Notes17 March 1941

Arrival and Departure of Subordinated Troops:

Infantry Div. Brescia subordinated to D.A.K. for operations:

Agents and aerial reconnaissance confirmed the shape of an enemy line of security via B. es Suera – B. el Ginn – B. Bilal – Gtafia – el Haselat (throughout armoured car security screen).

Gialo was reported free of enemy by aerial reconnaissance on 17 March. Movement into this direction seems to be a local, temporarily limited reconnaissance push.

On the airfield at Agedabia 6 enemy planes were noted by the air force and successfully attacked.

Operation Graf Schwerin[1] successfully reached Hun on 16 March.

Div. Ariete carried out its first reconnaissance push to the south in the direction of Bir el Merduma.

Ariete Armoured Division M13/40 tank, January 1942. Colourised by ‘Colourising the Past’

The second comprehensive proposal about the conduct of the intended offensive operation was submitted to the O.K.H.[2]. For 18 March a conference about the proposal was planned with His Excellency Gariboldi, and after that continued flight of the Commander in Chief to Berlin via Rome, for a presentation to the Chief of the General Staff of the Army[3] was planned.[4]

Notes

[1]This was a reconnaissance operation into the deep south of Libya. Some more information here at this link.

[2]The German Army High Command

[3]Colonel-General Franz Halder, not a man too much enarmoured with Rommel.

[4]This was the first mention of the offensive plans towards Mersa el Brega.