One more such victory and we are lost.
  Plutarch

FOR THE Allies, the Benghazi Handicap was a disastrous and humiliating retreat, costing lives, equipment and morale.

The fort of El Agheila fell to Steich's 5th leichte on 24 March 1941. The Allies withdrew 30 miles to the arab village of Mersa el Brega.

The Afrika Korps wireless intercept unit (Nachrichten-Fern-Aufklaerung Kompanie 621) had arrived in North Africa by this time and had informed Rommel that the Allies were reinforcing Mersa el Brega.

Rommel is instructed by Belin to wait till the arrival of 15 Panzer Division (due at the end of May) before making further attacks.

However, the impatient Rommel 'allows' Streich to attack Mersa el Brega which falls on 1 April. The Allies retreat to Agedabia - a distance of about 50 miles.

On the 2nd April Agedabia fell.

Confusion reigned in the Allied forces as orders from above were given, then countermanded, then countermanded again. By 2 April 1941 it was obvious to General Wavell that General Neame had lost control of the situation. Wavell sent for General O'Connor to take over from Neame. O'Connor refused, but agreed to assist Neame.

"I cannot pretend I was happy at the thought of taking over command in the middle of a battle, which was already lost."

Numerous delaying actions were organized and fought. Wherever time and means was available anything of use to the enemy was destroyed; however all to often this didn't happen and sometimes it happened prematurely with disastrous consequences.

On 4 April 1941 three companies of 2/13 Australian Infantry Battalion engaged advancing German troops and armour at Er Rejima. This was the first encounter between the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and German troops since World War I. To avoid encirclement the Australians retreated.

For the Axis troops, driven by Rommel to exhaustion, the pursuit was just as chaotic as the Allied retreat. Vehicles ran out of fuel and were stranded - sometimes for days; pursuing columns became lost; vehicles broke down and had to be abandoned.

In true Blitzkrieg fashion, Axis troops bypassed Tobruk to cut the Bardia Rd to Fort Cupuzzo.