Battle of Gazala

• 1. Strategic Context And Prelude

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  In January 1942, the Axis forces in Libya received a steady stream of supplies and reinforcements that continued until May. British intelligence estimated Axis strength at 35,000 men while the true figure was about 80,000. This miscalculation left the Eighth Army unprepared for the scale of the coming offensive. Rommel had recaptured Benghazi on the 28th of January and Timimi on the 3rd of February before halting at Gazala by the 6th of February. The Allies lost tanks and field guns during their retreat from late January to early February. Churchill pressed General Sir Claude Auchinleck to attack and push the Axis out of Cyrenaica. The Eighth Army received new equipment including tanks with 75 mm guns and large numbers of 6-pounder anti-tank guns. Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Coningham moved his headquarters to improve communication between air and ground commanders. By late May, the 1st South African Division held the coast near Gazala while the 1st Free French Brigade defended Bir Hakeim far to the south.

• 2. The Flanking Maneuver

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  At 14:00 on the 26th of May, X Corps and XXI Corps attacked central positions after an artillery concentration began Operation Venice. During the day, the bulk of the DAK moved to create a false impression that this was the main assault. When night fell, armoured formations turned south in a sweeping move around the southern end of the line. In the early hours of the 27th of May, Rommel led elements of the DAK and XX Motorised Corps in a bold flanking move using Allied minefields for protection. The Ariete Division was held up for about an hour by the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade at Rugbet el Atasc. The Italian IX Tank Battalion launched a hasty attack against French positions which proved costly and failed. Further east, the 15th Panzer Division engaged the 4th Armoured Brigade of the 7th Armoured Division. The Germans were surprised by the range and power of guns on new M3 Grant tanks. By noon, Axis units had advanced more than north but stopped fighting against the 1st Armoured Division. On the far right, the 90th Light Division forced the 7th Motorised Brigade to withdraw eastwards.

• 3. The Cauldron Encirclement

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  Early on the 29th of May, supply vehicles worked through the minefield north of Bir Hakeim and reached the rear area. On the 30th of May, Rommel pulled forces back westward against the edge of minefields creating a defensive position known as the Cauldron. A link formed with elements of the Italian X Corps clearing routes through the minefields from the west. The Sidi Muftah box was overrun after brutal fighting where Rommel personally led a platoon of panzer grenadiers. Acting on mistaken reports about German tank losses, Auchinleck urged Ritchie to counter-attack along the coast. Ritchie ordered the Eighth Army to counter-attack against the Axis on the 5th of June but met accurate fire from tank and anti-tank guns positioned in the cauldron. An artillery bombardment intended to destroy the Axis anti-tank screen fell too far east due to plotting errors. When the 22nd Armoured Brigade advanced it faced massed anti-tank fire and checked its progress. By early afternoon on the 5th of June, Rommel split his forces attacking east while sending elements north against Knightsbridge Box. The eastward thrust dispersed tactical HQs causing command breakdown among British divisions.

• 4. Black Saturday And The Tank Battle

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  On the 13th of June, the 21st Panzer Division advanced against the 22nd Armoured Brigade at Knightsbridge. Rommel had acted rapidly on intelligence obtained from Allied radio intercepts. By the end of the day, British tank strength dropped from thousands to about seventy units. The Germans established armour superiority making XIII Corps vulnerable to being cut off. The Knightsbridge box became virtually surrounded and was abandoned by the Guards Brigade later that night. Thomas Bevan, the commanding officer, had been killed the previous day. On the 13th of June, the 21st Panzer Division attacked Rigel Ridge in the middle of a sandstorm. German tanks overran part of the 2nd Scots Guards at the west end of the ridge. South African gunners kept firing until their guns were destroyed allowing other formations to withdraw. About half the gun detachments were killed or wounded including the battery commander. Lieutenant Ashley manned the last gun with a signaller before Axis tanks approached cautiously and took them prisoner. Black Saturday became known as the date when the Eighth Army suffered devastating losses.

• 5. The Fall Of Tobruk

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  In February 1942, commanders agreed Tobruk should not stand another siege but Churchill placed great store on its symbolic value. An immense store of supplies accumulated around the port for an Allied offensive expecting it to hold out for two months. Defences at Tobruk had not been maintained and garrisoned by inexperienced troops. Operation Venice began on the 26th of May driving the Eighth Army east leaving the port vulnerable. A weak spot on the eastern defensive perimeter allowed Axis forces to penetrate and take the port within twenty-four hours. The garrison of 33,000 men was captured many having not been engaged on the western perimeter. Over 1,000 vehicles in working order plus food and petrol were captured. The surrender represented the largest capitulation of British Empire forces after Singapore in February 1942. Later a Court of Inquiry found Klopper largely blameless and blamed high command failures though findings remained secret until after the war.

• 6. Command Failures And Aftermath

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  Hitler rewarded Rommel with promotion to field-marshal making him the youngest German officer ever to achieve this rank. Rommel remarked he would have preferred another panzer division instead. Churchill wrote that the defeat was a disaster for the Allies. Auchinleck dismissed Ritchie on the 25th of June and assumed command for the First Battle of El Alamein where he stopped Rommel's advance. In August, Auchinleck was replaced as Eighth Army commander by Lieutenant-General William Gott who was killed when his aircraft was shot down. General Sir Harold Alexander took over Middle East Command while Bernard Montgomery became the new Eighth Army leader. The Eighth Army suffered 50,000 casualties including prisoners taken at Tobruk. Germans lost about 15 percent of their force while Italian losses included 3,000 men and hundreds of tanks. By the 30th of June only tanks remained operational among Axis forces. The Eighth Army retreated to El Alamein about from Alexandria closing the southern flank against the Qattara Depression.