Following the loss of Cyrenaica, Italy requested a German intervention, plus in February 1941 the first troops of the thing that was to get to be the famous Deutsche Afrika Korps led by General Erwin Rommel had been delivered to North Africa. The troops for the Axis in a few months took straight back Cyrenaica and Tobruk, and higher level into Egypt. Constantly short on supplies, they certainly were defeated by the 8th British Army at El Alamein. The additional pressure due to the United states arrival in Morocco forced the Afrika Korps to gradually retreat in Tunisia during 1943.