 In Italian East Africa were another and African troops, with tanks and Italy declared war from 11 June 1940.The Western Desert was about wide, from Mersa Matruh in Egypt to Gazala on the Libyan coast, along the "Litoranea Balbo" ("Via Balbia"), the only paved road.The Sand Sea inland marked the southern limit of the desert at its widest at Giarabub and Siwa; in British parlance, Western Desert came to include eastern Cyrenaica in Libya.