A failed British offensive in May 1941 that exposed the vulnerability of the Halfaya Pass, prompting its swift German recapture and delaying Allied relief of Tobruk.
Key Facts
- Date of operation
- 15–16 May 1941
- Duration
- One day
- British commander
- Brigadier William Gott
- German counter-attack commander
- Colonel Maximilian von Herff
- Key terrain feature
- Halfaya Pass, briefly captured then lost
- Follow-on German operation
- Operation Skorpion, 11 days later
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Rommel's April 1941 offensive had driven British and Commonwealth forces back to the Egyptian border, leaving Tobruk besieged 100 miles inside Libya. General Wavell, seeking territory from which to relieve Tobruk and to weaken Axis forces, ordered a rapid strike while the German front line remained thinly held.
On 15 May 1941, Brigadier William Gott attacked in three columns with mixed infantry and armour. The Halfaya Pass was seized against Italian resistance and Fort Capuzzo was captured, but German counter-attacks under Colonel von Herff retook the fort with heavy British casualties. Gott withdrew to the Halfaya Pass on 16 May and the operation was called off.
Most early territorial gains were lost to Axis counter-attacks, and the operation achieved neither of its main objectives. Rommel, now alert to the strategic value of the Halfaya Pass as a supply route, launched Operation Skorpion eleven days later and recaptured it, further securing the Axis position on the Egyptian border.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Archibald Wavell, Brigadier William Gott.
Side B
2 belligerents
Colonel Maximilian von Herff.