Thread by @GershomG

#OTD 9 Sept. 1940: Italian commander in Libya orders his army to invade Egypt. The "Western Front" of WWII becomes the Middle East.

@SherifaZuhur @MohamedSabry079 @Mustafa_salimb @ahm3dmadi @LibyaLiberty
#War_of_Shadows

Gen. Rudolfo Graziani didn't believe his army was ready to invade Egypt. Described invasion as"crime of historic proportions" - against his army, not Egypt. But said, "I, before God and my soldiers, am not not responsible" because he was only following orders from Mussolini.

Mussolini expected to conquer Egypt and Sudan, so that his "new Roman Empire" would rule from Libya to Ethiopia.

Graziani was known as "the Butcher" for his role in Italy's brutal repression of Arab revolt in Libya. One out of 8 Libyans died in the long campaign in the 1920s and 30s. A reminder…
@KarenAttiah

Graziani was known as "the Butcher" for his role in Italy's brutal repression of Arab revolt in Libya. One out of 8 Libyans died in the long campaign in the 1920s and 30s. A reminder…

…description of desert war in WWII as a "war without hate" - because supposedly no civilians were affected - was false. People lived there. Benghazi would change hands 5 times in next two years. Jews of Cyrenaica (eastern Libya) were sent to concentration camp. @Yair_Rosenberg

The story - w/many new twists - in #War_of_Shadows
publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/gershom…