28th January
Led by 4th Armoured Brigade under Brigadier Caunter, 7th Armoured Division strikes out across the Cyrenaica desert to cut the coast road to Benghazi, 150 miles away. British armoured cars occupy Msus, and the forces then move toward Antelat.
Wavell telegrams to CIGS:
'Information indicates that enemy is making hurried withdrawal westwards from Cyrene and possibly south from Benghazi. What remains of 7 Armed Div. is advancing on Msus and may reach there this evening. Tomorrow it will try to cut roads leading south from Benghazi. The RAF is attacking retreating columns.'
29th January
On his way to Britain, the Australian Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, stops at Singapore and is appalled at the neglect of the island's defences, which he considers an easy target for Japan. He sends details of this to Australia, with instructions to investigate what can be done, and will bring it up with the War Cabinet when he arrives in London.
In Berlin, General von Funck reports to Fuhrer headquarters on his fact-finding mission to Libya and on the critical position of the Italian forces in North Africa.
In the Atlantic, the escort carrier HMS Activity is hit by two torpedoes from U-94. The escort carriers are difficult targets, as they are kept in the centre of the convoy at night, protected between the bulk of the merchant ships, but despite the Swordfish covering the convoy by day U-94 has managed to be in a good attacking position. She registers the ship as sunk; a rather overoptimistic assessment, as the buoyancy modifications made to the converted merchantman work well, and although she is slowed and unable to operate aircraft, she is still afloat and moving. She will however require nearly three months in the dockyard to repair due to the damage and stress caused to the hull.
Due to the appalling terrain they are trying to negotiate the tank regiments of 7th Armoured Div. are slowed to the point where they decide to send the faster vehicles and infantry of the Rifle Brigade forward in Bren gun carriers to join the 11th Hussars who by now are now ranging far ahead. This composite forces is under Colonel Combe and hence called "Combeforce". It comprises some 2,000 men of 11 Hussars, a squadron of the Kings Dragoon Guards and the RAF Armoured Car Squadron.
Combeforce reaches Msus, north-east of Beda Fomm late in the morning and hits the coast road near the village of Sidi Saleh about noon. At 1430 the first column of Italian lorries came fleeing down the road from the north to find their way blocked by 'A' company of the Rifle Brigade. As the Italian traffic is brought to a halt and begins to pile up, the Italians fan out west of the road towards the sea and probe south to engage the rest of Combeforce. Fighting continues throughout the day in spite of a growing shortage of ammunition.
Meanwhile the lead elements of 4th Indian have arrived at Derna; the intention was to advance while leaving the tired Australians to hold the town, but instead the Australians, whose advance elements are still in contact with retreating Italians, refuse to be taken out of the line.
30th January
4th Armoured Brigade arrives to strike the blocked Italians in the flank at Beda Fomm further north than Combeforce. The Italians fought hard through the day but by evening their position was critical. 7th Armoured had pinned down a mass of vehicles and men in complete confusion along some 20 miles of the one possible escape road from Solluch to Agedabia. In repeated attempts to break through the Italians lost more than 80 tanks.
O'Connor orders a fast-moving detachment - about a brigade group in strength - along the main road from Barce to Benghazi and on to Ghemines, to complete the encirclement of the Italians. While this is happening, British and Australian troops enter the town of Benghazi.
RAF Middle East signals the Air Ministry to inform them that except for a Hurricane squadron held back to defend the Delta, all aircraft available are being used for support of the Army advance, as well as all spare aircraft available to the navy that the RAF can find pilots for. There is a growing shortage of spares, more are needed urgently.
31st January
After consultations with army and army group staffs the Army High Command has now prepared the first operational plans for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The deployment plan for the forces is also ready.
Agedaba falls to the British. At 11 am the Italian Chief of Staff surrenders to the HQ of 4th Armoured Brigade. Later General Annibale Bergonzoli surrenders along with the rest of 10th Army. 20,000 men, six generals and a vast horde of weapons, transport and supplies along with a shower caravan and mobile brothel with a dozen women. The cost of the battle to 7 Armoured Division was nine men killed and fifteen wounded.
