Today in World War II History—February 12, 1941

Italian Gen. Italo Gariboldi welcoming German generals Erwin Rommel and Johannes Streich to Tripoli, Libya, 12 Feb 1941 (German Federal Archive: Bild 101I-424-0258-32)
80 Years Ago—Feb. 12, 1941: German Lt. Gen. Erwin Rommel arrives in Tripoli, Libya; his Afrikakorps will join the Italian fight against the British in North Africa.
Howard Florey gives penicillin to a human for the first time—mortally ill Albert Alexander in Oxford, who improves but then dies due to an insufficient supply.
In convoy SLS-64 off Madeira, German cruiser Admiral Hipper sinks 7 Allied freighters.