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The Germans
cut off the supply routes to the British forces in Tobruk on June
17. On June 20, General Erwin Rommel’s forces launched an
offensive against the British there. The town fell to the Germans on
June 21, as Rommel led his troops past its fortifications. The
Germans took 33,000 Allied prisoners of war and mammoth quantities
of foodstuffs. Rommel immediately advanced eastward, in a move that
earned Hitler’s blessings and the objections of German military
men, who believed it jeopardized the neutrality of Malta. Two days
later, Rommel’s forces reached Sidi Barrani, Egypt. In
appreciation of his accomplishments in northern Africa, Rommel was
promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. |
