Gambier-Parry's orders were to break out to El Adem on the night of April 7. Twice during that day he had refused a summons to surrender by Rommel. At dawn on April 8 the attempted escape was made and a few sub-units actually got clear, but in the shrinking darkness, and against a mounting volume of Axis fire supporting tank attacks; the sorties withered and stopped and Gambier-Parry joined the others 'in the bag'.
Phase Two was over, but there was barely a pause before Phase Three started. Later that morning a triumphant Rommel had himself photographed in conversation with Gambier-Parry, but at the same time he also welcomed the newly arrived General von Prittwitz, whose XV Panzer Division had yet to reach the front. To him, Rommel entrusted a mixed group based on III Reconnaissance Battalion, and sent it post-haste to seize Tobruk.
Not satisfied with the partial annihilation of Wavell 's Cyrenaican army, his eyes became fixed on its remnants and beyond, deep into Egypt . But before he could go that far Tobruk had to be his - and this Wavell understood just as clearly as did Rommel
Marshall Cavendish-History Of The Second World War-Major K.J. Macksey
. . . taken with news from other theaters - the British capture of Addis Ababa and the intensified German onslaught against shipping - it means that the decisive campaigns of 1941 are now fully under way on land, on sea and in the air.
Maybe a little early for this pronouncement. Baldwin may want to revise his estimate around the end of June. And no mention of North Africa. I guess he agrees that the fight in Libya is just a diversion from the Balkan campaign.