War Diary Entry
17 February 1941
During morning wrote out operation order for 17 February, and sent copies to Italian offices.
Major Grunow sent to Catania to improve cooperation with X.Fliegerkorps.
Commanding General flew out at 09.30 hours with the intent to visit Oases at Socna and then on to Sirt. Flight to oases not possible due to Ghibli[1], therefore to Sirt only. From there during the afternoon transmitted instructions to Chief of Staff for reconnaissance and attack operations by German air force on 18 February.
English 11th Hussars Regiment pushed into the desert at El Agheila, direction unknown.[2] El Agheila and Casa Ristoto occupied by enemy. Destroyers[3] and Stuka have attacked these. Locate 11th Hussars.
Messerschmitt Bf 110 of ZG26, shot down by RAF fighters during fighting for Tobruk, 1941. Possibly Bf 110D WNr 3188 3U+FR of 7/ZG 26 which was shot down 14 February 1941, and the first Luftwaffe aircraft lost in North Africa. IWM CM745.
Building of dummy tanks ordered. One model ready evening 17 February.
First conference by Captain Otto[4] and Captain Meixner[5] with Italian navy concerning sea transport of Panzerregiment 5 to the forward area.
Notes
[1]sand storm
[2]In fact the regiment was being pulled back to Tobruk. See the war diary at this link.
[3]Bf 110 twin-engined heavy fighters
[4]army
[5]German navy, officer in command of naval affairs in North Africa at the time. His actual rank was Korvettenkapitän, or Lt. Commander.
The Crusader Project 
Depending on how the North Africa campaign for the Luftwaffe is regagarded, the first Luftwaffe aircraft lost in Africa might be 3 planes from II./KG 26 who collided with each other at the Air Field of Bengasi when it was still in Italian hands in December of 1940.
X. Fliegerkorps deployed 14 He-111 in Bengasi under Major Bertram to attack the naval supply chain of the British at Suez canal. According to Kühn “Mit Rommel in der Wüste” ISBN 3-87943-369-0, Motorbuch Verlag
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