It was a brilliantly orchestrated attack, which took the Italian defenders entirely by surprise when British armour - traversing barren and waterless tracks from Tobruk - suddenly appeared at Beda Fomm cutting any chance of Italian retreat. Australian infantry and tanks then swept in from the north to join the British from the south and west.
With Benghazi taken O'Connor's men continue westwards - advanced units of 4th Indian have arrived at Sirte, with Tripoli itself now under threat. O'Connor intends to use the 4th Indian to keep pressing to Tripoli, his next target. In addition to the Australians, he now has a South African Division assembling, but they are still considered too green to commit. The biggest problem at the moment is the way 13 Corps transport is being ground down by the desert conditions, but O'Connor wants to stop as far west as he can before he is forced to halt and resupply.
While the 7th Armoured has lost few tanks to the enemy, it has lost far more to the terrain and desert conditions. Ideally, the division needs a rest to repair its equipment and supplies, but O'Connor is reluctant to take pressure off the Italians, who show all the signs of collapsing. Given a break, the Italians could reorganise their defences. He suggests to Wavell that a Brigade of the 2nd Armoured is brought forward by sea to Benghazi, allowing part of the 7th to be withdrawn for re-equipping. This will also allow him to strengthen the remaining armoured force.
Wavell is reluctant as he sees a need to withdraw formations in case they have to be sent to Greece, but O'Connor points out that that hasn't been requested yet, and in any case the real problem is supplies and equipment - with Benghazi in his hands, he can get the men easily back to Cairo if needed. Wavell agrees to give him another 10 days to exploit his success; O'Connor hopes that unless Italian defence stiffens he can be at Tripoli by then. If he has to then supply troops to Greece, Tripoli is a much better stopping point as it will compel Italy to bring in fresh troops and supplies further back in Tunisia, and then force them to fight him at the end of a long supply line, while he can reinforce by sea into Tripoli or Benghazi.
Free French troops under General Leclerc besiege the Italian garrison at Koufra.
Air Marshall Dowding and his aides embark for Alexandria on a mission for the War Cabinet, where they will report back to Churchill on the organisation of the Middle East Air Force and how it has been operating to support the Army. Wavell has written to the CIGS expressing his approval of how he has been supported, and Dowding wants to see how this has been done so it can be replicated in other theatres.
1st February
In Ethiopia General Sir William Platt's force captures Agordat, which guards the final approaches to Keren, taking 6,000 prisoners, 80 guns, 50 tanks, 400 trucks and what an official report described as "much material." This is after a three day battle. Italian troops under Lieutenant-General Luigi Frusci, Commander of the Eritrean Army, are falling back to the mountain positions around Keren. To the south Barentu has also been captured by the Indian troops, sealing the approaches to Keren.
2nd February.
On her way to replace the damaged carrier Implacable in the Mediterranean fleet, HMS Victorious attacks the harbour installations at Mogadishu. This causes considerable confusion to the garrison, who have never seen the modern naval aircraft before, and have no idea that the carrier is off the coast.
The British advance reaches El Agheila against scattered and ineffective Italian opposition. Most of the Italian infantry is basically helpless due to loss of transport and any heavy equipment, and the sight of tanks is usually enough to make them surrender immediately. Intelligence indicates there are men making their way west to escape the British, and also some stands by determined troops, but these are not enough to hold back the advance, although a few spots of resistance have been left for the following infantry to clear up.
Due to the loss of armour, a brigade of the 2nd Armoured is being sent to Benghazi by sea, the coastal areas now uncontested by Italy. Indeed, air support from both sides is waning fast, although on the British side it is more to wear and lack of spares and maintenance that is steadily reducing the number or serviceable aircraft. The Italians are suffering if anything more from this, as well as having more aircraft destroyed (along with many non-serviceable planes being overrun and having to be destroyed or captured). O'Connor also wants to bring a brigade of the New Zealanders forward if practical.
