Buoyed by over-optimistic intelligence assessments of the casualties suffered by the German armour, Auchinleck strongly urged Ritchie to mount a counter-attack along the coast to take advantage of the German armour's absence and to break through to Timimi and then Mechili.
However, its isolation ended after paving the Charruba-Timimi desert road between the years 1975-1985, and this road became the preferred route for travel between Tobruk to Benghazi.
O'Connor continued the advance towards Derna with the Australian 6th Division while sending 7th Armoured Division south of the Jebel Akhdar mountains towards Mechili.
Mechili |