Early on the morning of June 15, 1941 elements of the 11th Indian Brigade, supported by 12 Matilda tanks, launched an attack on the German positions defending the upper end of Halfaya Pass. This was the opening phase of Operation "Battleaxe" which was meant to reclaim the Pass and destroy the Axis forces along the Egyptian frontier.
At this time the British Matilda II tank was almost immune to the standard German anti-tank guns. It claimed 78mm maximum frontal armor, and its 2pdr main armament was a match for the German panzers of the time. However, as they approached the German positions that morning, five dug-in German 88s dispatched 11 if them in short order.
Although deadly, they were also easy targets for incoming artillery unless dug into prepared positions. At this time it is estimated that the Germans had thirteen 8.8cm guns at their disposal on the Egyptian frontier. Four others were dug in along Hafid Ridge west of Ft. Capuzzo, and these would also take a heavy toll on the British 7th Armoured Division that day. The remaining four were part of the mobile reserve. During this 3 day battle the British lost 64 of their heavy Infantry tanks, plus 27 Cruisers to anti-tank and tank guns, along with other causes. However, it was the 88 which did the greatest amount of damage during these attacks, since their killing range was so great that they could engage enemy armor long before it could engage them.
The 88 was usually towed by a prime mover, and had to be unhitched and the cruciform stand anchored in place. With an experienced crew this could be acheived fairly fast. However, in more desperate encounters the 88 could be fired without removing it from its wheeled carriage by locking the rear wheels with the hand brakes.
In most cases the 88 was well dug into the desert for its own protection, and disengagement and recovery of the gun would be very difficult in these cases.
While on the move it was easy prey to both aircraft, artillery strikes and naturally to enemy armor encounters, so it had to be deployed wisely. There were simply never enough 88s to meet the demands, and as the war in Russia picked up they became even scarcer for Rommel in Africa. There was also a demand for them to defend Axis airfields and garrisons from British bombing attacks in the desert, so they were spread pretty thinly.
