Operation Compass (also Italian: Battaglia della Marmarica) was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War.

Aug 1, 2024 · Operation Compass (9 Dec 1940 to 7 Feb 1941) was an Allied offensive in North Africa, which pushed Italian forces out of Egypt and then Cyrenaica (Eastern Libya).

Operation Compass began on December 9th. British artillery bombarded the Italian camp at Nibeiwa from the east for an hour. Believing the attack was coming from the east, the Italians reinforced the eastern edge by moving troops from the western edge.

During the winter of 1940-1941 this group planned desert operations that came to be called “Wavell’s Offensive.” The first of these offensive efforts, Operation Compass, was the brainchild of Maj. Gen. Sir Richard Nugent O’Connor, who has been aptly termed “the forgotten victor.”

Mar 6, 2017 · Launched in December 1940, Operation Compass was the first major campaign of World War II in the Western Desert and saw the British drive the Italians back through Libya.

Operation Compass is effectively over, netting some 130,000 total Italian prisoners. Timeline of events centering on Allied and Axis actions in the North Africa Campaign of 1940-1941.

As the Italian invasion into British-occupied Egypt slowed to a halt in Sep 1940, Archibald Wavell ordered British Troops Egypt Lieutenant General Henry Wilson to begin planning a limited operation to push the Italians back in to Libya. The offensive was …

Dec 21, 2015 · The most in-depth look at Operation Compass out there! Using animations and detailed maps, let's find out what happened in one of the greatest British (and Commonwealth) victories of the war...

The Battle of Sidi Barrani (10–11 December 1940) was the opening battle of Operation Compass, the first big British attack of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War.

On 13 September 1940, the Italians advanced into Egypt. The small British force at Sollum withdrew to the main defensive position east of Mersa Matruh, harassing the Italians as they went. The Italians advanced 60 miles in three days and stopped at Maktila, 10 miles beyond Sidi Barrani, dug in and waited.