Operation Crusader was the Allied military offensive to relieve the siege of Tobruk, on the coast of Libya, North Africa, during World War II. It was carried out by the British 8th Army, under General Alan Cunningham, beginning on November 18, 1941. By then, the 8th Army was composed of two Corps: the XIII Corps, which was led by Lt-General Reade Godwin Austen, and the XXX Corps, commanded by Lt-General Willoughby Norrie. Cunningham would be replaced by General Neil Ritchie on November 26.
Summary
On November 18, the British XIII Corps advanced towards Halfaya Pass in the north, moving from west to east. Meanwhile, the XXX Corps launched an attack through Sidi Rezegh to the southwest. During the first week of Operation Crusader, ferocious tank battles broke out between the German Afrika Korps and the XXX Corps’ 7th British Armoured Division.
At the beginning the German forces seemed have gained the upper hand, as they knocked out more than 50 Crusader tanks and many other British armored vehicles. However, the Afrika Korps’ attempts to encircle the British 8th Army failed. This forced the German and Italian forces to temporarily lift the siege of Tobruk. Therefore, by launching Operation Crusade, the British had won a temporary victory, but they had no armored vehicles reserves left.
The reason for the destruction of so many British tanks was due to the 8.8 cm Flak 36, a powerful anti-aircraft weapon used as an anti-tank gun, and the lethal 7.5 cm KwK L/48 gun mounted in the turret of the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 (G) tank. Although the Crusaders were good tanks, its gun was ineffectual at long distance, while the above-mentioned German anti-tank guns could destroy an enemy tank at distances of 1,500 and 2,000 m away.
Below, a 7th Armour Division Crusader tank drives by a burning German Panzer IV.
Historical video of siege of Tobruk and Operation Crusader