Editing Operation Compass (section)

==Desert operations==
===Giarabub, Kufra and Uweinat===
{{Main|Siege of Giarabub|Capture of Kufra}}

Italian garrisons held Giarabub {{cvt|150|mi}} south of Sollum, Kufra Oasis, Jalo at the west end of the [[Great Sand Sea]] and Murzuk, {{cvt|500|mi}} south of Tripoli. The oasis of [[Giarabub]] was attacked in January 1941 and captured in March by the 6th Australian Cavalry Regiment and an Australian infantry battalion. Further south, on the far side of the Sand Sea, the oasis of [[Kufra]] was attacked by [[Free French]] from [[French Equatorial Africa]], in concert with [[Long Range Desert Group]] (LRDG) patrols. Kufra fell after the [[Capture of Kufra]] in March 1941. Further west, on the border with [[Chad]], the Italian base at [[Murzuk]] was raided in January, when a patrol of the new Long Range Patrol Unit and a local sheikh travelled {{cvt|1300|mi}} to rendezvous near Kayugi with a small Free French detachment.{{sfn|Pitt|2001|pp=229–240}}{{efn|Cairo to Bahariya Oasis, Ain Dalla, Two Hills/Big Cairn, Murzuk, Traghen, Tummo, Zouar, Faya, Tekro, Sarra, Bishara, Jebel Sherif, Sarra, via Jebel Uweinat to the Nile and Cairo.{{sfn|Pitt|2001|pp=230–231}}}} The force attacked Murzuk and destroyed three aircraft and a hangar; the French commander was killed, most of the Italians surrendered and several prisoners were taken. The raiders then shot up three forts and departed.{{sfn|Playfair|1957|p=297}}

[[File:Jebel Uweinat.jpg|thumb|{{centre|Jebel Uweinat}}]]
At [[Jebel Uweinat]], a {{cvt|6000|ft}} massif {{cvt|600|mi}} inland, at the junctions of Egypt, Libya and Sudan, were landing grounds with an Italian garrison. The base was the closest Italian outpost to [[Italian East Africa]] ({{lang|it|Africa Orientale Italiana}}) and an Italian raid from Uweinat on [[Wadi Halfa]] in Sudan was possible. Destruction of the dockyards and railway workshops and the sinking of vessels on the Nile could cut the communications between Khartoum and Cairo.{{sfn|Pitt|2001|p=225}} British patrols visited Faya and rendezvoused with another French detachment with General [[Philippe Leclerc]] for an attack on Kufra. The British were [[strafed]] by aircraft and ambushed by armoured cars of an Italian [[Auto-Saharan Company]] ({{lang|it|Auto-Avio-Sahariane}}), which destroyed several lorries. Leclerc decided that an attack on Kufra was not possible and the remaining British returned to Cairo, after a {{nowrap|45-day}} journey of {{cvt|4300|mi}}. Kufra was captured by the French on 1 March and became the new LRDG base in April.{{sfn|Playfair|1957|p=297}}
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