Operation Battleaxe, the kingdom in Peril:
The operation Battleaxe was the first british major offensive against the Afrika Korps, it took place the June 15th 1941. The armor componentes of this operation arrived to Alexandria in the shape with the convoy "Tiger". Those were 135 Matildas, 85 "Cruisers" tanks, and 25 light tanks.
The main objetives were to relieve the garrison of Tobruk and also atract to the battle and destroy most of the german armored forces.
One of the most strategical points were the Halfaya pass near the Libian Egyptian border.
On the eastern side, at 05:15, Coast Force, commanded by Brigadier Reginald Savory and charged with capturing Halfaya Pass, started to move on to their objective.
On the top of the escarpment was the
Halfaya Group, composed of the 2nd battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, the thirteen tanks (twelve Matildas and one light tank) of the 4th Royal Tank Regiment's C Squadron (which had previously captured
Halfaya Pass during Operation Brevity), and an artillery battery from the 31st Field Regiment.
To their east and below the lip of the escarpment were the 1st battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles and 2nd battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry, two troops of the 4th Royal Tank Regiment's A Squadron, and a few 25-pounder guns.
At 05:40, British artillery for the Halfaya Group was scheduled to open fire on the German and Italian forces stationed in Halfaya to provide cover for the tanks and infantry, but the battery had become bogged down by soft sand.
After waiting until 06:00, fifteen minutes after the fighting began to the west below the escarpment, the commander of C Squadron, Major C.G. Miles, ordered his tanks to attack at the top of the pass; soon after though the [anti-tank guns of the German and Italian defenders opened fire and within a few hours all but one light tank and one of the Matildas had been destroyed, the well concealed 88s Flak 18 guns were particulary aiming to the british infantry tanks.
Two penetrations ...88
At 10.00 am Miles radioes a last and desperate message
"…they are tearing my tank to bits ! ", minutes later he also fell prey of the german antitank guns when one 88 shell penetrated his Matilda and caused a catastrophic internal explotion.
Turret blew off
The British forces below the escarpment did not fare much better, as four of the Matildas were disabled by anti-tank mines which were supposed to have been cleared; this blocked the path of the remaining two and reduced the small tank force to acting in a pillbox capacity.
Burned out. Note the small caliber impacts.
The Rajputana Rifles and Mahrattas made several attempts to reach the pass, but were repelled each time; the former losing their commanding officer, Colonel P.R.H. Skrine, in the final attack.
After 3 days of battle the offensive succeded only in capturing the Fort Capuzzo but failed any other objetive, the british forces withdrawn leaving behind 91 tanks destroyed, including 64 Matildas.
In the other hand the germans have 50 tanks damaged, but only 12 remain irreparable losses.
"Matildas graveyard", a view of the Halfaya pass with hulls of some matildas and a Marmon Harrington AFV.