battle of gazala

[55] Rommel, for his part, remarked he would have preferred Hitler had given him another panzer division instead. He was aware that the entry of America into the war would give the Eighth Army a supply base he would be unable to contend, and despite the relative superior numbers in tanks, guns and aircraft that the Eighth Army held, he had a window to press the issue. A short distance to the southeast, Rommel's forces were held up for several hours by the 7th Armoured Division's 3rd Indian Motor Brigade. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our. [13], The British had surprises for Rommel, including the arrival of some 167 American built Grant tanks, with its 75 mm main gun, and large numbers of 6-pounder anti-tank guns. With the capture of Tobruk, the Axis gained a port nearer supply vessels coming from along the Aegean-Crete route, and a large amount of British supplies in the bargain. As a result of the need to improve their supply lines, the British reduced their frontline troop strength in the area of El Agheila. By early afternoon on 5 June, Rommel split his forces, deciding to attack east with the Ariete and 21st Panzer Divisions while he sent elements of 15th Panzer Division northwards against the Knightsbridge defensive box. Assuming a new position behind a strong line of fortifications, Rommel's Panzer Army Afrika was not attacked by British forces under General Sir Claude Auchinleck and Major General Neil Ritchie. The bulk of the Allied troops were placed near the coast with progressively fewer as the line extended into the desert. Throughout that day, the defensive boxes at El Adem and Sidi Rezegh were also under heavy pressure from the Afrika Korps. If the British could not stop the Germans in Egypt, they would take the Suez Canal (forcing Britain to use supply lines twice as long, often targeted by U-boats) and potentially drive for the oilfields in the Middle East. That afternoon, Rommel decided to attack east towards Bir el Hatmat and north against the Knightsbridge Box. In nearly a month of fighting, Rommel was able to shatter the Gazala line and send the Allies retreating back into Egypt. (2020, August 28). Battle of Gazala After Rommel's breakout in the early part of 1942, the Allied forces had dug into a defensive line 30 miles west of Tobruk, anchored in the north near Gazala. [25], By late morning, the Axis armoured units had advanced more than 25 mi (40 km) north, but by midday their momentum had been blunted when they came into contact with and were held by 1st Armoured Division in heavy fighting which saw both sides taking losses. Following Operation Crusader, in late 1941, the Eighth Army had driven the Axis forces back from Tobruk and out of Cyrenaica. Abandoned British Valentines are inspected for maps, code books, and tins of food. Meanwhile, Auchinleck had pulled the bulk of the Eighth Army back another 100 miles further to El Alamein, a mere sixty miles from the essential port of Alexandria. Meanwhile, the 7th Motor Brigade and 29th Indian Infantry Brigade continued to harass the Axis lines of communications. The Battle of Gazala was fought in North Africa in 1942 and culminated with the Allies losing Tobruk – a defeat Winston Churchill called a “disgrace”. Major General Ritchie addressing his commanders, 31 May 1942. Rather than oblige his superior, Ritchie instead focused on covering Tobruk and reinforcing the box around El Adem. Despite having been thrown back in late 1941, General Erwin Rommel began pushing east across Libya early the following year. Given this and the subsequent emphasis on building strength at the Gazala position for an attack (which had been forestalled by the Axis offensive) it is likely that the defences at Tobruk had not been maintained in first rate condition.[54]. The British 1st and 7th Armoured Divisions waited behind the main line as a mobile counter-attack force while 2nd South African Division formed a garrison at Tobruk and 5th Indian Infantry Division (which had arrived in April to relieve 4th Indian Infantry Division) were held in reserve. Rommel's forces now represented a very serious threat to the British Empire. On the left of his formation, the Italian 132 Armoured Division Ariete would neutralise the Bir Hacheim box while on their right 21st Panzer Division and 15th Panzer Division would advance north behind the Eighth Army defences to engage and destroy the British armour and cut off the divisions on the Gazala line. The defense of Bir Hakeim was assigned to a brigade of the 1st Free French Division. The two forces drew up across from each other at El Alamien, where over the next four months three major battles would be fought: the aforementioned First Battle of El Alamein, the Battle of Alam el Halfa and the decisive Second Battle of El Alamein. On 11 June, Rommel pushed 15th Panzer and 90th Light Afrika toward El Adem and by 12 June had forced 201st Guards Brigade to withdraw from the Knightsbridge Box to the Tobruk perimeter. The heavy air assault Kesselring directed upon Malta led to it being neutralized, and successful supply shipments