Despite the fact that modern armies are maintained by sophisticated logistic support, that should be delivering everything to them that they needed to fight, to advance, if they were the army on the offensive, or to hold their ground or retreat, if they were on the defensive, even modern armies still live off the land to some extent.

But not the armies fighting in North Africa (in Cyrenaica and Egypt). The only thing that was found in abundance there was camel dung. A modern mobile army can fight for a short time without food or water, but its virtually useless without fuel and ammunition. Logistics are vital.

The distances to be travelled in North Africa made even the distances on the Russian front look small.

Tag words: North Africa; Cyrenaica; Lilli Marlen; Rommel; Malta; Via Balbia; General Ritter von Thoma; Ariete armoured division; General Archibald Wavell; Fascists; Adolf Hitler; Führer; BenitoMussolini; Tripoli; Benghazi; Tobruk; General Enno von Rintelen; 5th Light Division; 15th Panzer Division; Deutsches Afrika Korps; Africa Corp; Vichy France; Admiral Darlan; Mers-el-Kébir; War Directive No.22;