The Pastor's Punch DTO (id:#61044)

(Afrikakorps - AK011 Hellfire Pass and Beyond ID: AK 85)   [next]   [previous]

Halfaya Pass, south of Sollum, Egypt 1941-06-16 (6 others)

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Overview:

With significant armored reinforcements in hand, the result of the Tiger Convoy, Wavell pushed forward with what would be his final desert offensive as a commander, Operation Battleaxe. The attack was launched with the express goal of clearing eastern Cyrenaica of Axis forces. It was also aimed at lifting the long-standing siege of the vital Western Desert port, Tobruk. A thorn in Wavell’s side stood like a sentinel along the coast: Halfaya Pass. Commanded by a humble but resolute former pastor, Wilhelm Bach, the commanding heights and its defender soon gave the place the infamous nickname, “Hellfire Pass”. The 88mm dual-purpose gun, ably crewed and sited from positions on the heights, gave Bach his punch. A series of British assaults were launched, a typical action occurring on June 16, 1941, a day with temperatures that rose to more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Soldiers of the 4th Indian Division pushed on tenaciously, as ‘88’ shells decimated their tank support. Eventually, the Indians captured a foothold on some high ground, and Halfaya village fell. Bach’s men held on, and the pastor also hit back with local Panzer reserves in limited counter-attacks. By the 17th Allied and German troops stood where they started for the most part and Hellfire Pass continued to loom as a menace, although now isolated from the main line of the Afrikakorps...

Defender: German (I/104th Regiment, 21st Panzer Division and the 8th Panzer Regiment)  

Errata (source)