Editing Operation Compass (section)

{{Short description|British military offensive against Italy in Egypt and Libya during WWII}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Operation Compass
| partof            = the [[Western Desert Campaign]] of the [[Second World War]]
| image             = File:WesternDesertBattle Area1941 en.svg
| image_upright = 1.0
| caption           = Map showing the Western Desert theatre
| date              = 9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941<br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days |month1=12 |day1=09 |year1=1940 |month2=02 |day2=09 |year2=1941}})
| place             = [[Sidi Barrani]], [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]] to [[El Agheila]], [[Italian Libya|Libya]]
| casus             =
| territory         = Recapture of western Egypt and occupation of Cyrenaica
| result            = British victory
| combatant1        = {{ubl|{{flag|United Kingdom}}|{{flagcountry|British India}}|{{flagicon|Cyrenaica}} [[Libyan Arab Force]]{{sfn|Rodd|1970|p=255}}{{efn|Formed in 1940 and augmented by prisoners captured at Sidi Barrani to five battalions of infantry. The LAF participated in the first two occupations of Cyrenaica, mostly performing garrison and lines-of-communication duties.{{sfn|Rodd|1970|p=255}}}}|{{flag|Southern Rhodesia}}|{{flag|Australia}}|{{flag|Free France}}}} 
| combatant2        = {{ubl|{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Italy}}|{{flag|Italian Libya}}}}
| commander1        = {{plainlist|
* [[Archibald Wavell]]
* [[Henry Maitland Wilson|Henry Wilson]]
* [[Richard O'Connor]]
* [[Michael O'Moore Creagh|Michael Creagh]]
* [[Noel Beresford-Peirse]]
* [[Iven Mackay]]
}}
| commander2        = {{plainlist|
* [[Rodolfo Graziani]]
* [[Giuseppe Tellera]]{{KIA}}
* [[Sebastiano Gallina]]{{POW}}
* [[Carlo Spatocco]]
* [[Annibale Bergonzoli]]{{POW}}
* [[Enrico Pitassi Mannella|Enrico Mannella]]{{POW}}
}}
| units1 = {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Western Desert Force]]
| units2 = {{flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} [[10th Army (Italy)|10th Army]]
| strength1         = {{plainlist|36,000 men
* 275 tanks
* 120 guns
* 142 aircraft}}
| strength2         = {{plainlist|150,000 men
* 600 armoured vehicles
* 1,600 guns
* 331 aircraft}}
| casualties1       = {{plainlist|
* 500 killed
* 1,373 wounded
* 55 missing
* 26 aircraft}}
| casualties2       = {{plainlist|5,500+ killed
* 10,000 wounded
* 133,298{{POW}}
* 420 tanks
* 845 guns
* 564 aircraft}}
| notes             =
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Western Desert}}
{{Campaignbox Operation Compass}}
}}
'''Operation Compass''' (also '''{{langx|it|Battaglia della Marmarica}}''') was the first large British military operation of the [[Western Desert Campaign]] (1940–1943) during the [[Second World War]]. British metropolitan, Imperial and Commonwealth forces attacked the [[Kingdom of Italy|Italian]] and Libyan forces of the [[Tenth Army (Italy)|10th Army]] (Marshal [[Rodolfo Graziani]]) in western [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]] and [[Cyrenaica]], the eastern province of [[Italian Libya|Libya]], from December 1940 to February 1941.

The [[Western Desert Force]] (WDF) ([[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] [[Richard O'Connor]]) with about {{nowrap|36,000 men,}} advanced from [[Mersa Matruh]] in Egypt on a five-day raid against the Italian positions of the 10th Army, which had about {{nowrap|150,000 troops}} in fortified posts around [[Sidi Barrani]] in Egypt and in Cyrenaica to the west. The WDF swiftly defeated the Italians in their fortified posts and at Sidi Barrani, forced the rest of the 10th Army out of Egypt and captured the ports along the Cyrenaican coast in Libya. The 10th Army was cut off as it retreated towards [[Tripolitania]] at the [[Battle of Beda Fomm]], the remnants being pursued to El Agheila on the [[Gulf of Sirte]].

The British took over {{nowrap|138,000 Italian}} and Libyan prisoners, hundreds of [[tank]]s, more than a thousand [[Artillery|guns]] and many [[aircraft]]. The WDF suffered casualties of {{nowrap|1,900 men}} killed and wounded, about {{nowrap|10 per cent}} of the infantry. The WDF was unable to continue beyond El Agheila, due to worn out vehicles and the diversion in March 1941 of the best-equipped units to conduct [[Operation Lustre]] for the [[Battle of Greece]]. The Italians rushed reinforcements to Libya to defend [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], assisted by the {{lang|de|[[Deutsches Afrikakorps]]}} and the {{lang|de|[[Luftwaffe]]}}.
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