frontally and the 7th Armoured Division attacked inland at Bir el Auera. The outflanking move failed with the loss of 18 tanks and the retreated behind an obstacle course of deep mine-fields and booby-traps, which slowed the pursuit. Axis supply: 1942 El Agheila is closer to Tripoli than the Egyptian frontier; the arrival of the second Italian battleship convoy on 6 January 1942 and the discovery of of fuel at Tripoli, eased the supply crisis, despite the delivery of only of supplies in January. The had room to manoeuvre and a much shorter supply line against an opponent who now had the burden of an over-extended supply line. The arrival of the in Sicily had also restored Axis air superiority in the region. Rommel asked for another but this utopian demand was rejected and Rommel was warned that an advance would cause another supply crisis. On 29 January, the recaptured Benghazi and next day ammunition supply to the front line broke down. By 13 February Rommel had agreed to stop at Gazala, from Tripoli. Until May, monthly deliveries averaged , fewer than the smaller Axis force received from June to October 1941 but sufficient for an offensive. The advance to Gazala succeeded because Benghazi was open, reducing the transport distance for about of the supplies of the to . The Italians tried to restrain Rommel by advocating the capture of Malta, which would postpone another offensive in Africa until autumn but agreed to an attack on Tobruk for late May. An advance would stop at the Egyptian frontier, another east and the Luftwaffe would redeploy for Operation Herkules. The capture of Malta would not alter the constraints of port capacity and distance; protecting convoys and a large port close to the front would still be necessary for victory. The capture of Alexandria would have made Malta irrelevant but a defensive strategy would be needed while Benghazi was extended, supplies accumulated and substantial reinforcements brought to Libya. More troops would increase the demand for supplies, which would exceed the capacities of Tripoli and Benghazi and the transport needed to move them. On 26 May, , the Battle of Gazala, began; Tobruk was captured intact on 22 June and shipping losses barely increased. Deliveries to Libya fell from , due to a fuel shortage in Italy and the supplies were unloaded at Tripoli, which made the position of the untenable. Operation Herkules