Operation Battleaxe

Operation Battleaxe
Part of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War
Soldiers of the 4th Indian Division decorate the side of their lorry "Khyber Pass to Hell-Fire Pass".
Date 15–17 June 1941 Location Cyrenaica, Libya 31°30′13″N 25°06′54″E / 31.50361°N 25.11500°E / 31.50361; 25.11500 Result Axis victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom  British India Poland Czechoslovakia	Germany  Italy
Commanders and leaders
Archibald Wavell Noel Beresford-Peirse	Italo Gariboldi Erwin Rommel
Strength
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]

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.

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