Operation Compass pushed Italian forces back far enough to raise a counterfactual about completing the campaign before German reinforcements arrived. If British XIII Corps had remained in North Africa instead of being sent to Greece, the argument runs, there might have been no remaining position for the Afrika Korps to reinforce. Confidence after British success helped make withdrawal of forces politically attractive. The German deployment is then described as a blocking force with orders to avoid an offensive. The contrast is between its initial defensive purpose and the operations Rommel subsequently pursued.
Notable Point · 4:57:39-4:59:07
Operation Compass, Greece, and the opening for the Afrika Korps
The transfer to Greece is considered as a turning point between British gains and a German defensive deployment that became an offensive force.