The passage makes logistics the foundation of desert special operations. An LRDG patrol could remain away for three weeks and cover about two thousand miles. At only six miles per gallon, ten or more trucks might set out mainly to carry petrol, water, ammunition, and other supplies. That reach enabled raids on remote airfields and forts where Italian forces did not expect British raiders to appear. General Leclerc's Free French capture of Kufra gave the LRDG and SAS their main forward base. Fresh water, palm shade, and several days' rest made the oasis a practical source of endurance for further raids.
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LRDG range depended on supply and forward basing
The Long Range Desert Group's reach rested on truck capacity, tightly rationed water, and the Free French capture of Kufra as a forward base.