Italy had declared war on France and Britain on 10 June and in the Italian invasion of Egypt (Operazione E) from 9–16 September 1940, the Italian 10th Army had reached Sidi Barrani and dug in to await the completion of the Via della Vittoria, an extension of the Via Balbia, being built from the frontier; the Maletti Group garrisoned a camp at Nibeiwa, 12 miles south of the port of Sidi Barrani.