A French advance from the west could help end Italian control of Libya during 1940. The Italian retreat might move faster than either Allied army could sustain its pursuit, allowing a substantial force to withdraw. The historical comparison gives nearly 134,000 prisoners from an Italian 10th Army of about 150,000 men, alongside losses of 420 tanks, 845 guns and 564 aircraft. The proposed earlier collapse could therefore produce fewer captures than the historical campaign. Italian forces in Libya lacked the better tank designs then emerging in Italy.
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A faster Libyan campaign still faces supply limits
Libya is expected to fall during 1940 in this scenario, but Allied supply limits could let more Italian troops escape.