It was under such conditions that General Rommel was summoned on 6th February to Berlin. There he reported to the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, Field Marshal von Brauchitsch. In the afternoon of the same day he reported to Hitler personally. He had been selected by name to take command of a small German force of two divisions.
Rommel with Italian allies, circa 1942
One was a Panzer division and one was a light division. German light divisions were mechanized, but were normally not equipped with tanks. Although the establishment of a light division varied. Rommel was to go to North Africa and save the Axis postion there. This was Operation Sonnenblume ( Sunflower ). Preceding November Mussolini had declined a German offer of a 3rd Panzer Division. Now he was begging Hitler for help in North Africa.
After a few days of briefing Rommel flew on 11th February to Rome and saw the Chief of Staff, General Guzzoni. Guzzoni was in charge of the Commando Supremo, the Italian Armed Forces Headquarters. Rommel then flew to Sicily to meet the German Air Force commander, General Geissler. General Geissler was responsible for Luftwaffe's operations in the central Mediterranean. Rommel immediately asked Geissler for air operations in North Africa. The news reaching Rommel from Cyrenaica was bad. O'Connor was poised to advance without delay on Tripoli. O'Connor had indeed wanted to capture Tripoli, but his forces were sent to Greece which soon became a British fiasco, as the British army in Greece was easily defeated by the German Army. Rommel knew that there was nothing between the British, who had taken the port of Bengahzi and were on the Gulf of Sirte, and Tripoli itself. He asked Geissler that the Luftwaffe should bomb Benghazi that night and the next morning should attack any British columns moving south between Benghazi and the Tripolitanian border. Geissler replied to Rommel explaining him that the Italians had particularly asked him not to bomb Benghazi for many Italian officers and officials owned property there.
Rommel was accompanied by Hitler's Army Adjutant, Colonel Schmundt. Rommel's relations with Schmundt would always remain good. Hearing Geissler's unacceptable answer, Rommel acted as he often would in futuer -- he told Schmundt to contact Hitler. Schmundt explained to Hitler by telephone Rommel's wishes and received his consent. General Geissler was ordered to go ahead. By using Schmundt to contact Hitler directly, Rommel had shown two constant characteristics: 1 = readiness to assume personal responsibility as early and as decisively as possible for any situation which affected him regardless of formal procedures and, 2 = readiness to appeal to Hitler himself. Next Morning on 12th February, Rommel landed at Castel Benito airfield at Tripoli.
The German 5th Light Division ( which would later on become the 21st Panzer Division ) was not expected to complete its tranfer to Tripoli until mid-April, while the 15th Panzer Division would not arrive until the end of May. Rommel was warned by Von Rintelen, the German military attache in Rome, not to pursue the enemy too energetically.
But on the afternoon of 12th February, Rommel was in the air with Colonel Schmundt to examine the soil and terrain of North Africa. In their HE-111, they flew over the desert east of Tripoli, a belt of sand which was difficult country for either wheeled or tracked vehicles. This provided a good natural obstacle in front of Tripoli. They looked at the areas around Tarhuna, Buerat, Homs and Sirte. The flight confirmed Rommel's plan to fortify Sirte and the country on either side of the coast road. He kept his motorised forces for a mobile defence.
Deployment
This reconnaissance was followed by a rapid deployment.
The Italians, including the Ariete armoured division, were ordered forward to Sirte. As German forces began to disembark at Tripoli, on 14th February, Rommel insisted that the operation continue throughout the night, risking Allied air attacks because of the necessary lights used by the troops. The German 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion and an anti-tank battalion reached Tripoli. Within 26 hours later they were at the front. On the 24th of February, the first engagement took place between the British and the Germans. The Germans took no casualties, but the British lost two armoured cars, a lorry and a car, while one officer and two other ranks were taken prisoner. During this time Rommel ordered his workshops to prepare dummy tanks mounted on Volkswagens to suggest an big armoured force. General Wavell, the British commander, had correctly estimated the probable German reinforcements during the early spring at about an armoured brigade. With such resources, he was sure, the Germans would not immediately attempt to caputure Benghazi.
On 19th March, Rommel flew to Hitler's Headquarters to report. There he was told by von Brauchitsch, the Army Commader-in-Chief, that there would be no decisive blow in North Africa in the near future. He was given permission to capture Benghazi once the 15th Panzer Division had arrived. Rommel knew that without the control of all Cyrenaica it would be useless to hold Benghazi, and returned unhappy to his post, knowing well that his reinforcements would be few.
While Rommel was visiting Germany, Wavell was visiting Neame. There Wavell was not impressed by Neame's tactical deployment. He was concerned at the state of the cruiser tanks of the 2nd Armoured Division, and was shocked to find that he had not been advised that the escarpment south of Benghazi was easily penetrable by mobile troops. While Wavell went back depressed, Rommel came back, ready to disregard his orders. He would attack.
Before his visit to Hitler, he had instructed his 5th Light Division to plan an attack on El Agheila. On the 24th of March this plan went in successfully. Rommel's 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion took El Agheila with its airfield and water points.
By 31th March the German offensive moved forward against the British positions at Mersa el Brega, and fierce fighting took place in the early hours of the morning with the British forces at Maaten Brescer. The 5th Light Division attacked Mersa El Brega and found strong British resistance. Rommel found a way to outflank the Allied forces, driving through the sandhills, and by evening had moved a machine-gun battalion round and taken the Mersa El Brega region. Many British vehicles were captured. Next day the British forces began withdrawing, and Mersa El Brega fell to the Germans.
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© Copyright 2004 by Shahram Khan.
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