Force H with HMS Ark Royal, HMS Renown and HMS Resolution sails into the Gulf of Genoa to allow the battleships to bombard the city of Genoa, firing 300 tons of shells onto dock installations, warehouses and the Ansaldo Electric works, while carrier aircraft bomb Leghorn, a major railway junction at Pisa and other rail connections, and lay mines off Spezia. The incursion is not resisted by the Italian navy, who have nothing available that can damage the British capital ships.
3rd February
In Berlin, The Army General Staff presents detailed plans to Hitler for Operation Barbarossa. Halder estimates that the Russians have about 155 Divisions; German strength is about the same but 'far superior in quality'. Hitler is convinced of the plans and approves them.
The British are pushing light motorised units forward to Sirte, but the heavier tanks and infantry are starting to lag behind. Sirte is fortified and the light elements are not enough to take it, although they do keep busy with reconnaissance and rounding up Italians.
4th February
Sirte is now surrounded by the British light forces, who keep it under observation while the lead infantry of the 4th Indian Division arrive, along with a handful of Matilda tanks. Reinforcements arrive at Benghazi by sea today, courtesy of the Royal Navy, and it is hoped to get them moving forward tomorrow. The situation behind the advance is somewhat confused, but is slowly being brought under control. The ships will also take on board some of 7th Armoured most damaged equipment for delivery to the heavy workshops in the Delta. It is becoming obvious even to the rear echelon of the Army that the key to success in the desert is mechanised forces, and the concern now is how long the advance can keep going before the transport arm literally grinds to a halt.
6th February
Hitler offers Rommel command of a new formation to be made up of the 5th Light Division and 15 Panzer Division and intended for operations in North Africa. This force was designated Afrika Korps and equipped with PzKw III and IV tanks. The operation will be codenamed 'Sunflower'. It is hoped to land the initial part of the force at Tripoli in order to block the British advance to the east of the port.
7th February
The British assault the fortified town of Sirte, lead by the tanks of the 2nd Armoured Division. This is the first action they have been involved with, and their lack of experience compared to the 7th Armoured Division shows. Fortunately they are supported by the veteran 4th Indian Division, and the Italians still don't have an anti-tank gun that can stop a Matilda. The 15" shells arriving from the battleships offshore are yet another distraction. By the afternoon the tanks have broken the defensive line, and although some of the defending units fight on bravely, some simply collapse and surrender, leading to the disintegration of the perimeter. Sirte is surrendered by nightfall.
8th February
While the British reorganise after Sirte and wait for supplies, the light units drive on towards Homs, where the Italian army is reported to be digging in to defend Tripoli. Again they are slowed more by the need to accept the surrender of weary footslogging Italian infantry that by any enemy action. However the supply line leading from Egypt is getting more and more frayed, despite the navy running in supplies by coastal convoy. O'Connor is pressing his troops as hard as he can, and the veteran units are responding well, but he will soon be forced to stop.
The first units of the German 5th Light Division leave Naples for North Africa. The convoy also carries Italian reinforcements. Further units will sail tomorrow on a convoy bound for Tripoli. This is at the urging of General Rommel, who has flown in to the airfield at Tripoli, and is convinced of the need to stop the British advance short of the port in order to preserve a forward base of operations. Meanwhile units of the Luftwaffe are preparing to start operations from Tunisia.
In Berlin, the Kriegsmarine sends the first briefing of Operation Rheinübung for discussion with the Luftwaffe; it is hoped to stage the operation by April.
9th February
The 2nd Armoured advance on Homs - while their supply situation is still woeful, they are currently using petrol and food captured in Sirte, which for some unknown reason the Italian commander had not destroyed. They hope to be at Homs by the following day, the lead elements of the 4th Indian following by lorry. There is also a Commando force of some 2,000 men at Benghazi; it is hoped to lane these behind Homs and stop it being reinforced from Tripoli.
While they are doing this, elements of the 7th Armoured are bypassing Homs to get to Tripoli directly, by swinging south through Torhuno. This path seems to have been missed by the Italians, as by the end of the day they find themselves in sight of Tripoli.
