Operation Skorpion

Operation Scorpion/Unternehmen Skorpion
Part of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War
The area of fighting from 24 March – 17 June 1941
Date 26–27 May 1941 Location Halfaya Pass, Egypt 31°30′N 25°11′E / 31.500°N 25.183°E / 31.500; 25.183 Result German victory Territorial changes Germany re-captured Halfaya Pass
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
William Gott	Maximilian von Herff
Strength
Infantry battalion and supporting arms	Kampfgruppe von Herff
Casualties and losses
173 men 12 guns 5 Infantry tanks

Operation Skorpion (Unternehmen Skorpion) from 26 to 27 May 1941, was a military operation during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The operation was conducted by Axis forces under the command of Colonel Maximilian von Herff and British forces under Lieutenant-General William "Strafer" Gott. A counter-attack was made on British positions at Halfaya Pass in north-western Egypt, which had been captured during Operation Brevity (15–16 May). Unternehmen Skorpion was the second offensive operation commanded by Rommel in Africa (apart from the Siege of Tobruk).

Skorpion pushed the British out of Halfaya Pass and forced them to retire to the area from Buq Buq to Sofafi. The Germans and Italians fortified the pass and built other strong points back towards Sidi Azeiz as tank killing zones, ready to meet another British attack. The British continued with preparations for Operation Battleaxe (15–17 June) but it was another costly British failure that led to the sacking of General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief Middle East and other senior officers.