Operation Brevity order of battle

This is the order of battle for Operation Brevity, a World War II battle between the British Commonwealth and the European Axis powers of Germany and Italy in North Africa between May 15–16, 1941.

British Commonwealth forces

General Officer, Commanding in chief, Middle East Command - General Archibald Wavell
HQ Western Desert Force - Lieutenant-General Noel Beresford-Peirse
Operational command - Brigadier William Gott
The British and Commonwealth force were drawn mainly from the 7th Armoured Division's, 7th Armoured Brigade and 7th Support Group and from the independent 22nd Guards Brigade. They were organised into three groups:

Coast Group
*2nd battalion The Rifle Brigade
*Mortar support, 3rd battalion Coldstream Guards
*5th Australian Anti-tank Battery, 2/2nd Australian Anti-Tank Regiment
*8th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
22nd Guards Brigade group
*1st battalion Durham Light Infantry
*2nd battalion Scots Guards
*3rd battalion Coldstream Guards
*4th Royal Tank Regiment
*One troop, 12th Anti-Tank Battery, 2/3rd Australian Anti-tank Regiment
7th Armoured Brigade group
*A Company, 2nd battalion The Rifle Brigade
*2nd Royal Tank Regiment
*6th Australian Division Cavalry
*7th Support Group
*11th Hussars
*One troop, 12th Anti-Tank Battery, 2/3rd Australian Anti-tank Regiment

German and Italian forces

Comandante Superiore ''Generale d'Armata'' - General Italo Gariboldi

Afrika Korps - Major General Erwin Rommel
*Kampfgruppe von Herff
**Reconnaissance Battalion 3
**2nd Battalion, Panzer Regiment 5
**Motorcycle Battalion 15
**Reconnaissance Battalion 33
**One Motorised Infantry Battalion, 102nd Motorised Division Trento
**One AA Battery
**Two AA Platoons
**Two 105mm leFH Howitzer
8th Bersaglieri Regiment - Colonel
Italian Forces
*Defending the border
**Two Companies, 5th Motorised Infantry Battalion
**One Mountain Gun Battery
**One AT Battery
**Group Two, 24th artillery regiment
***One Field Gun Battery
*Defending Bardia
**2nd Battalion, 62nd Infantry Regiment
**One AT Battery
**One AA Battery

Following the British attacks General Rommel ordered the following force, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Hans Crammer, to the frontier to defeat the British.

1st Battalion, Panzer Regiment 8
One Flak battery

During the morning of May 16, Rommel ordered further forces to the frontier.

Kampfgrppe von Esebeck
*Schuetzen Regiment 200
**One battalion
*1st Battalion, Panzer Regiment 5
**Medium tank Company
*One Panzerjäger Company
*One artillery battalion