Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Italian invasion of Egypt began on the 8th of August 1940 when Marshal Rodolfo Graziani received orders to attack. The advance started shortly after Italy declared war on France and Britain from Libya in June 1940.
Marshal Rodolfo Graziani commanded the Italian 10th Army during the invasion of Egypt. He received direct orders from Benito Mussolini to seize the Suez Canal and defeat British forces quickly.
Operation Compass launched on the 8th of December 1940 resulted in the swift defeat of the Italian 10th Army across Cyrenaica. British forces captured over 130,000 prisoners including Libyans and Italians while destroying or capturing more than 400 aircraft.
The Italian army halted about 50 miles inside Egypt after advancing along the Via Balbia road. They dug in on an arc stretching south and southwest with camps at Maktila Tummar east Tummar west Nibeiwa and Sofafi.
The Italian 10th Army failed to maintain its advance due to severe logistical shortages including insufficient trucks lorries and fuel. Non-motorized divisions had to march long distances on foot while equipment failures paralyzed tank battalions attached to other units.