10th February
Prime Minister Winston Churchill formally instructs General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief Middle East Command, to regard help for Greece as having a higher priority than exploiting the success in North Africa. He mentions the important effect on American opinion of being seen to fulfil promises to smaller nations.
HMS Implacable heads to Durban for a better evaluation of her underwater damage. She is now seaworthy, and after inspection to see that she is ready to cross the Atlantic, will carry on to Norfolk Virginia for full repairs - the hull damage will be fixed while the hangars and elevators are rebuilt. The repairs are estimated to take three to four months, as some additional refit work will also be done at the same time.
The intention of the Luftwaffe to operate from bases in Tunisia is temporarily stalled due to issues with the French. While the Vichy regime has told the colony to cooperate, there is resistance, both official and unofficial, on the ground. In particular, it is being pointed out that this will lead to Britain legitimately attacking the Luftwaffe bases, and is tantamount to declaring war on Britain. The plan has not gone down well in the other remaining Vichy-controlled colonies, many of whom are facing serious local opposition. Remaining neutral under Vichy is one thing, actively fighting with Germany is something rather different.
Outside Tripoli, the forces observing the city have generated a little excitement of their own. One of the officers in the detachment is a Major Stirling, a British officer who has been championing the idea of fast, light forces able to hit, run and do reconnaissance behind enemy lines where they are not expected. The actions in the desert have given him the opportunity to talk to a number of Australian officers who are quite interested in the idea of being able to hit the enemy when he isn't expecting it. He has pointed out that he has some armed vehicles, and the detachment has armoured cars, and there is this nice airfield close by at Mellaha full of undefended, helpless enemy aircraft.
Later that evening, the air base receives some unwelcome visitors, who proceed to drive around and into it, shooting up anything resembling an aircraft or a fuel dump. The Italians are taken completely by surprise by this, and many of the aircraft present are destroyed or damaged. Indeed they only miss the German General Rommel by hours; he had flown out of the airfield that afternoon to report back on the situation in Tripoli and to expedite the arrival of the lead elements of his division.
The situation in the city itself is almost as confused. Eight weeks ago it was nowhere near the war, only worrying about handling the Italian supply convoys and the troops on leave. Now it is in the forefront of the action, and it is not prepared in any way for this. The RAF are now visiting every night, and although the raids don't do much damage (the RAF is fast running out of serviceable bombers, and in any case the accuracy is poor), the psychological effects are bad. In addition, that morning HMS Terror paid them a visit and landed a number of 15" shells in the port area before withdrawing.
11th February
The news about the problems in Tunisia is given to Hitler, who flies into a rage, condemning the French, the Vichy regime, the Italians, and basically everyone else in Tunisia. The Army, who had also been hoping to send troops via the French North African ports, points out they need to get troops to North Africa if they are to do any good. Hitler instructs that unless the French do as they are told and allow the complete and full use of Tunisia and any other facilities Germany needs in North Africa, they are to prepare for the complete occupation of France.
Wavell replies to Churchill that he understands the need to support Greece, but that the forces currently engaged in North Africa will need considerable refurbishment (in the case of 7th Armoured, basically a complete reconstruction) before they would be ready to send to Greece. He also thinks it's worth allowing O'Connor at least one attempt to take Tripoli, as that would throw the Italians out of North Africa and ease the Malta situation considerably, as well as being a huge propaganda coup. Such a coup could be useful support for Greece in demoralising the Italians. He has reinforcements arriving very shortly, and he suggests that he starts to prepare these for Greece (remembering that Greece hasn't yet actually agreed to British land forces), and planning for their deployment. They would actually be available more quickly, since if they were to replace his existing units it would take a while to prepare their replacements for the desert.
Meanwhile Wavell is meeting with General O'Connor, Admiral Cunningham and Air Marshal Longmore to consider his options. O'Connor, when asked, states that the result of an immediate attack on Tripoli depends a lot on the Italian response. So far, the Italians have tended to collapse when surrounded and attacked, especially later in the campaign where their morale is suffering. However not all Italian units have given in easily, and he considers it likely that the ones who retreated west rather than surrender will be in the Tripoli garrison. If so, the city may hold out from an initial attack, and he does not have the force to take the city against serious opposition until he is resupplied. His idea is to make an attack as soon as possible, in the hope the city will surrender. If it does not, it will be necessary to put it under siege while his units get replenished and rested. To do that effectively will depend on the Navy and the RAF.
