On 27 February 1941, 14 "Cicogne" of 98° "Gruppo", 43° "Stormo", that had been in service with "Corpo Aereo Italiano" in Belgium, led by commander De Wittembeschi, left Italy bound for Tripolitania, in Libya. On 11 March, they landed on Castel Benito airfield; subsequently, they were allocated to Bir Dufan base, where they replaced the Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 in the night-bomber role. In this theatre, the BR.20 was tasked with bombing the British forces, in particular the key port of Tobruk and the vital supply lines, in preparation for a major joint offensive by Italian and Germany forces.