25,000 men[1] 90 cruisers and c. 100 'I' tanks[2] 98 fighters[3] 105 bombers[3]
8th Panzer Regiment began with c. 100 tanks, about 50 being gun tanks; 5th Panzer Regiment had 96 tanks (57 gun tanks).[2] 130 fighters[3] 84 bombers[a] 102nd Motorized Division Trento[4]
Casualties and losses
969 men[b] 91[c] 98 tanks[d] 36 aircraft[e]
1,270 men[f] 12 tanks[g] 10 aircraft[2]
v
t
e
Western Desert Campaign
1940
Invasion of Egypt
Compass
Nibeiwa
Sidi Barrani
1941
1st Bardia
Tobruk 1941
Mechili
Beda Fomm
Kufra
Giarabub
Sonnenblume
Tobruk siege
2nd Bardia
Twin Pimples
Brevity
Skorpion
Battleaxe
Crusader
Flipper
1st Bir el Gubi
Point 175
2nd Bir el Gubi
1942
Acrobat
Gazala
Bir Hakeim
Tobruk 1942
Mersa Matruh
1st Alamein
Sidi Haneish
Alam Halfa
Agreement
Bigamy
Caravan
Nicety
2nd Alamein
Bertram
Braganza
Outpost Snipe
El Agheila
Associated articles
Frontier Wire
Devil's gardens
Fort Capuzzo
Maletti Group
Camouflage
Babini Group
Combeforce
3rd Indian Motor Brigade
Baggush Box
Sonderkommando Blaich
Operation Battleaxe (15–17 June 1941) was a British Army offensive during the Second World War to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica from German and Italian forces.[h] It was the first time during the war that a significant German force fought on the defensive. The British lost over half of their tanks on the first day and only one of three attacks succeeded.
The British achieved mixed results on the second day, being pushed back on their western flank and repulsing a big German counter-attack in the centre. On the third day, the British narrowly avoided disaster by withdrawing just ahead of a German encircling movement. The failure of Battleaxe led to the replacement of British General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief Middle East, by Claude Auchinleck; Wavell took Auchinleck's position as Commander-in-Chief, India.
^Churchill (1986), p. 305
^ abcdefghCite error: The named reference Playfair171 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcdPlayfair, p. 166
^Composed of three infantry battalions and a artillery regiment in Sollum-Mussaid-Cappuzo Area
^Jentz, 186
^Jentz, p. 186
^Churchill (2001), p. 1097
^Connell, p. 483
^Churchill (2001), p. 872
^Rommel, p. 146
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
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Global Information
Germany
Italy
Archibald Wavell
