and El Alamein. A railhead connected the town to Alexandria. The harbour was in length, and enclosed a small, deep-water anchorage. The coastal town was like a small Tobruk. It had been fortified in 1940 before the Italian invasion of Egypt in 1940 and was further strengthened during the build-up for Operation Crusader. It was the last coastal fortress in Allied possession. The town is located on a thin coastal plain that extends inland to an escarpment. Extending further south is a second narrow plain extending to the Sidi Hamaza escarpment. At the eastern end of this escarpment is the track. Beyond the upper escarpment lies the high desert, extending south to the Qattara Depression. The western approach to the town was mined and these minefields had been extended around the southern approach to the town but the eastern approach to the fortress had not been mined. An airfield was just inland. The coast road was the main avenue of retreat and ran through the town. German plans German planning for the battle was done when Rommel arrived. His general plan was to catch and defeat the Eighth Army in detail before the British had a chance to regroup behind a defensive line and rebuild their army with fresh formations. Having dealt their armoured forces a heavy blow at Gazala, he looked to destroy a major portion of their infantry formations by trapping them in the defensive fortress of Mersa Matruh. Rommel believed four Allied infantry divisions were in the fortress and the remnants of the British armour was to the south. He planned to use the to push the British armour aside and use the 90th Light Division to cut off the infantry at Matruh. His drive into Egypt was hampered by the actions of the Desert Air Force. His own Luftwaffe had been outstripped by his rapid advance, and there was difficulty getting fighter aircraft up over his formations. Besides harassing his motor transport, the Desert Air Force had effected the loss of General Ettore Baldassarre, commander of the Italian XX Motorised Corps, who was mortally wounded by bomb fragments in an air attack 25 June while moving between his lead columns. Baldassare had been much valued by Rommel, who noted his bravery and efficiency. reconnaissance units reached the outskirts of Mersa Matruh on the evening of 25 June. Rommel planned to attack the next day, but on