Theatre: North Africa
Location: Egypt and Cyrenaica (a province of Libya)
Dates: 9 December 1940 to 7 February 1941
Outcome: Defeat of the Italian army in North Africa
In September 1940, Graziani launched an incursion from Cyrenaica, the eastern province of the Italian colony of Libya, into Egypt, which was nominally independent but under British tutelage at the time.
The Italian 10th Army halted at Sidi Barrani, 80km (50 miles) inside Egypt. British and Indian divisions launched a counter-offensive codenamed Operation Compass on 9 and 10 December. Sidi Barrani fell on the second day; 20,000 Italian troops were taken prisoner.
