How does O’Connor compare with others…how good was he?
I think his ability can be gauged from asking: Was there anyone better than him in North Africa and the Middle East at the time?
I don’t think there was, although the Australian General Lavarack had some successes and some potential which were ruined partly by his own arrogance and partly by Blamey’s desire to frustrate a potential rival. I don’t think O’Connor would have booked himself into hospital to avoid going to Greece to avoid damaging his career by being associated with a defeat, as Lavarack did.
O’Connor showed originality, judgement, daring, and the ability to exploit opportunities.
If O’Connor hadn’t been unlucky enough to be captured, he could have been expected to distinguish himself rather more in North Africa and to have a more prominent part in the later war in Europe.
He seems to be on a decent sized “what-if” list of command candidates that either had their careers cut short due to accidents or political considerations. From what little I read, he seemed competent enough. But that wasn’t always the whole story. Sometimes I’ve wonder if Gen. Auchinleck had been made the commander of just the Eighth Army instead of periodically taking over the job when he felt he needed too, he may have been the guy who was celebrated as Britain’s greatest field commander rather than Monty, who some think got credit for some of the reforms and training Auchinleck instituted…
I recall seeing a part of an interview with O’Connor aired as a part of the World At War series. He blamed himself entirely for allowing himself to be caught in a flanking movement, and doubly cross as he had been caught by someone using the same methods as he considered himself to be a master of.
On 7 Dec, British troops launched from Sudan and Kenya under the code name of Operation Compass, marching 70 miles through the desert to exploit a gap between the Italian defense points. The 4th Indian Division captured the Italian camp at Nibeiwa from the rear, spearheaded by tanks of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment. That raid captured 4,000 Italian POWs. Italian camps at Sidi Barrani were captured the next day. On the third day, the 7th Armored Division swept across the landscape westward, defeating Italian defenses along the way. In three days, a total of 40,000 Italian soldiers and 400 pieces of artillery were captured by the British and Commonwealth soldiers, driving the numerically superior Italian troops commanded by Rodolfo Graziani back into Italian colonial holdings. However, the pressure asserted on the Italian army lightened due to British logistical problems (they advanced much quicker than originally anticipated). Nevertheless, on 3 Jan 1941, General Bergonzoli surrendered his garrison at Bardia to the British, turning over 45,000 men, 462 pieces of artillery, and 129 tanks. The British, supported by the able Matilda tanks, attacked Tobruk on 21 Jan, capturing the stronghold and capturing 36,000 more prisoners. The British now had a port to receive large quantities of supplies from Alexandria by sea.
O’Connor followed up his victory at Tobruk with a continued offensive in attempt to cut off the retreating Italian forces. His forces covered an astonishing 100 miles of rough desert terrain in 33 hours and cut off the Italians at Beda Fomm on 5 Feb. The British force of 3,000 and 39 Cruiser tanks defeated the 20,000 retreating Italian troops, capturing another 216 pieces of artillery and 120 tanks.
In 10 weeks of advance, British and Commonwealth forces captured a total of 130,000 prisoners and the cost of 500 men lost. Adolf Hitler would send in one of his most inspiring generals in attempt to help Italy turn the tide of the campaign in Africa. Hitler made the decision to fight in North Africa despite his belief that North Africa was a mere sideshow to his more important Russian front, however an Italian defeat would bring unnecessary distractions to Germany. Hence, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and his Sperrverband, blocking force, were on their way to the desert.
Self-blame was an over simplification of the situation, as was, but it affords us a measure of the man himself. He had determined not to allow such a situation to be repeated, but was captured before he could have any further effect on the campaign.
On 6 April O’Connor and Neame, while travelling to their headquarters which had been withdrawn from Maraua to Tmimi, were captured by a German patrol near Martuba.
Auchinlek’s tactical guru was Major General Dorman-Smith:
“For the next two weeks, Auchinlek followed Dorman-Smith’s advice and conentrated on the Italians…Sometimes the lines of Italian prisoners were almost long enough to remind the old hands of the good old days under O’Connor…”
Rommel writing to his wife:
[i]"Dearest Lu,
My expectations for yesterday’s battle were bitterly disappointing. It achieved nothing at all. The blow must be born, further operations undertaken with renewed spirit…"
" Dearest Lu,
It is going pretty badly for me. The enemy’s superior infantry is taking out one Italian unit after another. German units much too weak to halt them alone. It makes me cry!"
"Dearest Lu,
The past crucial day was particularly bad for us. Once again we got away. It cannot go on much longer or the front is lost. Militarily these are the worst days I have lived through."
[/i]
By attacking and breaking the Italians on the Axis left flank, Auchinlek was able to get into the rear of the Germans, forcing them to withdraw.
Lt Colonel Vittorio Revetra flew on a dawn patrol accross no man’s land and spotted dozens of trails of slow-moving dust approaching from the south east. They made no attempt to attack the nearest Italian positions but drove straight through a gap the Italians had left between two groups of fortified camps . Once through they turned north and started following the track through the minefield made by Italian transport.
Infiltrating the Italian lines and then attacking their camps in the rear, was a brilliant start to O’Connor’s campaign. Surprise was complete. The British took four thousand prisoners, tanks and artillery. It was the beginning of a rout.
O’Connor’s troops seemed unstoppable.Within three days the Italian army had been bundled out of Egypt, leaving behind 237 artillery pieces, 73 tanks and 38,300 prisoners - more men than O’Connor’s entire force of thirty thousand.
One of the landed gentry who officered the Coldstream Guards reported: “We have about five acres of officers and two hundred acres of other ranks!”
This victory had been the brain-child of Brigadier Eric ‘Chinck’ Dorman-Smith, Commandant of the Middle East Staff College, who had been sent to O’Connor as a ‘special adviser’ by Wavell. Dorma-Smith was described by the influential military historian Basil Liddell-Hart as ‘the outstanding soldier of his generation’.
What had begun as a raid became a major incursion into Libya, driving the Italians along the coast and cutting them off at what came to be known as the Battle of Beda Fomm:
While the 7th Armoured Division swept westward in a 200 hundred mile hook, the Italians fled along the coast road which took them the long way around the Cyrenaica Bulge, with the Australians in hot pursuit.
The Italians had fell foul of their own propanda, as many of them had been terrified before ever meeting the Ozzies by reports on Rome Radio accusing the British of ‘unleashing the Australian barbarians in the desert’. Alan Moorhead described said barbarians thus: ’ men from the dockside of Sydney and the Sheep-stations of the Riverini who presented such a picture of downright toughness with their gaunt dirty faces, huge boots (I have huge boots ;)) revolvers stuffed in their pockets, gripping their rifles with huge shapeless hands, shouting and grinning - always grinning…’