Operation Nicety

'Nicety' was a British special forces attack on the Axis positions at the Jalo oasis in North Africa as part of a complex of operations designed to keep the Axis forces off balance during the Allied build-up for the 2nd Battle of El Alamein (13/19 September 1942).

The operation, sometimes wrongly known as 'Tulip', was undertaken within the multi-part 'Agreement' by Force 'Z', which comprised a detachment of the Sudan Defence Force from the Kufra oasis guided and escorted by a patrol of the Long Range Desert Group. The patrol reached the Jalo oasis on the night of 15/16 September, but the operation was a failure as the Germans had discovered the plans for all four operations on the body of a dead officer taking part in 'Agreement' and had warned the Italians accordingly.

Thus the garrison at Jalo had been reinforced and easily repelled the attack on the night 15/16 September, and Force 'Z' was ordered to pull back on 19 September.