Battle of Mersa Matruh

Part of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War

Kampfgruppe Graf of the 21st Panzer Division.

Date	26–29 June 1942 (3 days)
Location	Mersa Matruh, 120 miles (190 km) east of Egyptian frontier 31°21′00″N 27°14′00″E / 31.35000°N 27.23333°E / 31.35000; 27.23333Coordinates: 31°21′00″N 27°14′00″E / 31.35000°N 27.23333°E / 31.35000; 27.23333
Result	Axis victory

Belligerents

United Kingdom

British India

New Zealand

Germany

Italy

Commanders and leaders

Strength

200 tanks

German: 60 tanks, Italian: 40 tanks

Casualties and losses

8,000 killed, wounded or captured
40 tanks

unknown

Mersa Matruh

Mersa Matruh, Egypt

United Kingdom

The Battle of Mersa Matruh was fought from 26 June to 29 June 1942 following the defeat of the Eighth Army (General Sir Claude Auchinleck) at the Battle of Gazala. It was part of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The combatants on the Axis side were the Panzerarmee Afrika (Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel), consisting of German and Italian units. The Allied forces of the Eighth Army comprised X Corps and XIII Corps. The battle developed as the Afrika Korps pursued the Eighth Army as it retreated into Egypt. Rommel intended to engage and destroy the Allied infantry formations in detail, before the British had a chance to regroup. In the event he was able to cut off the line of retreat of X Corps and the XIII Corps but his forces were too weak to stop them from breaking out. The fortress port of Mersa Matruh and 6,000 prisoners fell into his hands there, along with a great deal of supplies and equipment, but his main goal of destroying the Eighth Army escaped him.

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