FH2 CAMPAIGN #19 "MARE NOSTRUM" IS NOW OPEN | JOIN UP!
BATTLE #2 - KISWE - WILL START IN:
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08 May 2026 06:00 PM 10:00 PM
CMP FH2 Campaign #19: Mare Nostrum
Battle #3: Sidi Muftah
History
"To complete the attack, elements of the Italian XX Motorized Corps and 101st Motorized Division Trieste were to clear a path through the minefields north of Bir Hakeim and near the Sidi Muftah box to supply the armored advance. To hold Allied troops in place, the Italian X and XXI Corps would assault the Gazala Line near the coast. At 2:00 PM on May 26, these formations moved forward. That night, Rommel personally led his mobile forces as they began the flanking maneuver. Almost immediately the plan began to unravel as the French mounted a vigorous defense of Bir Hakeim, repelling the Italians.
A short distance to the southeast, Rommel's forces were held up for several hours by the 7th Armoured Division's 3rd Indian Motor Brigade. Though they were forced to withdraw, they inflicted heavy losses on the attackers.
By midday on the 27th, the momentum of Rommel's attack was faltering as British armor entered the battle and Bir Hakeim held out. Only the 90th Light had clear success, over-running the 7th Armoured Division's advance headquarters and reaching the El Adem area. As fighting raged over the next several days, Rommel's forces became trapped in an area known as "The Cauldron.
This area saw his men trapped by Bir Hakeim to the south, Tobruk to the north, and the minefields of the original Allied line to the west. Under constant assault by Allied armor from the north and east, Rommel's supply situation was reaching critical levels and he began to contemplate surrender. These thoughts were erased when early on May 29 supply trucks, supported by the Italian Trieste and Ariete Divisions, breached the minefields north Bir Hakeim. Able to re-supply, Rommel attacked west on May 30 to link up with the Italian X Corps. Destroying the Sidi Muftah box, he was able to split the Allied front in two."
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Forgotten Hope 2
