Gazala 1942(26 May 1942) - PzC 04 Tobruk '41

Gazala, 26 May 1942 : On 15 December 1941 the Axis forces began a long withdrawal from the Gazala defensive line. This marked the end of Operation Crusader. On 11 January 1942 Panzergruppe Afrika concentrated around the Mersa Brega position. Rommel seemed beaten however he was unpredictable and the exigencies of war helped him turn the tables once again. On 21 January the Axis forces which were renamed Panzerarmee Afrika returned to the offensive. In the highly mobile action which followed, many British units simply disintegrated and on 6 February the Panzerarmee was again before the Gazala Line. During the next four months the British Eighth Army and the Axis Panzerarmee Afrika glared at each other across the Gazala line, while each made frantic preparations for a renewal of the battle at some indeterminate date. During this time the supply situation for both sides improved considerably and by late May of 1942 it was becoming increasingly obvious to Rommel that Allied preparations for an offensive were beginning to outstrip his own. He therefore determined to launch an offensive before the Allies were too powerful. The British defensive line ran from Gazala on the coastline to almost due south to Bir Hacheim for a distance of over 60 Km. It was manned by two Commonwealth divisions, the 1st South African and the British 50th whose six brigades were disposed in what came to he known as "boxes" or defensive positions which could be defended from any direction. One additional brigade, the First Free French, was located at the line anchor point at Bir Hacheim in a defensive box of such complexity that the position was almost impregnable. Each box was a self-contained fortress with enough supplies for one week of action, surrounded by dense minefields and connected to the others by a "mine marsh". Behind the line of boxes, Ritchie, 8th Army's commander, kept additional infantry formations, two heavy tank brigades and his two armored divisions. Rommel's plan, code name Operation Venezia, was bold and relatively simple. Group Cruewell (15th Schutzen Brigade, X and XXI Italian Corps) opened the offensive with a heavy bombardment and a feint assault at 1400 on the 26th May against the positions of 1st SA division and 50th British division. The main striking force consisted of the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions, 90th Light Division and the XX Italian Corps (Ariete Armored Division and Trieste Motorized Division). The striking force was to make a rapid night march to the area south of Bir Hacheim, advance the next day (27th May) east of the Gazala Line toward Acroma area and then attack the British forces from the rear. Edited by: Edward "Volcano Man" Williams. PDT and OOB files slightly altered to reflect small scale tactical desert warfare of the period. [Size: very large, Length: 301 turns]