Operation Acrobat

Lets say the British decide to make every effort to take Tripoli in February/March 1941 and not divert to Greece, lets say they make this decision on January 6th (after the fall of Bardia) and go all in then and to not hold forces back.

The ultimate goals are to force Mussolini from power, bring French Nortwest Africa over to the Allies, then and only then to reinforce Greece, bomb the Rommanian oil fields and set Europe ablaze with raids and revolts (ok, far fetched but very Churchill like).

Can the British take Tripoli before the Germans arrive in strength???? The panzer regiment arrived on March 11th, but there were lighter German forces arriving before then plus some surviving Italians.
 
I think it would have been possible to take Tripoli, but this would neither have taken Italy out of the war, nor would it have allowed the allies to bomb the Romainian oilfields (at least not more effectively as OTL operation tidal wave. - You need Italian and Greek airfields to do it.

The Germans would have taken Crete without the heavy losses of OTL though.

UK would not have been able to invade mainland Italy - which would have taken Italy out of the war.

Ultimately it would have preserved more italian and German troops than our TL Italy.

MAybe Rommel would have been not the desert fox, but the Steppenwolf :D
 
I think it would have been possible to take Tripoli, but this would neither have taken Italy out of the war:D

Ok, but what could the British do after taking Tripoli (lets say on March 8th)
a) A major effort to take French Africa?
b) Siciliy
c) Try to send forces to Greece/Crete as OTL, but later now

Would the German invade Greece if the British were not there? Just letting the Italians and Greeks fight it out.
 
Ok, but what could the British do after taking Tripoli (lets say on March 8th)
a) A major effort to take French Africa?
b) Siciliy
c) Try to send forces to Greece/Crete as OTL, but later now

Would the German invade Greece if the British were not there? Just letting the Italians and Greeks fight it out.

Germany would invade Greece as this was already decided in Nov. 1940.

C) - if the Brits come later there would be no greece... (you need time to ship out troops)
B) - probably not as Italy had still a powerful navy and I don't think the Brits had the necessary equipment to do an "opposed" landing (in Greece they landed with the consent of the gvmt.)
A) maybe, but unlikely - if done by "force" it might have driven Vichy even into more collaboration, if done by Free French - maybe...
 
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