Air Marshal Longmore is more than willing to both attack the city and interdict resupply, but he points out his actual serviceable aircraft numbers are very low after the action of recent weeks. He really needs a couple of weeks to repair and service aircraft, give his pilots a rest, and arrange to operate out of airfields nearer the front. So his question is can the Navy give him those two weeks?
Admiral Cunningham's opinion is that, while the navy has also been worked hard recently, that he can stop most resupply reaching Tripoli for that time. He is mainly worried about Italian aircraft and submarines if he uses his heavier forces forward, but is prepared to risk them for the time needed. As long as Malta can also put out a maximum effort during that time, it should be possible to sink a considerable portion of the resupply convoys, and given air cover, those that arrive can be attacked in the port itself. He is also prepared to run coastal convoys as far forward as possible to relieve the supply situation. Fortunately the rapid fall of some of the Italian towns have allowed the Navy to acquire a number of small coastal ships to supplement their existing ships, and the port facilities along the coast are in generally good shape. The Italians often ran out of time to destroy stores and facilities.
Wavell decision is to allow O'Connor one attempt to storm Tripoli, as soon as he is ready, but only if he can be ready inside a week. If that fails, the city will be put under siege and the units will be rested and replenished. Depending what happens in Greece, once this is dealt with an attack can be made to take Tripoli. He also asks Dowding, who is returning to Britain today with his report on air support, to press the CIGS for as many planes as possible to support his operations in North Africa and Greece.
General Ion Antonescu's decision to allow Romania to be used a base for a massive German expeditionary force led today to a diplomatic break with Britain. After a half-hour meeting with Antonescu, later described as "extremely painful", the British envoy, Sir Reginald Hoare, returned to the legation to pack his bags .Most of Germany's oil supplies come from Romania, and German engineers have for some time been running the country's oil wells. When German troops began arriving, Antonescu said that they were to train the Romanian army. The British told him that a full expeditionary force was not needed to train a few Romanians.
12th February
With at least 40 troop trains a day crossing Hungary to Romania, Hitler is building up to a formidable 600,000-strong army on the border with the Ukraine. Much of the equipment carried by the German forces is of French make, having been seized after the French collapse last year.
The Germans' next move, now the ice has broken on the Danube, is to float pontoon bridges in the river to enable troops to enter Bulgaria, under a secret agreement reached with the Bulgarian government four days ago. The Germans have promised the Bulgarians a slice of Greek territory to give them access to the Aegean Sea after the war.
The massive German move into the Balkans has set off a wave of speculation that Hitler may be about to go to the rescue of his Italian ally, who has been badly mauled by the Greeks. Some observers, however, believe that this is the advance stage of a plan to invade the Soviet Union.
The Tripoli-bound convoy managed to slip past the RAF in Malta, only to run into first the submarine HMS Upholder, then an airstrike from HMS Victorious. As a result, only three merchant ships survive to retreat to Italy, and a destroyer is also lost. The convoy was ordered to withdraw after Tripoli advised there were RN battleships offshore - in fact there aren't, the 15" shells they assumed were from a battleship were from HMS Terror. Meanwhile Cunningham asks the RAF if they can mine Tripoli harbour whenever possible, as he thinks they may try and run a few fast ships through individually.
The British forces outside Tripoli are being built up as fast as possible. A Brigade from 2nd Armoured is already there, as are advance elements of 4th Indian. The bottleneck is transport, there are broken-down lorries lining the coast road all the way back to Benghazi. The advance is only being kept going by captured Italian vehicles and petrol, but with only one last town to go, the troops morale is high despite their exhaustion. To aid the road traffic, infantry and supplies are being brought forward on coastal shipping, and the Navy expects to be able to land two commando units west of the city tomorrow. As one British officer put it, 'It's all being done on a shoestring. But a very determined shoestring'.
