WESTERN DESERT - SECOND PERIOD
On 18th November, at the beginning of Op CRUSADER, British and Imperial armoured forces crossed the wire into Libya and began their advance North and North- West towards the main Bardia to Tobruk road. Their aim was to draw the German Armoured
Divisions out of the hilly ground to the North of the road and destroy them on the plain. However an Italian Armoured Division threatened to decoy our forces, therefore depleting those meeting the German Divisions (see map).
The role of the Squadron in the first phase
of the battle was to locate the German and Italian divisions and to observe possible ways of approach the Germans might use from the hills down to the plain. This the Squadron did successfully with only moderate opposition from ground fire. The initial advance was quick with a Squadron detachment moving up close to the battle to provide immediate reconnaissance 
for bombing targets. General Rommel, however, decided that he could not fight a rearguard action all the way to Tripoli and made a stand at Agedabia to fight it out. By 23rd November the situation became somewhat confused. For some time the initiative had rested with the enemy who was making violent attempts to overcome our troops in the area southeast of Sidi Resegh before reinforcements arrived. The following day panic messages told of a German breakthrough but reconnaissance failed to report any imminent danger. Nevertheless the Squadron withdrew from LG 131 to reform at LG 123.
