Desert War officially starts September 13, 1940
The Desert War officially began on September 13, 1940 when Italy crossed from Libya into Egypt.
Snapshot · Fin vs History
Nazis Are No Match For Knobbly Knees | Monty vs Rommel (Part 1/4)
Explore episode
Jun 29, 2026
Where this was said
It Was Reckless
At 59:30 · chapter starts 47:37
Fin lays out the strategic map: Britain controls Egypt and the Suez Canal, France controls Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, and Italy — having grabbed Libya — declares war on Britain and France on June 10, 1940, convinced the conflict is nearly over. Mussolini's grand strategy, Fin reveals, essentially consists of imagining himself riding bareback on a white horse into Cairo like Napoleon, and working backwards from there. The Italian military has no motorised units worth mentioning, no plan, and — Horatio adds — no interest in digging latrines, leading to epidemic dysentery. These are not Romans. The decline from Caesar to Mussolini over 2,000 years is, the hosts agree, staggering. On September 13, 1940, at the height of the London Blitz, Italy crosses the Libyan border into Egypt. The Desert War begins. Fin teases Part 2: Rommel's arrival in theatre, the First Battle of El Alamein, Blitzkrieg in the desert, and meth. The series Patreon has just hit 40,000 subscribers — a fact the hosts find almost embarrassingly successful.
Monty's Exercise Tiger — 100,000-Troop Rehearsal
Before any major engagement, Monty ran a 100,000-troop exercise called Exercise Tiger to rehearse his tactics. His entire philosophy was simple: only attack when you know you're going to win. That obsession with preparation came directly from his WWI experience of lying in a ditch wondering what could be done differently.
Monty led 100,000-troop Exercise Tiger maneuver
Monty led a 100,000-troop exercise called Exercise Tiger to rehearse the tactics he would later use in battle, emphasizing preparation and guaranteed victory.
Rommel's 7th Panzers were only ~10% of the force
The Panzers represented only about 10% of the overall force; the rest moved on horseback, meaning Rommel constantly outran his own supply lines.
Italy's Catastrophic Entry into the War
Mussolini declared war on June 10, 1940, believing France had already fallen and Britain was next — he wanted a seat at the peace table. His grand strategy for North Africa: build a road, ride into Cairo bareback on a white horse like Napoleon. He genuinely didn't understand what a war was.
Italy declares war on France & Britain — June 10, 1940
Mussolini declared war on France and Great Britain on June 10th, 1940, believing the war was effectively over and wanting a seat at the post-war table.
Patreon hits 40,000 subscribers
The Fin vs History Patreon reached 40,000 subscribers, which the hosts found almost embarrassingly large.
Similar snapshots
CISO role first held by Steve Katz
Joel de la Garza noted that the CISO role is a relatively recent invention, with Steve Katz widely credited as the first-ever CISO.
Electricity parallel: 6% vs 3x productivity
Superficial adoption of electricity gave factories only 6% efficiency gains; fully redesigning factories around it delivered a 3x productivity improvement that powered 20th-century US growth.
Caddyshack: cast did drugs every day on set
Harold Ramis recounted that during Caddyshack filming, storms kept the cast cooped up in a Florida hotel for days, during which they partied and did drugs all day and night.
China was 25% of global output in 1820s
In the 1820s, China accounted for 25% of global economic output, making it the world's largest economic machine — a historical precedent for its current AI superpower ambitions.
444 days hostage crisis
66 Americans held hostage at the US Embassy in Iran were released after 444 days, within hours of Reagan's inauguration.
508 TOW missiles sent to Iran
In the first round of the secret arms deal, 508 TOW missiles were transferred from Israel to Iran in exchange for hostage releases.
2,000 missiles in 8 shipments
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran across 8 separate shipments over just over a year.
Only 3 of 7 hostages released
Despite all the missile sales, only 3 of the 7 American hostages held by Lebanese terrorists were ultimately released.
Plane shot down at 2,500 feet in daylight
The CIA supply plane that blew open the scandal was flying at only 2,500 feet in broad daylight when it was shot down on October 5, 1986.