13th February
At Merano, Admirals Arturo Riccardi of Italy and Erich Raeder of Germany meet to discuss naval co-operation. One of the staff officer's present wonders if that means German fishing boats will be sent to support Italian yachts, or vice-versa.
The Royal Navy lands the men of 51 Commando plus supporting forces and their equipment over open beaches west of Tripoli. This completes the surrounding of the city, and O'Connor hopes to be able to attack in two days; he is waiting for the rest of 4th Indian and further ammunition supplies to arrive.
That night, the commandos are surprised to intercept a car coming from the direction of Tunisia. It contains a number of men who identify themselves as French officers, and ask to be taken to Cairo to speak to General Wavell. The commandoes are surprised, but after some radio calls it is arranged that they will be taken east where they can be flown to Cairo.
The Vichy government is informed by Germany that they WILL allow their ports and facilities in North Africa to be used by the Germans, or the consequences will be 'severe'. After some hours of agonising, the Vichy regime agrees to obey the instructions and will draw up the necessary orders for the colonial territories. Despite the secrecy surrounding this meeting, a few hours later the news is in London, who rapidly (if secretly) disseminates it.
14th February
The Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica are attacking Malta heavily, in an attempt to close down the ability of the island fortress to interdict the convoys to Tripoli. While they have some success in this, the convoys still have to first evade the Maltese squadrons, then Royal Navy submarines, bombers operating from North Africa and finally surface forces and carrier strikes. As a result the Italian navy insists they be allowed to send fewer convoys in order to escort them properly, pointing out what has happened to the latest convoy, which was only lightly escorted. Given the Italian navy has no heavy ships, escorts will have to be lighter vessels, but they hope to at least concentrate enough defensive power to fend off anything but the British battleships.
In Italian Somaliland, the Italians are on the retreat. Their latest loss is the port of Kismayu, on the Indian Ocean, which was occupied at 14:00 by West, East and South African troops, under the command of Lt. Gen. Alan Cunningham. The port is the first major prize in what he plans will become a two-pronged drive, up the coast to Mogadishu, the colonial capital, and northwards up the river Juba to Ethiopia. His offensive into Italian territory began in earnest only three days ago, after an eight-week preliminary operation to recapture first parts of Kenya occupied by the Italians and then frontier posts on the Kenya-Somaliland border.
While the supply build-up outside Tripoli is not satisfactory, O'Connor considers it adequate for the one attack he is allowed to make. He has a considerable number of troops available; 4th Indian Division, a brigade of 2nd Armoured, a New Zealand brigade and the commando units and two battalions of the Free French Foreign Legion. His hope is that the Italian defence will crack as it has done in the previous assaults.
Back in England, Dowding has been making his report to the War Cabinet on Air Cooperation between the services. His conclusion is that the success in the desert is the result of close cooperation between the services and a willingness to try and understand the nature of the problems facing each of them. He recommends that each theatre creates a specific team (as the most senior officers have other tasks) to address the problems and solutions for their theatre. They will take as their starting point what has gone on in Africa and develop a doctrine for support operations. He suggests that that any team should include officers experienced in the local problems - he has noted that the requirements of the desert air force is often quite different from those he was familiar with while in charge of Fighter Command in the UK.
In addition, he passes on the requests from Cairo for desperately needed air power. He has spent the previous day checking on the availability of planes in the UK, and points out that there are now ample planes available for defence, and that all available Hurricanes (and Sparrowhawks) would be best used in North Africa and Greece where they can directly engage the enemy. He dismisses the RAF theory of attacking over France with fighter sweeps as inefficient and merely losing more pilots than the Germans. Sending more aircraft to North Africa will help the Army, and if the Germans respond by diverting aircraft from northern Europe that is at least as effective as trying to coax them into fights where they always hold the home advantage.
