Editing Fort Capuzzo (section)

===1940===
{{see also|Western Desert Campaign}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = First Action of Fort Capuzzo
| place       = Fort Capuzzo, [[Sallum]], [[Libya]]
|image = File:The British Army in North Africa 1940 E378.jpg
|image_size = 250px
|caption= [[Rolls-Royce Armoured Car]] at the [[Frontier Wire (Libya)|Frontier wire]], 1940
| partof      = [[North African Campaign]] of the [[Second World War]]
| date        = 14 June – 16  December 1940
| combatant1  = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| combatant2  = {{flagcountry|Fascist Italy (1922-1943)}}
| result      = British victory
| coordinates = {{Coord|31|34|51|N|25|03|08|E|type:event_region:LY|display=inline}}
| commander2  = Francesco Argentino
| units1      = [[7th Queen's Own Hussars|7th Hussars]]<br />[[1st Royal Tank Regiment]]<br />[[4th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|4th Armoured Brigade]]<br />[[No. 33 Squadron RAF]]<br />[[No. 211 Squadron RAF]]
| units2      = [[2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre"]]<br />[[Maletti Group]]
| casualties1 = 150
| casualties2 = 3,500 casualties<br />150 killed
}}
On 14 June 1940, four days after the Italian declaration of war on Britain, the [[7th Queen's Own Hussars|7th Hussars]] and elements of the [[1st Royal Tank Regiment]] captured Fort Capuzzo. The  [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) contributed the [[Gloster Gladiator|Gladiator]] fighters of [[No. 33 Squadron RAF|33 Squadron]] and [[Bristol Blenheim|Blenheim]] bombers of [[No. 211 Squadron RAF|211 Squadron]] to the attack and the [[11th Hussars]] took Fort Maddalena about {{cvt|60|mi}} further south.{{sfn|Playfair|Stitt|Molony|Toomer|2004a|pp=113, 118}} The fort was not occupied long for lack of troops and equipment but demolition parties visited each night to destroy Italian ammunition and vehicles.{{sfn|Moorehead|2009|p=13}} For the rest of June, the British patrolled to the north, south and west and began the [[Siege of Giarabub]]. The Italian [[Tenth Army (Italy)|10th Army]] concentrated in the area from Bardia to Tobruk and brought forward the [[Maletti Group]], a combined tank, infantry and artillery force, equipped with a company of [[Fiat M11/39]] medium tanks, which were superior to their older [[L3/33]] tankettes.{{sfn|Christie|1999|p=49}}

The Italians reoccupied Fort Capuzzo and held it with part of the [[2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre"]] (Lieutenant-General [{{lang|it|Luogotenente Generale}}] Francesco Argentino). On 29 June, the Maletti Group repulsed British tanks with its artillery and then defeated a night attack.{{sfn|Christie|1999|p=49}}{{sfn|Moorehead|2009|pp=15–16}} During the frontier skirmishes from 11 June to 9 September, the British claimed to have inflicted {{nowrap|3,500 casualties}} for a loss of {{nowrap|150 men.}}{{sfn|Playfair|Stitt|Molony|Toomer|2004a|pp=119, 187, 206}} On 16 December, during [[Operation Compass]] (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941) the 4th Armoured Brigade of the [[Western Desert Force]] captured Sidi Omar and the Italians withdrew from Sollum, Fort Capuzzo and the other frontier forts; Number {{nowrap|9 Field}} Supply Depot was established at the fort for the [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured Division]].{{sfn|Playfair|Stitt|Molony|Toomer|2004a|p=278}}