Company Scorpio

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Halfaya Pass

The company Skorpion (May 26-27, 1941) was the code name of a German-Italian military operation during the desert war in North Africa in World War II . The operation was carried out by the armed forces of the Axis powers under the command of Colonel Maximilian von Herff . The enterprise involved counter-attacks on British positions at the Halfaya Pass in northwestern Egypt , which had been captured by British troops during Operation Brevity (May 15-16, 1941). Operation Skorpion was Rommel's second offensive in Africa after the siege of Tobruk .

Operation Scorpio forced the withdrawal of the British from the Halfaya Pass area. The British had to withdraw to Sofafi. The Germans and Italians fortified the pass and built further nests of resistance in the direction of Sidi Azeiz as anti-tank zones in order to counter another British attack. The British continued preparations for Operation Battleaxe (June 15-17), but it was another costly British failure that resulted in the dismissal of General Sir Archibald Wavell , Middle East Commander in Chief, and other senior officers.

literature

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