Already in November the XII Tank Battalion "M14/41" was transferred to the newly formed 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment for service in North Africa. En route one transport carrying the tanks for one of the companies of the XII battalion was sunk by British warplanes in the Mediterranean. After the 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment arrived in Libya in February 1942 it had to cede two of its battalions: the XI to the 101st Motorized Division "Trieste" and the X to the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment of the 132nd Armored Division "Ariete" to replace the losses these two divisions had suffered during the Panzer Army Africa's advance to Gazala in the preceding weeks. To bring the 133rd regiment back up to strength the IV and LI tank battalions were sent to North Africa. Back in Italy the 31st regiment received the XIII Tank Battalion "M" &lt;a href="M13/40%20tank"&gt;M13/40 tank&lt;/a&gt;s from the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment. However the XIII battalion had to be sent to Libya during summer 1942 to replace the losses suffered by the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment in the battles of Gazala, Bir Hakeim, Mersa Matruh, and First El Alamein.