The Need for Organisational Resilience Chapter-6

it was only the men’s amazing spirt and will to victory that kept them going at all. Not only had

no replacement material arrived, but, with an almost unbelievable lack of appreciation of the

situation, the supply authorities had actually sent only three thousand tons to Africa during

June, as compared with our real requirement of sixty thousand tons, a figure that was never in

fact attained. Captured stores certainly helped to tide us over the expected crisis in our supply

situation after the fall of Tobruk, but it was urgently necessary that this should have been

followed up by adequate supplies from our own sources.

In Rome one excuse after the other was found for the failure of the organised supply

which was supposed to maintain my army. It was easy enough back there to say: “It can’t be

done”, for life and death did not depend on finding a solution. If everybody had pulled together

in a resolute search for ways and means, and the staff work had been done in the same spirit,

the technical difficulties could without any doubt have been overcome. (Liddell Hart 1953,

243)

Rommel already foresaw that at this stage, he would not be able to launch major offensive

operations in the light of the constant build up by the British. The following month witnessed an

attempt by the Germans to breakthrough at El Alamein, only to be halted by a stiffening defence. The

British, now outnumbering the Germans 2:1 drove the Germans back during the second battle of El

Alamein in late October 1943.

Operation Torch, the American landings in Vichy-held French North Africa on November 8 th 1942,

was the beginning of the end, although Rommel continued to inflict heavy losses (e.g. at the Battle of

Kasserine Pass in February 1943). The Axis forces surrendered on May 13 th , with 275,000 soldiers

made prisoners of war.

In direct contrast, Operation Yellow, the invasion of the Low Countries and France in May 1940,

was undertaken under favourable logistical conditions. By comparison, the North African Campaign

suffered from a range of logistical shortcomings. First, the distances to be covered until the next local

storage with available resupplies were immense. Hence, the Africa Corps had to rely to a great extent

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