allowed the Axis forces to regain their strength. Tasked to defend the German rear, the Ariete Armoured Cavalry Division in the meantime fought off repeated attacks by the British armoured brigades on 29 May and during the first week of June. The unit had to break out at night to the south and work its way around the German positions, suffering significant losses as they became entangled in a number of firefights along the way. As 22nd Armoured Brigade pressed on through, they were met by withering fire and their advance was checked. The Allied armour repeatedly assailed the position from the north and east, and were met by determined, accurate fire. 8,8 cm Flak gun fires at approaching armour. Battle of Gazala May-June 1942 By: Micah Coleman-Nelson Battle Map Allies General Sir Claude Auchinleck Major General Neil Ritchie 175,000 men 843 tanks Commander General Erwin Rommel 80,000 men 560 tanks Outcome 50,000 killed,wounded or captured 1,188 tanks lost Axis victory Command and control broke down completely. He instead brought reinforcements up to the El Adem box and created new defensive boxes opposite the gaps in the minefield. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-785-0294-32A / Tannenberg / CC-BY-SA 3.0. If you enjoyed the Battle of Gazala 1942 battle animation, you may also enjoy these other battle animations: Operation Crusader 1941, another battle fought in modern day Libya on the North African Front during World War II: [28] Nevertheless, the disruption caused by this meant that the division was without effective command for the next two days. To cover this line, Auchinleck and Ritchie deployed their troops in brigade-strength "boxes" which were linked by barbed wire and minefields. Unsupported by armour, they were overwhelmed and overrun. This short article about history can be made longer. Auchinleck's orders to Ritchie on 14 June therefore were to hold a line running south east from Acroma (west of Tobruk) through El Adem to Bir El Gubi. Bir Hakeim after the battle of Gazala The Cauldron 29 May saw the start of a prolonged period of fighting in a shallow depression known as the 'Cauldron', between Knightsbridge and the 150th Brigade Group Box. Under constant assault by Allied armor from the north and east, Rommel's supply situation was reaching critical levels and he began to contemplate surrender. In a series of attacks around the Knightsbridge and El Adem boxes on June 11-13, Rommel's forces dealt the British armor a severe defeat. To hold Allied troops in place, the Italian X and XXI Corps would assault the Gazala Line near the coast. Gazala is best known for the major battle that took place nearby between 26 May and 21 June 1942, but this was not the first major clash that had happened there. Rommel drove his armoured forces round the southern flank of the Gazala position to engage the British armour from the rear of the Allied defences. The Afrika Korps demonstrated a superiority in tactics, combining tanks with anti-tank guns while on the offensive. Big Battle Gazala. The struggle to reduce the box at Bir Hacheim would continue on for another 10 days. Facing him on the Gazala defences were 1st South African Division nearest the coast, 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division (on their left) and 1st Free French Brigade furthest left at Bir Hakeim. Rommel's Plan. The British decided to send several soldiers, armored vehicles, tanks, and trucks to assault the town, which was reinforced by some German tanks and more soldiers. However, the farther Auchinleck moved east the nearer he approached his base of supply. He used it successfully at the Battle of Gazala, which led to his capture of Tobruk in 1941. [11], Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, with aides during the desert campaign. Hickman, Kennedy. A number of probes were sent to test the various opposing strong points. With Bir Hacheim holding out, Rommel pulled the Afrika Korps back into a defensive position called "the Cauldron", using the extensive Allied mine belts of the original front line to block Allied approach from the west. On the night of 1 June, the 90th Light and Trieste divisions were sent south to renew the attack on Bir Hacheim. Only the 90th Light had clear success, over-running the 7th Armoured Division's advance headquarters and reaching the El Adem area. The Battle of Gazala (near the modern town of Ayn al Ghazālah) was fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk … Ford, Ken. Molinari, Andrea; Anderson, Duncan (2007). [28] 29th Indian Infantry Brigade repulsed an attack on the El Adem box on 12 June, but 2nd and 4th Armoured Brigades on their left were pushed back four miles by 15th Panzer and leaving their damaged tanks on the battlefield. World War II: Battle of Gazala. Panzer Mk III and command vehicle in the western desert at the time of the Gazala battles. For deception purposes small elements of the Afrika and XX Mobile Corps were attached to the assault groups to give the impression that all the Axis forces were committed to this assault. 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