Allied attack against Axis, North Africa, WWII, 1941
Operation Crusader
Part of the Western Desert Campaign in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II
A Mark I Crusader tank passes a burning German Panzer IV
Date
18 November – 30 December 1941 (1941-11-18 – 1941-12-30)
Location
Egypt and Libya
30°N24°E / 30°N 24°E / 30; 24
Result
Allied victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom
India
New Zealand
South Africa
Australia
Poland
Czechoslovakia[1]
Italy
Germany
Commanders and leaders
Claude Auchinleck
Alan Cunningham
Neil Ritchie
Willoughby Norrie
R. Godwin-Austen
Ettore Bastico
Erwin Rommel
Ludwig Crüwell
Gastone Gambara
Enea Navarini
Strength
118,000 men[2]
738 tanks[a]
724 aircraft (616 serviceable)[b]
119,000 men[c]
414–552 tanks[d]
536 aircraft (342 serviceable)[e]
Casualties and losses
17,700
2,900 killed
7,300 wounded
7,500 missing[f]
c. 800 tanks[6][g]
c. 300 aircraft[8]
38,300[2]
German: 14,600
1,100 killed
3,400 wounded
10,100 missing
Italian: 23,700
1,200 killed
2,700 wounded
19,800 missing
340 tanks destroyed[9]
German: 220
Italian: 120
c. 332 aircraft destroyed c. 228 abandoned[8]
v
t
e
North African campaign
Western Desert campaign
Invasion of Egypt
Compass
Fort Capuzzo
Nibeiwa
Sidi Barrani
Bardia
Mechili
Beda Fomm
Kufra
Giarabub
Sonnenblume
Tobruk
Raid on Bardia
Twin Pimples
Brevity
Skorpion
Battleaxe
Crusader
Flipper
1st Bir el Gubi
Battle of Point 175
2nd Bir el Gubi
Fort Lamy
Gazala
Bir Hakeim
Mersa Matruh
1st Alamein
Alam Halfa
Agreement
Bigamy
Caravan
Nicety
Camouflage
Bertram
Braganza
2nd Alamein
Outpost Snipe
El Agheila
Torch
Kingpin
Flagpole
Blackstone
Casablanca
Reservist
Terminal
Port Lyautey
Brushwood
Tunisia
Run for Tunis
Sidi Bou Zid
Kasserine Pass
Ochsenkopf
Medenine
Mareth Line
El Guettar
Wadi Akarit
Longstop Hill
Hill 609
Vulcan
Flax
Retribution
Strike
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 Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) against the Axis forces (German and Italian) in North Africa commanded by Generalleutnant (Lieutenant-General) Erwin Rommel. The operation was intended to bypass Axis defences on the Egyptian–Libyan frontier, defeat the Axis armoured forces near Tobruk, raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-occupy Cyrenaica.
On 18 November 1941, the Eighth Army began a surprise attack. From 18 to 22 November, the dispersal of British armoured units led to them suffering 530 tank losses and inflicting Axis losses of about 100 tanks. On 23 November, the 5th South African Brigade was destroyed at Sidi Rezegh but caused many German tank losses. On 24 November Rommel ordered the "dash to the wire" and caused chaos in the British rear but allowed the British armoured forces to recover. On 27 November, the New Zealanders reached the Tobruk garrison and ended the siege.
Lack of supplies forced Rommel to shorten his lines of communication and on 7 December 1941, the Axis forces withdrew to the Gazala position and on 15 December began a withdrawal to El Agheila. The 2nd South African Division captured Bardia on 2 January 1942, Sollum on 12 January and the fortified Halfaya position on 17 January, taking about 13,800 prisoners.[2] On 21 January 1942, Rommel surprised the Eighth Army and drove it back to Gazala where both sides regrouped. The Battle of Gazala began at the end of May 1942.
^Hrbek & Smetana 2009, p. 117.
^ abcdePlayfair 2004, p. 97.
^ abPlayfair 2004, p. 30.
^ abPlayfair 2004, p. 15.
^Rommel 1953, p. 156.
^Playfair 2004, p. 100.
^Rommel 1953, p. 178.
^ abPlayfair 2004, p. 99.
^Playfair 2004, p. 100; Stegemann 2015, p. 750.
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).
and 19 Related for: Operation Crusader information
OperationCrusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British...
Crusader, in full "Tank, Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader", also known by its General Staff number A.15, was one of the primary British cruiser tanks during the...
Look up crusader in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades Convair NB-36H...
This is the order of battle for the ground forces involved in OperationCrusader, a World War II battle between the British Commonwealth and the European...
Tobruk at the port. At the end of 1941, Axis forces were defeated in OperationCrusader and retired again to El Agheila. In early 1942 Axis forces drove the...
reinforcements and supplies in and the wounded and prisoners out. Finally, OperationCrusader (18 November – 30 December) succeeded in raising the siege. The Western...
during OperationCrusader and the subsequent Battle of Gazala, twice being taken out of the line for refit, and was variously equipped with Crusader, M3...
area of Sidi Omar played a significant role in Operation Compass, Operation Battleaxe and OperationCrusader "Sidi 'Omar (Sidiomar) Map, Weather and Photos...
defeated a Crusader forces at the Battle of Harim in August 1164, capturing most of the Franks' leaders. After the sacking of Bilbeis, the Crusader-Fatimid...
launched OperationCrusade, a long police surveillance operation of the Christchurch-based Mongrel Mob Aotearoa chapter. The main purpose of the Operation was...
time when every resource needed to be concentrated on the planned OperationCrusader. Based on reports from Australian H.Q. Middle East that the health...
special operation was added: Col. Friedrich August von der Heydte was to lead a Fallschirmjäger-Kampfgruppe (paratrooper combat group) in Operation Stösser...
infantry to engage Matilda tanks at combat ranges. Nevertheless, during OperationCrusader Matilda tanks of 1st and 32nd Army Tank Brigades were instrumental...
North African campaign; about 170 were used by the British forces in OperationCrusader (18 November – 30 December 1941). Stuarts were the first American-crewed...
originated in the crusader states, Sicily and Spain. In the 19th century the crusader states became a subject of study, distinct from the crusades, particularly...
siege by German and Italian forces. Although the siege was lifted by OperationCrusader in November 1941, a renewed offensive by Axis forces under Erwin Rommel...
hand-to-hand combat. The battle began with the launch of the German offensive Operation Citadel (German: Unternehmen Zitadelle), on 5 July, which had the objective...
attention from the real railhead at Capuzzo bringing materiel for OperationCrusader. This complex deception involved 6 miles (9.7 km) of dummy railway...
Global Information
