Part 3/17:
In response, Commander-in-Chief Auchinleck was called upon to decide. Cunningham, suffering from the stress of the battlefield, was leaning toward a defensive posture, wishing to withdraw and regroup. However, Auchinleck’s command philosophy was different: he believed that abandoning the offensive would cede the initiative to Rommel. With an optimistic view, Auchinleck instructed Cunningham to press on, using all available resources to destroy the enemy’s tank forces and continue the push into Cyrenaica, aiming ultimately for Tripoli.