Msus
April 10th, 1941
Rommel’s troops and the Italians were progressing even quicker than expected. It had been ten days since the main offensive had started and the Afrikakorps had already reached the old fort at Msus. The Italians were either bad architects or the fort had seen it’s fair share of sand storms but it was practically falling apart. His men had already started to make repairs as it was one of the few buildings in the dry and rocky region. Rommel had chosen the desert route because he knew the British wouldn’t expect it. While the Italian infantry divisions were moving along the coast to the city of Benghazi, Rommel had taken the tank divisions under his command and ploughed straight through the dusty plains. Only two British divisions had stood in their way and were quickly defeated. That was a few days ago. Out here it was just themselves and the Bedouines who carried on with their lives, almost oblivious to the war fought around them.
The plan Rommel had come up with entailed the encirclement of British divisions in Derna. While the Italians would hold on to Benghazi, the fast moving German tank forces would cut off the divisions in Derna. Supply lines were waverthin in the desert so that Blitzkrieg and encirclement tactics worked even better. If all went well the British in Derna would run low on supplies in a matter of days. The Italians would move in from Bengazhi and hopefully capture the city without too much loss of blood. Rommel preferred prisoners above dead bodies.
Mechili
April 17th, 1941
The general who would later be remembered as the Desert Fox was standing on top of a hill that gave him a perfect vantage point of the battlefield. Beneath him the first large armoured clash of the African campaign was raging on. The forward units of his division had encountered the British tank force. Rommel had gotten enough time to dig into this hilly area. 88s surrounded him. Dug deep into the ground with very little ground clearance, the guns could be difficultly spotted which had added an element of surprise. The opposing force had been almost completely disabled. They were the guinea pigs for a new tactic Rommel had devised. The artillery had been dug into a U-shape. Small German units had lured the British main force into the artillery’s range. Panzers then swooped around from the other side of the hill and closed the trap.
The rest of the campaign was going equally well. The divisions at Derna had surrendered and they had gained air superiority over Cyrenaica. The Italian bombers thrived when they weren’t shot down by the dozens.
April 10th, 1941
Rommel’s troops and the Italians were progressing even quicker than expected. It had been ten days since the main offensive had started and the Afrikakorps had already reached the old fort at Msus. The Italians were either bad architects or the fort had seen it’s fair share of sand storms but it was practically falling apart. His men had already started to make repairs as it was one of the few buildings in the dry and rocky region. Rommel had chosen the desert route because he knew the British wouldn’t expect it. While the Italian infantry divisions were moving along the coast to the city of Benghazi, Rommel had taken the tank divisions under his command and ploughed straight through the dusty plains. Only two British divisions had stood in their way and were quickly defeated. That was a few days ago. Out here it was just themselves and the Bedouines who carried on with their lives, almost oblivious to the war fought around them.
The plan Rommel had come up with entailed the encirclement of British divisions in Derna. While the Italians would hold on to Benghazi, the fast moving German tank forces would cut off the divisions in Derna. Supply lines were waverthin in the desert so that Blitzkrieg and encirclement tactics worked even better. If all went well the British in Derna would run low on supplies in a matter of days. The Italians would move in from Bengazhi and hopefully capture the city without too much loss of blood. Rommel preferred prisoners above dead bodies.
Mechili
April 17th, 1941
The general who would later be remembered as the Desert Fox was standing on top of a hill that gave him a perfect vantage point of the battlefield. Beneath him the first large armoured clash of the African campaign was raging on. The forward units of his division had encountered the British tank force. Rommel had gotten enough time to dig into this hilly area. 88s surrounded him. Dug deep into the ground with very little ground clearance, the guns could be difficultly spotted which had added an element of surprise. The opposing force had been almost completely disabled. They were the guinea pigs for a new tactic Rommel had devised. The artillery had been dug into a U-shape. Small German units had lured the British main force into the artillery’s range. Panzers then swooped around from the other side of the hill and closed the trap.
The rest of the campaign was going equally well. The divisions at Derna had surrendered and they had gained air superiority over Cyrenaica. The Italian bombers thrived when they weren’t shot down by the dozens.