Operation E: September 1940 invasion of Egypt

[Wargames]

Maybe this has already been discussed but I failed to see it. I found this website:

Operazione 'E' | Operations & Codenames of WWII

codenames.info

It actually says quite a lot about the invasion but, being a website, could be unreliable. It states the 1st and 2nd Libyan divisions were only semi-motorized (Infantry on foot). Other info as well that doesn't appear here (and maybe because it's wrong.). Should we try and separate truth from fiction and repost it here in corrected form?

 

[diciassette2000]

For the advance on Sidi el Barrani in September 1940, the forces of the Royal Army had the 23rd Army Corps at their disposal, of which the divisions that made it up 1st CCNN 23 March, Cyrene and Marmarica had been "rearranged" on 5 battalions each and in total the Army Corps had about a thousand vehicles of various types which allowed the movement of two divisions in the first line with infantry, however on foot, while the reserve division which in the specific case was the 23rd March could be entirely truck-mounted. The Libyan Division Group equally engaged in the offensive on the 1st and 2nd Libyan divisions each out of 6 battalions was instead equipped with 650 vehicles with which it could only transport the artillery while the rest had to move on foot. Then there was also the Maletti Group with an availability of 450 vehicles which represented the only unit entirely self-transported.
All the best
Maurizio

 

[Wargames]

For the advance on Sidi el Barrani in September 1940, the forces of the Royal Army had the 23rd Army Corps at their disposal, of which the divisions that made it up 1st CCNN 23 March, Cyrene and Marmarica had been "rearranged" on 5 battalions each and in total the Army Corps had about a thousand vehicles of various types which allowed the movement of two divisions in the first line with infantry, however on foot, while the reserve division which in the specific case was the 23rd March could be entirely truck-mounted. The Libyan Division Group equally engaged in the offensive on the 1st and 2nd Libyan divisions each out of 6 battalions was instead equipped with 650 vehicles with which it could only transport the artillery while the rest had to move on foot. Then there was also the Maletti Group with an availability of 450 vehicles which represented the only unit entirely self-transported.
All the best
Maurizio

I think just about every website out there has the Libyans motorized and half of either Cirene or Marmarica. Do you know what was done with the two extra regular infantry battalions? Left in Bardia or Fort Capuzzo I suppose. Did they ever get them back?

Also, the trucks used by 1st CCNN would have to be returned to the motor supply pool plus, by my calculation, some 300 trucks from Maletti Group. leaving Maletti only 150 trucks, reducing him to about three motorized battalions and no artillery transport. I need to review what he had on December 9, 1940.

 

[diciassette2000]

However, if you have to take stock of the situation at the time of Compass, you must bear in mind that between the September 1940 period of the Italian advance on Barrani and the December 1940 beginning of Compass, many things in terms of motorisation of the Italian units changed again... mainly in October 1940 the Italians created two groupings of army vehicles effectively leaving the single units operating on site "dry" and centralizing all the vehicles in these two groupings .... moreover the wear of the means available which were already largely obsolete caused the availability of vehicles to drop even more. In exchange, almost all the motor vehicles of the 5th Army were transferred to Cyrenaica at the disposal of the 10th Army. In total, on 10 November 1940, the 10th Army could line up 5,140 of which 2,437 received from the 5th Army (of which 1,960 were inefficient - 360 at the units and 1,600 at the workshops). As for the battalions left behind during the advance on Barrani, they remained in the base offices of the individual units they belonged to.
all the best
maurizio

 

[Wargames]

Thanks! I agree that they would have to take these trucks back. The British claim 1,000 trucks captured December 9-13 but that's likely an overstatement as I can't see where they'd be.
I have the 5,140 trucks figure but on a much earlier date. Does anyone have a different date than November 10?