Operation Battleaxe - Hellfirepass Question

[Wellington]

Hi!

We are planning a Operation Battleaxe campaign. But we have a discussion about the tactical situation at Hellfirepass.

I always thought the Britisch troops advanced along the coast to Sollum, but on all maps and articles I found it seems that the advance along the coast stopped at Hellfirepass.

Would it have been possible to ignore the German and Italian troops, secure the crossroad and advance to Sollum? Or would it have been to dangerous with German guns within range of the road. On goggle maps is seems it only a very narrow plain between the pass and the coast (~ 1 kilometer) and it looks essential to capture the pass first.

Your opinions?

Cheers

Welllington

[jon_1066]

I can't see how you could advance along the coast road with Germans and Italians in the hills above it.  Even light support weapons like MMGs would be in range of the road.

[freerangeegg]

I always understood the road left the coast and went up onto the escarpment at the pass. That was the reason it had to be taken.

[jon_1066]

So the road along the coast is a modern post war construction?  Makes snese

[Wellington]

In old maps it looks like the main road was along the coast and the road through the pass only a minor road

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-ww2-north-african-campaign-operation-battleaxe-15-17-june-1941-libya-107654219.html

[jon_1066]

So back to theory number 1.  You can't advance under guns/troops on the heights above the road

[Etranger]

To quote the wiki entry (yeah, I know!) "In World War II, the engineered route up the escarpment had been destroyed and the pass had great strategic importance. The only ways westwards into Libya were to assault the pass or to out-flank it to the south."

These pictures show just how close the Pass was to the coast https://www.ww2online.org/image/view-top-sallum-pass-halfaya-pass-towards-coastline-egypt-december-1942 https://www.ww2online.org/image/view-top-halfaya-pass-towards-coastline-egypt-november-1942 https://www.ww2online.org/image/convoy-trucks-ascends-hellfire-pass-halfaya-pass-egypt-probably-1942-43 (they aren't in a copyable format)

No-one is advancing along the Coast without controlling the Pass!

[freerangeegg]

Before WW2 there was very little travel between Egypt and Libya by land. In the 1940s the coast road ended at Sollum, which was the border of Egypt and the point where the Escarpment comes right down to the sea. The only way to go further along the coast by land was to climb the Escarpment at Halfaya and continue on the plateau above. The coast road was extended and cut through the cliffs beyond the town postwar.

[Wellington]

Thanks a lot! I learned a lot new stuff! Leadadventure forum, the place where you get the answers

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

There's a lot of artwork and images of Halfaya Pass from WW2. The road through the pass rises very sharply via switchbacks from sea level to the top of the escarpment, and the grade was so steep that vehicles were confined to that road. The PBI could slog up hill, but not with vehicle support. You can also look at it using Google Earth.


https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/5571