The I Tankers Grouping participated in the Italian invasion of Egypt in September, but stopped in Sidi Barrani, where the Italian units dug in. When the British counterattack began on 9 December 1940 the Italian tank units were deployed piecemeal and easily defeated by the more numerous and better British tanks. The first two battalions to be annihilated were the II Tank Battalion "M" during the early morning surprise Attack on Nibeiwa and the IX Tank Battalion "L" in the early afternoon of the same day as prelude to the Battle of Sidi Barrani.