#07 - Operation Brevity (15-16 May 1941) - PzC 04 Tobruk '41

Libyan/Egyptian Frontier, 15 May 1941: The German Army of 1941 had virtually no experience with defensive warfare, there were ten offensive tactical problems solved at the service schools for each defensive one. So when the Afrika Korps found itself defending along the Libyan/Egyptian frontier, it is not surprising that they chose a combat method that continued to stress their offensive capability. A series of strongpoints were built backed up by a reserve force that was to counterattack at the first opportunity. The British provided the first test of these arrangements when they launched their first attempt to relieve Tobruk. The plan for Operation Brevity was based on a model that would be used time and again, an armored component to defeat the enemy armor, and an infantry component to defeat the frontier strongpoints. In the end, the Germans proved the superiority of their combined arms tactics, specifically the use of anti-tank guns to protect their armor, and the British were driven back across the frontier.