In the summer of 1940 the Ascari del Cielo were nicknamed "Diavoli neri" (Black devils) and numbered 500. In September, during the Italian invasion of Egypt, the 1st Parachute Regiment, then part of the 1st Libyan Division and in the infantry role, successfully assaulted the positions of the Coldstream Guards in Sollum, right on the border, and forced them to withdraw.