Operation Flipper - Planning

Planning

In October-November 1941, a plan was formulated at 8th Army headquarters to attack four objectives behind Axis lines:

• Rommel′s presumed headquarters near Beda Littoria, some 18 miles inland from Apollonia, Libya
• a wireless station and intelligence centre at Apollonia
• Italian headquarters and communications cable mast at Cyrene
• headquarters of the Italian Trieste Division near Slonta

One of the main goals was to kill Rommel himself. This was intended to disrupt enemy organisation before the start of Crusader. Rommel's headquarters was believed to be at Beda Littoria because of the reports of Captain John Haselden, inserted earlier, disguised as an Arab, with a reconnaissance team. Haselden had reported Rommel's staff car coming and going from the former Prefecture building. In fact, it had only briefly been Rommel's headquarters and was now the headquarters of the chief quartermaster of Panzergruppe Afrika, General Schleusener. Rommel had moved his headquarters nearer to Tobruk some weeks earlier. In any case, Rommel was not even in North Africa at the launch of Operation Crusader. He had gone to Rome to request replacements for supply ships sunk by the enemy.

The overall operation was led by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Laycock. Lt. Col. Geoffrey Keyes—who had been present throughout the planning stage—selected the most hazardous task for himself: the assault on Rommel′s headquarters.