I once read about another possible explanation for the exceptional French resistance at Bir Hacheim. The French knew that the DAK still had a score to settle with them and they wanted to avoid German capture at any cost.
Fortunately the war in Africa didnt degenarate in represals of every type after that kind of episodes.
As a sidenote: it was at Bir Hacheim that the Germans used the MG42 for the first time on the North African theater of operations. Members of a Flak battalion who returned from a leave in Germany brought half a dozen guns. The gunners were instructed in a small valley close to the enemy “box”.
Interesting, the Mg 34/41, a really fast fire variant of the MG-34 was also introduced in the desert.
Performance of british infantry tanks in Gazala and Tobruk.
Performance of british infantry tanks in Gazala and Tobruk (II)
Ping.
Two different views of the battle:
british newsreel:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=22982
Italian newsreel
Great footage!
Thanks, this is the german variant, video related with Gazala begans at minute 10.
http://www.archive.org/details/1942-07-01-Die-Deutsche-Wochenschau-Nr.617