Into the Cauldron

Despite their success against the British 7th Armoured, the Panzer divisions had lost their momentum. Rommel's Afrikakorps was now trapped in a region known as "the Cauldron;" with Bir Hakeim to the south and Tobruk to the north still firmly …

1942-06-05

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Despite their success against the British 7th Armoured, the Panzer divisions had lost their momentum. Rommel's Afrikakorps was now trapped in a region known as "the Cauldron;" with Bir Hakeim to the south and Tobruk to the north still firmly in enemy hands; remnants of the British armour to the east and the north; and the extensive mine belts of the original Allied line to the west. But the British, unaware of the extent of German shortages, did not counter-attack immediately. This pause gave Rommel's forces the time to set up a defensive position on the ridge lines near Sidi Muftah, while the Italian Trieste Division was crossing the minefields under heavy fire, north of Bir Hakeim, and bringing in much needed supplies. When the British counter-attack finally launched on June 5th, it lacked coordination and failed to break through the German anti-tank defenses. A precious opportunity had been lost...

Sidi Muftah, Libya

The Battle of Gazala was fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, west of the port of Tobruk in Libya, from 26 May to 21 June 1942. Axis troops of the Panzerarmee Afrika consisting of German and Italian units fought the British Eighth Army composed mainly of British Commonwealth, Indian and Free French troops. The Axis troops made a decoy attack in the north as the main attack moved round the southern flank of the Gazala position. Unexpected Resistance at the south end of the line around the Bir Hakeim box by the Free French garrison, left Panzerarmee Afrika with a long and vulnerable supply route around the Gazala Line. Rommel retired to a defensive position backing onto Allied minefields (the Cauldron), forming a base in the midst of the British defenses. Italian engineers lifted mines from the west side of the minefields to create a supply route through to the Axis side. Operation Aberdeen, an attack by the Eighth Army to finish off the Panzerarmee, was poorly coordinated and defeated in detail; many British tanks were lost and the Panzerarmee regained the initiative. The Eighth Army withdrew from the Gazala Line and the Axis troops overran Tobruk in a day. Rommel pursued the Eighth Army into Egypt and forced it out of several defensive positions. The Battle of Gazala is considered the greatest victory of Rommel's career. As both sides neared exhaustion, the Eighth Army checked the Axis advance at the First Battle of El Alamein. To support the Axis advance into Egypt, the planned attack on Malta (Operation Herkules) was postponed. The British were able to revive Malta as a base for attacks on Axis convoys to Libya, greatly complicating Axis supply difficulties at El Alamein.

Wikipedia: Battle of Gazala

German

British

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Desert

Website Access: Available