Editing Operation Battleaxe (section)

==={{lang|de|Unternehmen Sonnenblume}}/Operation Sunflower===

{{Main|Operation Sonnenblume}}

In late March 1941, soon after the arrival of the {{lang|de|[[Afrika Korps]]}} in [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], [[Libya]] to reinforce the Italians, the Axis forces quickly captured the British [[front line]] position at [[El Agheila]] and by mid-April, had reached as far as [[Sallum]], [[Egypt]]. The British held the fortified port of [[Tobruk]], which was besieged by the Axis. Having been informed by General Wavell that the [[Western Desert Force]] was vastly inferior to the Axis forces now in Africa, Churchill ordered that a convoy of tanks and [[Hawker Hurricanes]], [[Malta Convoys#May – Operation Tiger|Operation Tiger]] (Convoy WS 58), be sailed through the Mediterranean instead of around the [[Cape of Good Hope]] to cut forty days off the journey.<ref>Playfair, p. 114</ref>{{efn|The convoy comprised five {{convert|15|kn|mph+km/h|abbr=on}} merchant ships, {{SS|Clan Chattan||2}}, {{SS|Clan Lamont||2}}, {{SS|Clan Campbell|1937|2}}, ''[[Empire Song]]'' and ''New Zealand Star''. The ships carried 295 tanks and 53 Hurricane fighters.<ref name="Playfair, p. 116"/>}}