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By November of 1941, Erwin Rommel – the Desert Fox – had successfully pushed the bounds of Nazi control across the North African region. His plans to capture Tobruk were laid and he was set to sweep across that land as he had so many others. Rommel had convinced his Italian allies that Britain posed no serious threat to such plans. However, unbeknown to Rommel, the British were planning their own major offensive – Operation Crusader – designed to expel Rommel from the region once and for all.
The British troops partaking in Operation Crusader had been organized into the 8th Army by Sir Claude Auchinleck. Field Commander was Sir Alan Cunningham, who had just won fame for his decisive victory over the Italians in Abyssinia. The 8th Army had 713 gun armed tanks and could count on over 200 more in reserve to replace any losses. Air support was to be provided by the Western Desert Air Force’s 16 fighter, eight bomber and three reconnaissance squadrons.
The Axis assault on Tobruk was under the Command of Italian Supreme Commander in North Africa, General Ettore Bastico. In reality, however, Rommel gave no respect to Bastico’s higher position. If he disagreed with an order, he would appeal to Hitler to have it changed. The basic plan for the overthrow of Tobruk was for the Italian XXI Corps to invade Tobruk while the Afrika Korps made contact with and neutralized the British on the Sidi Omar front. The total Axis forces amounted to ten divisions. This compared to the six divisions that the British had in the field. However, the Italian units were considerably under strength and in terms of armed tanks the British were at an advantage – their 713 comparing to just 146 by the Italians and 174 by the Germans. This, however, does not tell the whole story. The British tanks – Matilda’s and Crusader’s – were subject to frequent mechanical faults. None of the British tanks had weapons more powerful than 40 millimeters compared to a full half of the Afrika Corps’ 139 Pzkw 111’s which were fitted with 5 centimeter guns. This gave the projectile a longer range as well as a greater armor piercing potential. On top of all of this, the Axis forces had a better balance of tanks, infantry and artillery and better radio communications.
British plans hinged around the expectation that Rommel would strike at Gabr Saleh in the south east. Therefore the XXX Corps crossed the border near Fort Maddalena and deployed around Gabr Saleh. Simultaneously, the XIII Corps was to overrun the frontier position at Sollum-Sidi Omar. The British forces would then move right over the crushed Germans to join up with the Tobruk Garrison. The plan, however, began to fall apart almost immediately. Between the two British columns there was a widening gap of more than 20 miles. The XIIIrd feared an outflanking movement from the Germans on their left and demanded a third column to guard that area. But this column was drawn from the XXXth, losing one third of it’s strength.
Rommel did not oblige the British by moving in on Gabr Saleh, where the XXXth was waiting for him. Instead, he kept his forces around Gambut, some distance away. On Saturday, November 22, however, the XXXth did engage the Afrika Korps at Sidi Rezegh. The British were smashed apart by the German – Italian forces. The 7th Armored Brigade was reduced to 10 tanks, and the 22nd Armored to just 12. The British had lost Sidi Rezegh.
Rommel now had the opportunity to wipe out the XXXth Corps completely. But his plans were bigger than that. He wanted to destroy the entire 8th Army by striking the British in the rear. To do this he set off with his chief of staff and 100 tanks to reach the Mediterranean by way of Sidi Omar and strike a fatal blow at the British forces.
Meanwhile, Cunningham, in command of British forces, was feeling the strain of his position. He beseeched Sir Claude Auchinleck for a general retreat. However, Auchinleck ordered him to continue the attack. Auchinleck later wrote about this exchange:
“My opinion was different from Cunningham’s. I thought Rommel was probably in as bad shape as we were, especially with Tobruk unvanquished behind him, and I ordered the offensive to continue. I certainly gambled (in fact by going on we might have lost all) and Cunningham might very well have proved to be right, and I wrong.”
Rommel’s raid on the rear of the British forces failed to have the intended impact. Auchinleck saw it as a desperate move and it prompted him to issue the following directive:
“His position is desperate, and he is trying by lashing out in all directions to distract us from our object, which is to destroy him utterly. We will NOT be distracted and he WILL be destroyed. You have got your teeth into him. Hang on and bite deeper and hang on till he is finished. Give him NO rest. The general situation in North Africa is excellent. There is only one order: ATTACK AND PURSUE. ALL OUT EVERYONE.”
Auchinleck knew that Cunningham was not the man to carry out such orders and, on November 26th, he replaced him with his own Deputy Chief – of – Staff Major General Neil Methuen Ritchie. Yet, even though Ritchie was now in theoretical control, it was Auchinleck who directed the battle. A renewed attack on Sidi Rezegh began on November 25, with New Zealand troops to the fore. After fierce fighting the Allies overcame the German-Italian forces, causing a retreat.
The Afrika Corps were without Rommel, who had headed to the Mediterranean for his uneventful strike on the rear of the British forces. With the situation becoming critical, his next in command took it upon himself to recall to the Tobruk sector the 21st Panzer division. When Rommel returned he immediately set about launching a new operation to overcome the Allies. Days of intense and confused fighting ensued. The New Zealand Division was cut in two and the 21st Panzer Division’s commander, General von Ravenstein, was captured. Slowly but surely the Allies overcame the Axis forces and, on December 5th, Rommel withdrew his forces, attacking east of Tobruk. The next day, after a counter-attack had failed, he gave orders for a general retreat.
Rommel conducted the retreat in masterly fashion. If the British dared to get too close in their pursuit he would deal them a sharp blow. The British chased Rommel all the way to Benghazi. Yet by the time that 1942 rolled around they had not yet intercepted the Desert Fox, who was now securely in position behind the El Agheila – Marada strongpoint.
On January 17th, 1942 the “Savona” Division of the Afrika Corps surrendered to General Villiers of the 2nd South African Division. They made up a part of the 32,000 prisoners – 9,000 of which were German – who had been taken prisoner by the 8th Army over the past two months. And even, though Rommel was still free to fight another day, Operation Crusader was an undeniable victory for the British. In Washington, Winston Churchill was overjoyed with this news. He knew now that the total subjugation of the Nazi regime was only a matter of time.
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