On this day in 1940 Operation Compass commenced in North Africa. It was the first largescale British operation in North Africa during World War Two.
The British Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces in Egypt and Cyrenaica in an offense that would run through February and, in the end take over 138,000 Italian and Libyan (Italian Colonial) forces as prisoners. About 10% of the Commonwealth forces were killed in the effort, a loss of 1,900 men.
The signs were clear. Italy, in spite of some initial promise for the Axis, was spent, the result of the hardcore fascist Italian forces having been used up in the Spanish Civil War, the Italian defense industry having peaked early, and ultimately lukewarm support of Mussolini in Italy.
And no, this doesn't mean that this has suddenly become the "80 Years Ago Today" day by day website. That status would be long to the World War II Day-By-Day blog, which suddenly ended without the war completed. It's entry for this day is here:
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