Operation Skorpion

Battleground, North Africa, May 26, 1941 - The recent Allied attack to relieve the Tobruk garrison, `Operation Brevity,` had been largely a failure. However, it left them in possession of the strategically important Halfaya Pass, the gateway to Egypt. German General Rommel recognized the need to recapture this terrain in order to stabilize the front. Still fearing the British infantry tank, Matilda, an under gunned, ponderous, mobile fortification, Rommel launched three panzer battalions plus supporting units to sweep the British from the field. The offensive was code named, `Unternehmen Skorpion,` ultimately known to the Allies as Operation Skorpion.