The following is the text of a signal received from 202 Group shortly after the campaign started: “On 8th December we destroyed Benina. On 9th December our Army captured all the important defended positions before Sidi Barrani. Our Air Force shot down fourteen bombers and fighters. Our bombers kept the enemy Air Force from attacking our advanced troops. Our Navy co-operated and helped the Army procure the intimidation of the enemy in the Sidi Barrani area. WE ARE ADVANCING !“
On 10th December General Wavellstarted his big drive by launching an attack on Bir Enba and moving north to Sidi Barrani. It appeared that the whole show had been very carefully rehearsed before hand and went most successfully from the start except that for the first few days reconnaissance was greatly hampered by dust storms and it was almost impossible to tell what was happening or where our own troops were. The system of operating the aircraft which were based at Qasaba was to have one or two machines at an advanced landing ground (ALG) in this case at Bir Mella where also was Corps headquarters. Each pilot would carry out a reconnaissance and land there as briefed. In the meantime a replacement pilot and machine was sent up from base and the one that had completed his flight returned to base. This worked admirably because the information could be given to headquarters with the minimum of delay. Any photographs taken were immediately flown back to base and developed before being flown back to the ALG.
Shortly after Sidi Barrani and Nubeiwa fell a Hurricane reconnaissance pilot stated that the Italians appeared to be evacuating Soffafi and Rabia. This information was reported to Force Headquarters where it was treated sceptically, it being believed that the forces reported as Italians were our own. A confirmation sortie was sent up and the pilot reported exactly the same thing. The Squadron Commander then carried out a further trip in a Hurricane only to report that the Italians had moved further northwest while the camps of Halfaya and Halfway House were filled up. The result of this episode was that before fighters could be brought up to strafe this column, hours had been wasted and a great number of the enemy …
