November 1941

North Africa

At 0845 Lt-Gen Alan Cunningham orders the XIII Corps to engage. They had already outflanked the frontier defenses. The 4th Indian Div attacks the Axis strongpoints from the rear, making a series of gains over the next 3 days. The 2nd New Zealand Div moving northward continues to advance through the night. They cut both the Via Balbia and the Trigh Capuzzo west of Bardia early on the 22nd.

At 0800 Maj-Gen Ronald Scobie's 70th Div, supported by Brig A. C. Willison's 32nd Army Tank Bde which includes the 1st, 4th & 7th Battalions of the Royal Tank Regt, begins an assault which breaks through the Axis positions surrounding Tobruk. They suffer heavy casualties, however. The 2nd Battalion, the Black Watch, loses 3/4 of its strength. 60 tanks are knocked out, although half of which are later repaired. A 4,000 yard salient is secured and over 1,000 prisoners are taken, half of them from the German 90th Light Div. At 0830, the 1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps, from Campbell's 7th Support Group, reinforced by a company of the 2nd Battalion, the 2nd Rifle Bde, and backed by 42 guns, attack the 2nd Escarpment at Sidi Rezegh. A 2 mile section of the escarpment is taken as are 800 Axis prisoners. The 6th Royal Tank Regiment from the 7th Armored Bde then drives on over the escarpment making for El Duda. They run into resistance from 88mm guns which halt the British armor with heavy losses. Sidi Rezegh is now attacked by German tanks.

Brig George Davy, threatened from the southeast by 2 panzer divisions, moves his remaining armored regiments, the 7th Hussars and the 2nd Royal Tanks to meet them, but the odds are too great. Crüwell's advance has taken him into the supply echelons of the 7th Support Group. It is these guns that do the most damage. Some hold off an attempt by the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to attack the flank of the 15th Panzer while others, accompanying the 21st Panzer, devastate the 7th Hussars losing their commander, Lt-Col Freddie Byass, and all but 10 of their armored vehicles.

Some 21st Panzer tanks attack a company of the 2nd Rifle Bde, which is backed by the guns of the 60th Field Regt and the 3rd Regt, Royal Horse Arty stationed near the eastern end of the 3rd Escarpment to protect the right rear of the British positions. At first the 4 attacking tanks are set ablaze by the Royal Horse Artillery's mobile 2-pdr anti-tank guns. 2 of the 2-pdrs are also destroyed leaving only 2 still in action. The Germans retire but soon return in full strength with hig explosive shells of their Mark IVs which cause havoc among the British infantry positions.

The 15th Panzer uses its 88mm guns against the 2nd Royal Tanks inflicting terrible casualties. The approach of the 4th and 22nd Armored Bdes end the fighting as Crüwell retires to the northeast, with the 15th Panzer heading for Gambut and the 21st Panzer for Belhammed.