DK - World War II Map by Map

ROMMEL ENTERS THE DESERT WAR 77

siege of Tobruk, and in July, a frustrated Churchill dismissed the

area commander, General Archibald Wavell, replacing him with

General Claude Auchinleck. The new commander was given

substantial reinforcements, especially tanks, and the British desert

forces—which included Australians, New Zealanders, Poles, South

Africans, Indians, and Free French troops—were reorganized as

the British 8th Army.

On November 18, Auchinleck took the offensive in Operation

Crusader. Again the British armor was outfought by Rommel’s more

experienced tank commanders, but at a crucial moment Rommel lost

contact with his enemy, advancing into empty desert while, further

north, 8th Army infantry pressed towards Tobruk. The siege was

lifted on November 27 and Rommel soon conducted a full-scale

retreat, falling back as far as El Agheila—the first position he had

captured from the British, the previous March.

Apr 8 Major-General

Gambier-Parry and

2,000 British troops are

captured at Fort Mechili.

Apr 10 The

241-day Axis siege

of Tobruk begins.

Nov 20 The British

7th Armored Brigade

captures Rommel’s HQ

at Gambut Airfield.

Apr 7 Senior British

generals Neame and

O’Connor are captured

by an Axis patrol.

Apr 6 The British

abandon a planned

defensive line.

Nov 22–Dec 7 A

confused tank battle

rages around Sidi Rezegh.

FIELD MARSHAL ERWIN ROMMEL

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (1891–1944)

was one of the leading tank commanders of

World War II, earning himself the nickname

der Wüstenfuchs, “the Desert Fox,” for his wily

strategic command. His British adversaries

admired his chivalry, and the war in North Africa

has been called the “war without hate.” Although

a supporter of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi seizure

of power in 1933, Rommel was a reluctant Nazi.

In 1944 he was implicated in the July 20 plot

to assassinate Hitler (see pp.196–197); he was

allowed to take his own life rather than face trial.

▷ German mobility

Soldiers from the German 21st Panzer

Division are seen riding a BMW R75

motorcycle. The motorcycle and

sidecar combination was often used by

reconnaissance troops during the war.

4

Fort Mechili

Italian Ariete

Division

9th Australian

Division

German

Afrika Korps

Fort

Capuzzo

British

8th Army

15th Panzer

Army

El Agheila

Mersa Brega

Al Bayda

Benghazi

Agedabia

Msus

Derna

Gazala

Tmimi

Gambut

Bir el Gubi

Bir Hacheim

El Adem

Sidi

Rezegh

Al Marj

Tobruk

Sollum

Sidi Barrani

Buqbuq

Maktila

Bardia

Gabr Saleh

Sidi Omar

Qaminis

Beda

Fomm

Shahhat

Gulf of

Sirte

From Alexand

ria

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a L I B Y A

EGYPT

CYRENAICA

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Halfaya

Pass

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rip
oli
May–Jun 1941 The
British launch offensives to
recapture the Halfaya Pass.
SIEGE OF TOBRUK
APRIL 10–NOVEMBER 27, 1941
Axis troops reached Tobruk on April 10, but
their initial attacks were repulsed. Rommel
decided to bypass Tobruk and head toward
Egypt, leaving the port surrounded by other
Axis forces, which attacked the largely Australian-
manned defensive lines. German artillery and
aircraft bombarded the town but the British
Mediterranean Fleet ran the blockade, delivering
supplies. The siege was eventually lifted by the
British 8th Army on November 27, 1941.
2
Siege of Tobruk
Allied defensive line
British Mediterranean
Fleet supply route
TESTING THE LINE APRIL 14–JUNE 17, 1941
After the seizure of the Halfaya Pass by Axis
forces, the front line stabilized just inside the
Egyptian border. The British, under the command
of General Archibald Wavell, launched Operation
Brevity (May 15–25), designed to improve Allied
positions on the border in order to allow a move
toward Tobruk. It failed. In a much larger
offensive, Operation Battleaxe (June 15–17),
British armor was destroyed by German anti-tank
fire at Halfaya; it, too, was a costly failure.
3
Front line Apr 25–Jun 15, 1941
Battle of Halfaya Pass, May–Jun 1941
Allied advances
Battle of Sidi Rezegh,
Nov 22–Dec 7, 1941
Axis response
Axis retreat
OPERATION CRUSADER
NOVEMBER 18, 1941–JANUARY 6, 1942
Eager for a victory, the British, now under General
Auchinleck, launched Operation Crusader on
November 18. They immediately took Gabr Saleh
and fought a major tank battle around Sidi Rezegh
from November 22–December 7, 1941. While
this raged on, New Zealand forces headed west
toward Tobruk. Fearful of being surrounded
near Tobruk, and with deteriorating supplies,
Rommel retreated west, reaching El Agheila
by January 6, 1942.
US_076-077_Rommel_desert_war.indd 77 22/03/19 2:39 PM