Operation Sonnenblume
| Unternehmen Sonnenblume/Operation Sunflower | |||||||||
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| Part of the Western Desert Campaign 1940–1943 | |||||||||
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Cyrenaica Command | ||||||||
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 103–107 tanks (includes damaged and returned to service) |
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Operation Sonnenblume (Unternehmen Sonnenblume/Operation Sunflower) was the name given to the dispatch of German troops to North Africa in February 1941, during the Second World War. German troops reinforced the remaining Italian forces in Libya, after the Italian 10th Army was destroyed by British attacks during Operation Compass(9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941). The first units departed Naples for Africa and arrived on 11 February. On 14 February, the first units of the 5th Light Afrika Division (later renamed the 21st Panzer Division), Aufklärungsbataillon 3 (Reconnaissance Battalion 3) and Panzerjägerabteilung 39 (Tank Hunter Detachment 39) arrived in Tripoli, Libya and were sent immediately to the front line at Sirte.
Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel took command of the new Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK; the term Afrika Korps became a generic title for German forces in North Africa, in the English-speaking world). Rommel arrived in Libya on 12 February, with orders to defend Tripoli and Tripolitania, albeit using aggressive tactics. General Italo Gariboldi replaced Maresciallo d'Italia Rodolfo Graziani as the Governor-General of Libya on 25 March and Generale d'Armata Mario Roatta, Commander in Chief of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army), ordered Graziani to place Italian motorised units in Libya under German command. The first German troops reached Sirte on 15 February, advanced to Nofilia on 18 February and on 24 February, a raiding party ambushed a British patrol near El Agheila. On 24 March, El Agheila was captured and Brega was attacked on 31 March. The understrength 3rd Armoured Brigade failed to counter-attack and began a retreat towards Benghazi the next day.
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