Prof. Greg Jackson

Around the same time as the Greek disaster, in September 1940, Italian forces march east from their North African colony of Libya and into British-controlled Egypt.

Side note, of course, they march east.

To the west is French North Africa, and like Germany, Italy has an armistice with France as well.

The Italian attack against Egypt threatens to open a path to rich oil fields in the Middle East, and of course, seafaring Britain's great treasure, the Suez Canal.

But as in Greece, Italian forces prove less than capable here.

In fact, the Italians are losing ground.

British forces not only push the Italian invasion back, but take much of eastern Libya, a region known as Cyrenaica.

Adolf's frustrated.

Seriously, with a friend like Benito, who needs enemies?

Il Duce is proving more of a hindrance than a help, as he not only fails to shore up Germany's southern flank, but needs Nazi forces to fight his battles too.

And it's not like the Fuhrer isn't busy.

As we know from episode 188, the Battle of Britain might be settled, but the Luftwaffe isn't done with its bombing efforts.

And as we know from the last episode, the Wehrmacht is gearing up for its secret invasion of the USSR, Operation Barbarossa.

Meanwhile, German U-boats are busy sinking Allied ships in the Battle of the Atlantic.

All that to say, the Nazi war machine has a lot going on and Adolf has no time for Benito's shenanigans.

So, he sends one of his most capable men to clean up Ilduche's mess in North Africa, Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel, or anglicized, Erwin Rommel.

On one level, Erwin is a surprising choice.

I mean, this clever, charismatic, and short General de Panzertruppe with a hard-lined face made his name humiliating Italians in World War I. Back in the fall of 1917, in the eastern Italian Alps, at Caporetto, then-Lieutenant Erwin Rommel led a few companies in seizing Mount Mataiore while taking 9,000 Italian prisoners and suffering a total German loss of six dead and 30 wounded.

Oof.

In Italian, Caporetto still means a devastating loss, a complete disaster.