On this day, two British
divisions, half of them composed of Indian troops, attack seven Italian
divisions in Egypt. Overwhelmed, the Italian position in Egypt collapsed.
Italy had declared war on
Great Britain in June. At that time, Italian General Rodolfo Graziani had
almost 10 times the number of men in Libya than the British forces in Egypt
under General Archibald Wavell, which were commissioned to protect the North
African approaches to the Suez Canal. A vast western desert stretched between
the antagonists, who sat for months without confrontation. In the meantime,
Italian forces had passed into Egypt—but Britain had also reinforced its own
numbers. British cryptographers were also able to break the Italian military
code, enabling British commanders to anticipate Italian troop movements, size,
and points of vulnerability.
British command decided to
make a first strike. On December 7, armoured car patrols surreptitiously set out
to determine gaps in the minefield the Italians had laid. On December 9, Major
General Richard Nugent O'Connor from Mersa Matruh in Egypt launched a westward
offensive. Thirty thousand Brits warred against 80,000 Italians—but the British
brought with them 275 tanks against the Italians' 120. As O'Connor cut through
a gap in the chain of forts the Italians had established, the British 7th Armoured Division swept along the western coast to cut off any hope of an
Italian retreat. Within three days, 40,000 Italian prisoners were taken. The
end of the Italian occupation of North Africa had begun.
Taken from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/brits-launch-offensive-against-italians-in-north-africa [08.12.2014]
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