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| Battle of Gazala
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| Conflict | World War II | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | May 26– June 21, 1942 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place | Gazala and Tobruk in Libya | ||||||||||||||||
| Result | Axis victory | ||||||||||||||||
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Following Rommel's attack in January 1942, the Allies had retreated across Libya to a strong position on a line between the port of Tobruk on the Mediterranean coast to the north, and the town of Bir Hacheim to the south.
On May 27, Rommel personally led a reckless but brilliant raid around the British lines, trusting to the enemy's own minefields to protect his rear, while the Italian Ariete Divisions defeated the Free French Brigade under Marie-Pierre Koenig at Bir Hacheim and then on 10 June turned north to join Rommel's battle of encirclement. On 14 June Auchinleck retreated east to a strong position on the Alamein Line on the border of Egypt, leaving troops to defend Tobruk, as Archibald Wavell had done in April 1941. Since Tobruk had previously withstood a siege of nine months before being relieved by Operation Crusader in December 1941, the Allies expected it to do so again, but just seven days later, on 21 June 1942 the 2nd South African Division surrendered.
The Afrikakorps advanced towards Egypt and attacked the Alamein Line on 1 July 1942 in the First Battle of El Alamein.
The defeat at Gazala led to the dismissal of Auchinleck and his replacement as general of the Eighth Army by Bernard Montgomery.
Gazala