Auchinleck replaces General Cunningham on 25 November 1941

The British seemed to be oblivious to what was actually happening, which saved them from losing the battle. Rommel had an opportunity to hit the British rear areas where there were administrative organizations as well as "supply bases". General Auchinleck had no idea what the actual situation was on the ground, so he ordered the commanders to keep attacking. The New Zealand Division also was in position to hit Rommel's vulnerable rear areas, but didn't know they were there.
General Auchinleck was a notorious poor judge of people. He had lost confidence in General Cunningham, so he removed him and replaced him with a very bad choice, Neil Ritchie, who was promoted to Lieutenant General for his new post. General Smith, "Chief of the General Staff in the Middle East" brought Ritchie to meet Cunningham, and informed him that he was being replaced.
Most of the New Zealand Division with "most of the 1st Army Tank Brigade" were moving towards Tobruk on the Trigh Capuzzo. back on 23 November, New Zealand units and the 8th RTR had taken Point 175 from the 361st Africa Regiment. 25 November saw the 4th New Zealand Brigade pushed out enemy troops from the escarpment above the Trigh Capuzzo. They also took Zaafran. The 6th New Zealand Brigade captured the blockhouse and moved onto the edge of the Sidi Rezegh airfield. Since the British had no idea of what the real situation was, they could make plans that were at odds with reality. General Scobie, the Tobruk fortress commander, was cut off from information, although his signal intercept people were able to give him better information than his superiors had bothered to give him.
When General Scobie found that he was to cooperate with XIIIth Corps to Ed Duda and Sidi Rezegh, he ordered a group to consist of the 32nd Army Tank Brigade with the 1/Essex, to comprise all arms, to assembled during the night. General Scobie's plan was seemingly for the armored brigade to charge some seven thousand yards to Ed Duda, with an infantry battalion, and hold the place. Oddly enough, General Godwin-Austen assumed that his troops from the frontier would take the place, instead. Long messages were sent encoded, so that they had to be decoded to be read. General Godwin-Austen wanted the New Zealand Division to take Ed Duda prior to the sortie force from Tobruk would move towards the place.
In the evening, the fortress attacked strong points Butch and Wolf. The attack on Wolf was not successful until 7am on 26 November, when it was taken. There seemed to be fighting at Belhamed and beyong, towards El Adem. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Australian Official History.