badly led and poorly equipped, and much of Its 3,000 strong air force, the Regia Aeronautica, \vas largely furnished with obsolete aircraft Italy's first offensive action was to mount a futile and inglorious offensive on the western Alpine front of France, which was to result in the first resounding demonstration of the Italian Army's Unreadiness for combat. A day later, on 14 June, units from the Regia Aeronautica launched their first attack on the strategically important island of Malta, a Royal Navy base in the centro of the Mediterranean. At the same time, RAF Blenheims attacked Italian aircraft on the ground at El Adem, {an important airfield in Italian-owned Libya guarding the approaches to the port of Tobruk. Flat CR.428 from the Regia Aeronautica claimed to have shot down three Blenhelms, but several Italian aircraft were also destroyed. During the next few months, Halian air and ground forces skirmished inconclusively on the Libyan Egyptian border with those of Britain and it was not until 13 September that Marshall Rodolfo Graziani commander in chief of Italian forces in North Africa, felt ready to launch a major operation into Egypt. Advancing across the border, the Italians quickly took Sollum and then moved forward to Sidi Barrani where they dug in. (On the ground, there was then another period of inactivity with the two armies facing each other along a north-south line just east ‘of Sidi Barran In the ar, however, there was considerable activity ‘with some mejor clashes hetween the RAF and the Regia Aeronautica. Finally, on § December, British and Commonwealth forces under General Sir Archibald Wevell launched a major ‘counterattack, supported by increasing numbers of Hurricane fighters and Blenheim bombers. By the evening of the 1th, British and Indian troops had re-captured Sidi Barrani and taken 38,000 Italian prisoners, 237 guns and 73 tanks for the loss of only 624 killed, wounded or missing, Four days late, Italian forces ‘BELOW: The Heian sicttor Benito Mussolini iby,