Britain's position in 1940 combined limited forces in Egypt with equipment losses at Dunkirk and the threat of invasion at home. Italy's entry into the war pushed reinforcement convoys onto the much longer route around the Cape. Saul David's example is a group of 7,000 troops ready in May that reached Egypt only at the end of August. Wavell nevertheless used mobile raids against frontier forts and formed the Long Range Desert Group for this kind of harassment. Vehicle availability was another constraint: more than 200 of the Western Desert Force's 306 tanks were under repair by the end of July. Graziani's delay allowed a further convoy of tanks, guns and spare parts to reach Suez before the offensive.
Notable Point · 3:23:45-3:26:55
The Cape route and worn tanks constrained Wavell's force
Italy's numerical advantage met a British force whose reinforcements faced a long sea journey and whose existing tanks urgently needed repairs.