15th February
The British make their assault on Tripoli, let by 2nd Armoured. The attack is supported by every operational RAF aircraft available; after the attack a few days ago, the Italians evacuated their aircraft from Mellaha, and the only air support now available is bombers from Sicily. The Mediterranean fleet is also out in force, the battleships shelling the city (in particular the port) covered by the carriers. The Italian surface forces are absent, but one Italian submarine is sunk by RN destroyers as it tries to close on the fleet. The dive bombers from the two carriers are also attacking targets of opportunity in the defence perimeter, the idea being to put the maximum pressure on the defenders.
The attackers put pressure on the Italian defensive perimeter as they probe for a weak spot; ironically many of the shells they are using to pound the Italians are Italian in origin - the British have captured more Italian artillery and ammunition than they can use. The assault goes on throughout the day, and by the evening the British have identified a couple of areas they think exploitable. Overnight, air raids and occasional artillery barrages go on, both to wear out the defenders and to make them believe the British have ample ammunition. Meanwhile the troops are briefed on tomorrow's assault, O'Connors final throw of the dice.
Imperial troops capture the port of Kismayu in Italian Somaliland.
Chancellor Adolf Hitler meets the Yugoslav Premier Cvetkovic and his Foreign Minister Cinkar-Markvic at Berchtesgaden to urge them to join the Tripartite Pact. They still refuse to commit their country, in the hope that Hitler will soon be preoccupied with relations with the Soviet Union and that they can get aid from Britain and the USA.
Admiral Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, sends a message to Admiral Kimmel, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet based in the Territory of Hawaii, regarding anti-torpedo baffles for protection against torpedo plane attacks on Pearl Harbor. The message states “consideration has been given to the installation of anti-torpedo baffles within Pearl Harbor for protection against torpedo plane attacks. It is considered that the relatively shallow depth of water limits the need for anti-torpedo nets in Pearl Harbor. In addition the congestion and the necessity for manoeuvring room limit the practicability of the present type of baffles.” The Fleet Air Arm attack on Taranto, a similarly shallow harbour, seems to have been overlooked.
The Vichy government informs the colonies in North Africa of the decision to open its ports and provide support and help for German forces expected soon. The orders do not go down well, even in Algeria, the most pro-Vichy of the colonial areas. It is expected that the first convoys will arrive in about a week, and food fuel and water will need to be provided, as well as turning a number of airbases over to the Luftwaffe. The authorities keep the order secret until they can work out how to present this to their men - more than one governor is worried about actual mutiny once they hear of it.
The officers who presented themselves in Tunisia have reached Cairo, where they speak with General Bethouart, who is currently commanding the Free French forces in Africa, and General Wavell. Following this, Wavell signals to Ethiopia asking how difficult it would be to transfer some or all of the 1st Free French Division to North Africa, and how long it would take.
16th February
The Greek army is again on the offensive, and claim to be pushing the Italians on the Yugoslav-Albania back with large losses in men and equipment. The Italian government denies this.
At first light the British make their final attack on Tripoli. During the night they have positioned troops at two weak spots they have found in the Italian lines. Shortly before the attack, the RAF staged an air raid and the Royal Navy demonstrates their ability to deluge the city with 15" shells from the battleships Warspite and Valiant. Having been practising this sort of fire support for some 200 years, the Royal Navy is by now rather good at it.
Shortly after these attacks begin, the assault begins, led by every available Matilda tank - all 18 of them. The Italians still have nothing that can stop them, and while one of the two assaults gets bogged down by a desperate and fierce Italian defence, the other breaks the perimeter, allowing troops to both attack the rear area and start to roll up the defensive line.
For a time it looks like the Italians may throw the attack back - they have, through determined counter-attacks, thrown another one back almost to its starting line - but the second breakthrough is manned by far less aggressive formations. As the breach widens, O'Connor throws in the French troops and his tank reserve. His gamble pays off; under the increased pressure (the Free French troops in particular terrify the Italians), the whole eastern side of the defence collapses in confusion. Shortly after, the Italian commander offers his surrender.
It takes a while to get the ceasefire organised - some of the fascist troops fighting the western attack are reluctant to surrender - but by evening Tripoli is in the hands of the British. Wavell is able to signal Churchill that night that 'all of Italian North Africa is now under our control'. Not technically correct, there are units and some small towns holding out, but essentially correct.