Bravado

After the British forces fled from Agdabia, the German troops received orders to halt and regroup.

This order surprised the German officers and soldiers because the British were already in disarray, and it seemed like the perfect time to pursue and crush them completely. Why stop now and allow the British to escape from their sight?

More importantly, this wasn't Rommel's usual approach.

Indeed, this was not typical of Rommel; it was a direct order from the leaders of Germany and Italy—Hitler and Mussolini. Both were alarmed by Rommel's audacious advance. The British had been deceived by Rommel's feints, believing that he had landed with a large force of German troops, tanks, and armored vehicles. However, Hitler and Mussolini knew the truth: Rommel had less than one division, fewer than 20,000 men, and although the Italians had 80,000 troops, they were mostly remnants of forces that had been chased back from Egypt by the British. These Italian troops were more of a symbolic presence, with the Germans leading the charge and the Italians taking over the towns captured by the Germans.

Hitler was especially concerned because Rommel had fewer than 100 tanks, and some of these had already been lost on the front lines, while others had just arrived in Tripoli.

The Italian forces had more than 400 tanks, but most of these were outdated M1 and M15 models, which were virtually sitting ducks against the British tanks and anti-tank guns.

On the other hand, the British had over 15,000 men, 1,114 tanks, 1,000 artillery pieces, and 1,500 aircraft...

Hitler knew that Rommel's current actions were a high-stakes gamble. If the British discovered Rommel's true strength and concentrated their forces to counterattack, Rommel would undoubtedly be defeated.

And such a defeat could result in the complete loss of the Axis foothold in North Africa.

Thus, Hitler issued a strict order for Rommel's forces to stop advancing. If the British wanted to retreat, they should be allowed to do so. The Germans could use this time to fortify their positions and gather strength. In a little over a month, the 15th Panzer Division would arrive as scheduled, and it wouldn't be too late to advance against the British then.

However, Rommel consistently ignored Hitler's orders. Having served as the commander of Hitler's bodyguard, Rommel knew the Führer's personality well. He understood that Hitler wanted victory above all else. As long as Rommel could achieve success on the battlefield, even if it meant disobeying orders, he would ultimately receive honor and rewards.

Rommel was unwilling to give up this rare opportunity. To him, it was like being presented with a feast and not being allowed to take a bite.

So, Rommel continued to push his forces forward.

It wasn't until General Gariboldi, Rommel's nominal superior, appeared at Rommel's command post that the situation became more complicated. Although Gariboldi was technically Rommel's superior, Hitler had only placed command in Italian hands because he thought they might be more familiar with desert warfare and because Italy's troops and logistics were essential. Rommel, confident and undefeated on the battlefield, had little regard for the repeatedly defeated Gariboldi.

"We must stop this advance!" Gariboldi practically roared at Rommel. "You have no idea how dangerous our situation is. Our troops are exhausted, our supplies are critically low, our preparations are inadequate, and our ammunition will only last two more days!"

"The British aren't as weak as they seem. They may have set a trap for us, waiting to lure us in by extending our supply lines, and then they'll counterattack at the right moment! This is exactly how we were defeated before!"

...

Rommel silently watched the Italian general rant in front of him, Gariboldi's fat face flushed red with anger, like a balloon ready to burst.

"Are you listening to me?" Gariboldi snapped when he saw Rommel's indifferent expression.

"Of course, General Gariboldi!" Rommel replied calmly. "I'm listening."

"Then carry out my orders!" Gariboldi glared at Rommel. He was deeply dissatisfied with this insubordinate German general. If not for Rommel's role in saving him and the Italian forces in the crisis, Gariboldi would have recommended replacing this undisciplined officer.

"I've already stopped the advance!" Rommel said. "My troops are in Agdabia; they're no longer pursuing."

"But..." Gariboldi was momentarily speechless.

God, Agdabia was over a hundred kilometers past the point where Gariboldi had issued his first "stop advancing" order.

After a moment of thought, Gariboldi softened his tone and said, "General, I hope you understand the seriousness of our situation. Our logistics can't support any further advance. It will crush our forces. We should fortify our position in Agdabia. Do you agree?"

Rommel didn't answer directly. He simply took a sip of his coffee, his mind still focused on how to continue the advance. His decision to halt at Agdabia had nothing to do with orders, nor with Mussolini or Gariboldi... If he could ignore Hitler's orders, why would he care about what anyone else said?

Rommel had stopped only because of logistical issues. Without ammunition and supplies, the German forces couldn't continue fighting... and for logistics, he needed Gariboldi's cooperation. After all, the Italians handled most of the supplies.

But how could he convince this stubborn, cowardly, and short-sighted Italian general?

Just then, a communications officer entered and handed Rommel a telegram, saying, "General, orders from the Berlin High Command!"

Rommel took the telegram, glanced at it, and then broke into a smile.

"General Gariboldi!" Rommel waved the telegram triumphantly. "Berlin has given me complete freedom of action!"

"What?" Gariboldi was stunned. Then he sighed and said, "Very well, General! But I must make it clear that if our forces are defeated, I won't be held responsible!"

"Of course!" Rommel nodded. "I'll take full responsibility."

What Gariboldi didn't realize was that the Berlin orders were the exact opposite. Hitler's telegram had harshly criticized Rommel and insisted that he halt his advance and cooperate with the Italian forces to build a defensive line.

Rommel had cleverly deceived Gariboldi, gaining the cooperation of tens of thousands of Italian troops for his offensive plan... even if that cooperation was not entirely willing.