Word: tripoli
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...besieged Britain and out again. When he left, 18 days before, the headlines were announcing the fall of Tobruch and the riots in Rumania. When he got back, the British Navy was pounding Genoa (see p. 30), British troops had taken Bengasi, were a third of the way to Tripoli (see p. 36). When he left, debate on the Lend-Lease Bill was growing strident, and there were rumors that he would be ostracized by the Republican Party because he supported the bill (with restrictions). When he returned, the bill was through the House and the U. S. was waiting...
Plane v. Ship. The second question mark was one whose answer will decide the fate of Britain's Empire. Landing operations near Tripoli would expose the fleet to the full blast of German air attacks from Sicily, just 300 miles due north. The operation might shed much light on the crucial question: will air power or sea power...
Beyond it, the R. A. F. strafed retreating troops, bombed tents, trucks, hangars, grounded planes. One day they ranged all the way to Tripoli to hit at shipping and transport planes that might slip supplies across to Bengasi. At that port the British expected to catch Rodolfo Graziani's men in a final trap, and they did not want it strenghtened by last-minute reinforcement...
...Italians were estimated to have only 50,000 troops left in easters Libya, and about the same number near Tripoli, 600 miles farther west. From Tripoli to Bengasi was too long a haul over the desert either for reinforcement to come up by land or for Marshal Graziani to try to run for it. The main British worry was whether they could wipe Bengasi out before German serial assistance should become really effective. The presence of German planes in Sicily and Libya had effected the whole Mediterranean situation. Late in the week German planes bombed the entire British-held section...
Siege of Tobruch. With this added tip the British went methodically to work on a repeat performance of the Bardia show. While heavy artillery went up, the R. A. F. started off with an attack on Tobruch, roared westward as far as Tripoli, hunting out Italian troop concentrations and airdromes. Off the harbor the British Fleet stood by. Advance land forces pushed on past Tobruch to cut off the Italian retreat, some of them reaching Bómba, 60 miles to the west...