Friday, August 11, 2006

Axis dispositions in late 1941

The British believed that almost all the Axis strength was forward-deployed to Cyrenaica, with just a few divisions in Tripolitania. The frontier was held by an Italian division backed by some German units with guns. The two German armoured divisions were located between Bardia and Tobruk. Three Italian divisions, with more German units encircled Tobruk. The British believed that there was an Italian mobile corps forming near the Jebel Akhdar (Ariete armoured division and the Trieste Motorized Division, and another?). The actual Italian Mobile Corps, the XXth, certainly had the Ariete Armoured Division and the Trieste Motorized Division. At the time of the offensive in November, the British expected to have a 3:2 superiority in tanks and a 2:3 inferiority in aircraft. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

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