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31°30′N25°11′E / 31.500°N 25.183°E / 31.500; 25.183Halfaya Pass (Arabic: ممر حلفيا, romanized: Mamarr ḤalfayāEgyptian Arabic pronunciation:[ma.marrħal.fæyaː]ⓘ) is in northwest Egypt, 11.5 kilometres east of the border with Libya and 7.5 kilometres south of the other, more major pass in the ridge today. A 600 feet (180 m) high, narrow escarpment extends south then southeastwards for a total of 55 kilometres (34 mi) from a short distance east of the border. It hems in east-facing small harbour town of as-Salum, continuing as an east-facing sea cliff further north. Land to the east is lower than that to the west and the east side has steep slopes.
The pass is centred 1.6 miles (2.6 km) inland from the closest part of the shore. It makes for a subtle wind gap in the escarpment for the east-west land route. It made for the southern Mediterranean coastal road useful to Mediterranean civilizations until the pass at as-Salum was enlarged after World War II.
Among veterans of Allied forces from 15 June 1941 and thereafter it was nicknamed Hellfire Pass.
The escarpment is known as Akabah el-Kebir "great ascent". To El-Edrisi it was known as ʿAqaba as-Sallūm "graded ascent", whence the modern name of the gulf/bay and the town of Salum. To ancient Rome it was known as Catabathmus Magnus, in the peak of whose empire it divorced Aegyptus from Marmarica. The range was seen as a demarcator of Africa and Asia in some Hellenistic geography.[citation needed]
almost the entire force back to HalfayaPass. The operation ended on 17 May, with only the HalfayaPass captured. The pass was retaken by a small German...
HalfayaPass, Bir Wair and Musaid, then press on to Fort Capuzzo. Coast Column was to take Sollum and the foot of HalfayaPass. Sollum, HalfayaPass and...
British out of HalfayaPass and forced them to retire to the area from Buq Buq to Sofafi. The Germans and Italians fortified the pass and built other...
ground—conducted a staged withdrawal to the HalfayaPass on 16 May, and Brevity was closed down. The importance of the HalfayaPass as a safe supply route was highlighted...
of Fort Capuzzo April 30: First Battle of HalfayaPass Operation Brevity May 15: Second Battle of HalfayaPass May 15–16: Fifth Battle of Fort Capuzzo Operation...
fall back onto the HalfayaPass, captured the previous day 26 May: German forces launch Operation Skorpion and move up to HalfayaPass 27 May: German forces...
of the HalfayaPass, Bir Wair and Musaid, then pressed on and took Fort Capuzzo. The coast group failed to capture the bottom of the HalfayaPass. The garrison...
XXIII Corps and the 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre" were in Sollum and HalfayaPass respectively and the 62nd Infantry Division "Marmarica" was at Sidi Omar...
is 7.5 km (4.7 mi) north of HalfayaPass. Sallum is on its own pass, improved since World War II, has become the main pass ascending the related ridge...
metropolitan divisions would advance along the coast and attack through HalfayaPass, occupy Sollum and continue to Sidi Barrani. A southern column of the...
the west of Paraetonium, marked the boundary to Libycus nome, and the HalfayaPass (at Sallum) marked the boundary to Marmarica proper. Matrouh Governorate...
by the end of April it had taken Sollum and the tactically important HalfayaPass. Rommel garrisoned these positions, reinforcing the battle-group and...
conduct the ambitious Operation Brevity, which succeeded in re-taking the HalfayaPass, but failed in its wider objectives. A subsequent larger scale operation...
into Egypt. By the end of April, Sollum had fallen and the important HalfayaPass captured. In East Africa, the British launched a counter-attack against...
surrendered on 2 January 1942 and on 17 January the Axis troops around HalfayaPass capitulated. On the night of 6/7 December, the 70th Division captured...
conducted a staged withdrawal to the HalfayaPass on 16 May. From 26 to 27 May, German troops recaptured the pass in Operation Skorpion. The British resumed...
offensive that was planned for June. Its objectives were to recapture the HalfayaPass, drive the enemy from the Sollum and Capuzzo areas, and deplete Rommel's...
against 23,000 Allied troops of whom were cut off 15,000 in Tobruk. Sollum-HalfayaPass June 1941-The Allied counteroffensive with two divisions and two brigades...
transport Fairburne in exchange for his help in capturing the German-held HalfayaPass; Fairburne infiltrates the enemy camp and destroys several Flak 88s....
of the escarpment by the HalfayaPass with the Senussi waiting at the top, Peyton chose an inland route via the Median Pass 20 mi (32 km) south-east of...
Rommel inflicted a sharp defeat on the American forces at the Kasserine Pass in February, his last battlefield victory of the war, and his first engagement...
rudder. The Germans launched Operation Skorpion, a counter-attack at HalfayaPass. The U.S. Supreme Court decided United States v. Classic. After taking...
South African forces of the British 8th Army conquer the HalfayaPass ("Hellfire Pass"). The Halfaya garrison of 4,200 men of the Italian 55th Division "Savona"...
Anglicized as 'Silver Fox' Operation Skorpion 1941 - Axis offensive at the HalfayaPass on the border of Libya and Egypt Operation Sommernachtstraum 1941 - Axis...
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