Secure in its northern border by a treaty with Germany, Italy ventured south across the Mediterranean and into British-controlled North Africa, site of rich oilfields, as well as the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and a possible second path to Eastern Europe. Mussolini already had the bulk of his forces in Libya, from where they branched out into Sudan, Kenya, and British Somaliland before the British began reversing their progress. Catching the Italians overextended and exhausted, Commonwealth forces under General Archibald Purcival Wavell pressured them into a headlong retreat. By April, the British were ready for a dash to the Libyan capital, but then, Rommel showed up.

On this day, April 2, in 1941, German General Erwin Rommel, nicknamed “The Desert Fox” by the British for his skillful battlefield maneuvering, launched an attack that would regain Libya and push the British back into Egypt. Hitler himself assigned Rommel to help out the Italian allies, who were on the verge of collapse.

Rommel had already distinguished himself with superior command ability in France. His 7th Panzer division had advanced so rapidly during the French invasion that it was nicknamed “the Ghost Division.” In Africa, Rommel became known for his trademark goggles, lifted from an abandoned British tank, and for carrying around with him a book on leadership written by none other than General Wavell himself.