3rd Indian Motor Brigade - Western Desert Campaign

Western Desert Campaign

The brigade only were mobilised for active service on 7 January 1941. They sailed from Bombay on 23 January, arriving at Suez on 6 February 1941. From there they entrained and travelled to El Qassassin, where they were ferried by lorry to El Tahag camp, where the regiments settled down to training.

The brigade moved to Mersa Matruh on 8 March 1941 and started desert warfare training and orientation. This was followed by a move to El Adem, which took place over two days, 27 and 28 March. On 2 April, Brigadier Vaughan, commanding 3rd Indian Motor Brigade, and his three C.Os were summoned to Cyrenaica Command H.Q. at Barce and were ordered to reconnoitre positions on the Barce escarpment. However, on returning on the evening of 3 April plans had changed – Rommel's fast-moving offensive was the cause.

The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade (minus the 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry, who were split up to protect El Adem airfield and Gadd-al-Ahmar and later were to garrison Tobruk as the divisional cavalry of the 9th Australian Division) were the only mobile unit available and were ordered to occupy El Mechili to provide a base for 2nd Armoured Division to fall back on and re-organise. A dump of stores being created at El Mechili for the 2nd Armoured Division to resupply itself. It was now a race to see who would get their first – 2nd Armoured Division or Rommel.

An Australian anti-tank regiment and a wireless link to Cyrenaica Command H.Q. for air support demands were added to Brigadier Vaughan's command. The bulk of the 2nd Lancers and the 11th P.A.V.O. Cavalry moved from El Adem via El Timmi (where Brigadier Vaughan, the three C.O.'s and the anti-tank regiment joined up) to El Mechili over the evening of the 3rd April and afternoon of the 4th April.

By 1530 hours on the 4th El Mechili was reached and an all-round defensive position, forming a tight box with roughly 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long perimeter and a diameter of 1,500 yards was formed.

The 2nd Royal Lancers were assigned the west face, the PAVO Cavalry the east. By lunchtime on the 5th April the force under Vaughan’s command consisted of:

• 2nd Royal Lancers (Gardner's Horse).
• 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force).
• 35th field squadron Bengal Sappers & Miners.
• 3rd Light Field Ambulance.
• 3rd Motor Brigade M. T. Company, RIASC.
• 3rd Motor Brigade signals troop.
• 2/3rd Australian Anti-Tank regiment.

"A" squadron of the 18th Cavalry which had been stationed at Gadd-al-Ahmar some 30 miles (48 km) to the South-East was ordered to reinforce the defences on the 6th after encountering superior enemy forces occupying Gadd-al-Ahmar. They arrived on the afternoon of the 7th.

Enemy activity was reported to the south and at 1100 hours a small lorried infantry attack was repulsed by the PAVO Cavalry and prisoners taken. Enemy artillery had taken up position to the south and east and would be responsible for some harassing fire.

A column set out from El Mechili that afternoon to find the 2nd Armoured Division which they almost did. What they encountered coming towards El Mechili was the Divisional Commander (General Gambier Perry) and his advanced HQ with one surviving cruiser tank. They joined up and arrived at El Mechili about 2130 hours on the 6th.

The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade were on their own. General Gambier Perry left Brigadier Vaughan in command of the defence, though now under the overall command of 2nd Armoured Division. At around 1800 a German officer appeared in front of the PAVO positions and passed on a demand to surrender, which was rejected.

Soon after dawn on the 7th the rear divisional HQ of the 2nd Armoured Division appeared and now Gambier Perry's command consisted of 180 soft skinned vehicles. Patrols now reported enemy columns on all sides. The Brigadiers requests for air-strikes met with no response. The morning and early afternoon of the 7th passed quietly enough, with a second German request to surrender again being rejected, however the brigadier expected the third request would be backed by more definite action.

Without the armoured support expected of the 2nd Armoured Division, the offensive and defensive capability of the brigade was minimal – soft skinned vehicles, small arms and two pounders did not amount to much. Mid afternoon an Italian column tried to approach the position and were taken prisoner.

At 1730 hours the third demand came in, signed by Rommel himself. The request rejected, a brisk bombardment was opened up which lasted an hour and a half, which registered on all the defensive positions but did little actual damage. At sunset sixty enemy tanks appeared to be mustering to the south of the position, suggesting that tomorrow the assault would finally come. However at 2130 hours Brigadier Vaughan was summoned to 2nd Armoured Division HQ and told that orders had been received from Cyrenaica Command H.Q. to withdraw to El Adem to the east.

The Brigade was to escort the 2nd Armoured Division HQ at first light in a rolling box formation, with the PAVO Cavalry providing the right and left flank guards and 2nd Royal Lancers bringing up the rear. Start time was 0615 hours. The one surviving cruiser tank and the 18th Cavalry squadron were to rush the guns to the east, firing as they went. The whole success depended on getting amongst the guns before it was light enough for the guns to function.

The cruiser tank was late so with half light gone it was 0630 when the squadron of the 18th Cavalry went in mounted on trucks and after dismounting and carrying out a bayonet charge on the artillery position on Gun Ridge, taking some prisoners in the process, broke clear. The cruiser tank arrived after the squadron had advanced but gave some assistance before it was destroyed and the crew killed. 3rd Indian Motor Brigade HQ came next at 0645 but was met by heavy shell fire from three sides. A number of the lead trucks got away but the rest turned back. On their return it was found that the reason for this break out, the 2nd Armoured Division HQ, never got even to its starting point.

The PAVO cavalry had moved out as flank guard to the Brigade HQ and under heavy fire, dust, smoke and confusion broke out, without the rest of the main body. They continued on to El Adem. For those left behind the main German assault hit at 0745 from the south and south-east. The brigadier had been right – this was the more definite action planned, irrespective of the breakout. When the artillery fire died down German Mark III's and IV's rolled into the position in three waves after neutralising the Australian anti-tank guns. They did not, however, overrun the position, fearing mines, but were content to dominate it until Italian infantry could move up.

What the Germans did not know was that there were no mines as there had been no time to lay them but the defenders did not know that this was what was stopping the tanks overrunning the position. A high volume of small arms fire was kept up on the vision slits and hatches of the tanks, so much so that defenders had nothing left when the Italian infantry finally arrived. The defenders did all they could to inflict casualties on the tankers, but were hampered not having not the right equipment. The brigade was well dug in which prevented greater loss of life.

A second attempt for the 2nd Armoured Division HQ to break out was organised for 0800 to go east, however the column came under heavy machine gun and artillery fire and so turned back and surrendered. Three small parties of the 2nd Royal Lancers broke out, but the bulk of the remaining forces were taken prisoner. Though the original objective of saving the 2nd Armoured Division failed, the stand by the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade delayed Rommels advance, buying valuable time for the 9th Australian Division to get into Tobruk and prepare its defences.

The action at El Mechili, 6–8 April 1941, led to the PAVO Cavalry losing over half its strength during the breakout and could barely muster two squadrons. The 2nd Royal Lancers had been reduced to barely one squadron and so they were temporarily merged into the PAVO.