Western Desert Campaign - Raids

Raids

The initial "covering force" fielded by the British along the Egyptian frontier was small but effective. It included light tanks of the 7th Hussars, armoured cars of the 11th Hussars, two motor battalions of the 60th Rifles and the Rifle Brigade, and two regiments of motorised Royal Horse Artillery.

On 11 June 1940, the day after Italy declared war on the Allies, the Italian forces in Libya and the British and Commonwealth forces in Egypt launched a series of raids on each other. Among the more notable raids was a raid by the 11th Hussars within 24 hours of Italy's declaration of war. The armoured cars crossed the border into Libya and captured Italian prisoners who apparently did not know that war had been declared. On 12 June, another 63 Italians were taken prisoner during a raid.

On 14 June, the 11th Hussars, the 7th Hussars, and one company of the 60th Rifles captured Fort Capuzzo and Fort Maddalena and another 220 prisoners. On 16 June, a deep raid into Italian territory resulted in the destruction of 12 Italian tanks. In addition, a convoy was intercepted on the Tobruk-Bardia highway, part of the Via Balbia, and an Italian general was captured.

After 25 June, France had signed an armistice with Italy. As a result, Italian soldiers and materials from the 5th Army could be sent to reinforce the 10th Army. In time, the 10th Army grew to 10 divisions, leaving the 5th Army with four. By mid-July, the Italians were able to reinforce the forces on the Egyptian frontier to a strength of two full infantry divisions and elements of two more.

On 28 June, Marshal Balbo was killed in a friendly fire incident while landing at Tobruk. His aircraft was shot down by Italian anti-aircraft fire soon after a British air raid. Balbo's replacement as Commander-in-Chief and as Governor-General was Marshal Rodolfo Graziani.

On 5 August, a large but inconclusive action took place between Sidi Azeiz and Fort Capuzzo. Thirty Italian M11/39 medium tanks made contact with the 8th Hussars in an effort to re-establish themselves in the area. General Wavell concluded that he was in no position to deny the Italians.

Wear and tear on the armoured vehicles of the 7th Armoured Division was mounting to crisis proportions, and workshops were back-logged. With an average of only one half of his tank strength available for action and realising that his one effective force was being worn out to no strategic purpose, Wavell curtailed further extensive operations and handed over the defence of the frontier to the 7th Support Group under Brigadier William Gott and the 11th Hussars under Lieutenant-Colonel John Combe. These units would provide a screen of outposts to give warning of any Italian approach.

By 13 August, in terms of performance during the initial hostilities, the balance sheet tilted in favour of the British. They dominated both the desert and the Italians. Early set-backs had left the Italians demoralised, and nowhere did they feel safe. They were not safe deep within the static defences of their own territory. With the possible exception of a few units like the Auto-Saharan Company (La Compania Auto-Avio-Sahariana), the Italians were not safe in the open desert, where they were generally out of their element. In two months of desert warfare, the Italians had lost approximately 3,000 men against British losses of little more than 100.

Throughout the rest of August and the early days of September, an uneasy calm settled upon the desert. The calm was broken only by sharp contact between patrols and sporadic aerial fighting as both sides sought knowledge of the other side's intention. While a formidable spy network in Egypt kept the Italians informed, the British chose other ways to obtain information. The Long Range Desert Group was formed under Major Ralph A. Bagnold, and soon Italian movements far behind the lines were being reported by sky-wave radio links.