Qualla: Battle of Sidi Barrani https://qualla.com/battle-of-sidi-barrani en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:30 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/s/t/d/7/battle-of-sidi-barrani-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Sidi Barrani https://qualla.com/battle-of-sidi-barrani Battle of Sidi Barrani: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-sidi-barrani/ Photo credit Dorsen, CC BY-SA 3.0 de. The troops did not know it was real. On 25 November 1940, they trained on objectives near Mersa Matruh that happened to be exact replicas of Italian fortified camps called Nibeiwa and Tummar. They were told a second exercise would follow. Most did not learn the truth until 7 December, as they moved into start positions in the desert darkness. Two days later, the "five-day raid" they had unwittingly rehearsed ripped through the Italian 10th Army like a blade through cloth, and the Western Desert campaign began in earnest.

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]]> Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/t/d/7/battle-of-sidi-barrani-wp/std7-battle-of-sidi-barrani-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Sidi Barrani: Mussolini's Stalled Invasion https://qualla.com/battle-of-sidi-barrani/ Photo credit Dorsen, CC BY-SA 3.0 de. Italy had invaded Egypt in September 1940 with overwhelming numerical superiority: nine divisions, roughly 215,000 men in Libya against a British force of perhaps 36,000. The 10th Army pushed cautiously along the Mediterranean coast from the frontier, occupying Sidi Barrani befor...

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]]> Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/t/d/7/battle-of-sidi-barrani-wp/std7-battle-of-sidi-barrani-mussolinis-stalled-invasion.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Sidi Barrani: The Trap Springs https://qualla.com/battle-of-sidi-barrani/ Photo credit Dorsen, CC BY-SA 3.0 de. Operation Compass launched before dawn on 9 December 1940 with meticulous deception. Fleet Air Arm Swordfish dropped flares over Maktila on the coast while ships bombarded Sidi Barrani. Inland, the real blow fell on Nibeiwa camp, where the Italian Maletti Group -- named for its c...

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]]> Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/t/d/7/battle-of-sidi-barrani-wp/std7-battle-of-sidi-barrani-the-trap-springs.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Sidi Barrani: The Fall of Sidi Barrani https://qualla.com/battle-of-sidi-barrani/ Photo credit Dorsen, CC BY-SA 3.0 de. On 10 December, British armor cut the coast road between Sidi Barrani and Buq Buq, trapping the Italian garrison. The town was defended by two Italian divisions in eight strongpoints along a perimeter too long for effective command. A dust storm reduced visibility to yards, creat...

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]]> Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/t/d/7/battle-of-sidi-barrani-wp/std7-battle-of-sidi-barrani-the-fall-of-sidi-barrani.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Sidi Barrani: An Army Destroyed https://qualla.com/battle-of-sidi-barrani/ Photo credit Dorsen, CC BY-SA 3.0 de. The scale of the victory exceeded anything the British had imagined. From 9 to 11 December, they captured tens of thousands of Italian prisoners -- twenty times the number planned for. The prisoner columns overwhelmed the logistics system, consuming supplies and transport capacit...

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]]> Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/t/d/7/battle-of-sidi-barrani-wp/std7-battle-of-sidi-barrani-an-army-destroyed.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Sidi Barrani: From Raid to Rout https://qualla.com/battle-of-sidi-barrani/ Photo credit Dorsen, CC BY-SA 3.0 de. What had been planned as a five-day raid became one of the most lopsided campaigns in modern military history. O'Connor pushed westward, capturing Bardia and then Tobruk, and finally trapping the remnants of the entire 10th Army at Beda Fomm in February 1941, south of Benghazi. T...

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]]> Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/t/d/7/battle-of-sidi-barrani-wp/std7-battle-of-sidi-barrani-from-raid-to-rout.mp3 0:06 6 full