Countryside of Tunisia

The countryside of Tunisia , also known under the name of battles of Tunisia , is a whole of battles of the Second world war which take place in Tunisia between the November 17th 1942 and the May 13rd 1943. They oppose the forces of the Germany Nazi and the fascistic Italy (Axe) to the allied forces made up mainly of American, Britanniques and a small number of French.

The countryside begin with German successes but the superiority of number and in armament of Allied leads finally to the complete defeat of the Germans: it results in 275.000 German prisoners of war, mainly resulting from the Afrika Korps, and Italian.

Context

The majority of the battles of North Africa have place in the east of the bases and Italian deposits of armament located in Libya. At the beginning of the War of the desert, the two camps miss supply weapons and the great battles last as much as one of the camps does not make the difference in the quantity of armament at its disposal. In 1942, the situation develops in favor of the British. The Royal Navy succeeds in dislodging the Italian fleet of the Mediterranean and thus allows the circulation of the ships coming from the United Kingdom, while the control of Malta authorizes the Royal Air Force (RAF) to prevent the supply of weapons by sea of the Italians.

With the withdrawal of the Germans following the takeover by force of Bernard Montgomery in Egypt, following the Second battle of El Alamein (November 1942), and with one 8th army (directed by Montgomery) not suffering from the lack of supply out of weapons of the first battles, the arrival of the British in Libya is nothing any more but one question of days. The Opération Torch also provides additional forces to the Allies, in the west of North Africa, which can thus trap the forces of the Axis taken out of vice between the two quotas combined on the Libyan ground. More important defensive possibilities for the Axis exist more in the west, i.e. in Tunisia. The major part of the country belongs to the Western prolongation of the Golfe of Syrte, the Western border with Algeria being defined by the assembly line of the Atlas. Nevertheless, the northern coast of “open” Tunisia east largely. However, in the south, there exists a chain of Colline S parallel at the coast, the Matmata mounts, and the only possibility of approach consists in borrowing narrow the Plaine which separates them from the sea. However, the French had built a few years before a series of defense works on a 20 kilometers broad tape and 30 kilometers length, the Ligne Mareth, in order to deal with possible Italian invasion coming from Libya.

In general, Tunisia offers a base of operations excellent and rather easy to defend. The defensive lines in north could face the arrival of the allied troops of the Torch Operation while the Mareth line makes the south very sure. Between the two only some vulnerable passages range through the mountains of the Atlas. Moreover, Tunisia offers two deep water ports, Tunis and Bizerte, located at less than 200 kilometers of Italian military bases of Sicily. The armament can be conveyed there in one night, in order to escape the monitoring from the patrols from the RAF, while the Italy-Libya way takes a good day making the operations of transport particularly vulnerable.

According to Adolf Hitler, Tunisia could hold during months even years, thus opposing the plans of Alliés in Europe.

Consolidation of the Axis

The forces of the Torch Operation, known under the name of Eastern Task force (Eastern Task force), plan to make follow their parachutings by attacks of commandos and airborne troops to Tunisia. But these plans are opposed when the local leaders of the Vichy government enter long discussions to know if they must or not support the Allies, pushing the latter to leave Garnison S of men based from one end to another of North Africa. However, even if this tactic makes it possible to establish advanced bases and of prépositionner material, no offensive however is undertaken. A rapid advanced in Tunisia would have been possible if it had been decided immediately, but it is not the case at the time. The general Dwight Eisenhower will write later: “The American operations violated all the recognized principles of war. ”

As for the French persons in charge in Tunisia, they do not manage to choose their camp and do not close the access to their airfields to any of the two camps. As of the November 10th 1942, the Italian air force sends a Escadre of 28 bombers to Tunis. Two days later, a Airlift begins, unloading more than 15.000 men and 581 tons of material, accompanied by ships transporting 176 tanks, 131 parts of Artillerie, 1152 vehicles and 13.000 tons of material. At the end of the month, these ships convoyed three German divisions of which the 10th division of Panzer S and two Italian divisions of infantry. November 12th, Walther Nehring takes the command of the Corps XC.

Attempt at allied push towards Tunis

Finally, the November 22nd, an agreement envisages the placement of the Tunisian authorities of Vichy in the combined camp, allowing the troops allied garrisons to be sent on the face. At this time, the Axis succeeded in constituting a whole body and the German forces exceed their adversaries allied on almost all the plans. The two camps meet for the first time at the Djebel Abiod the November 17th, day of the arrival of Nehring, but this last orders a humiliating retirement. British Eastern Task force continues its projection and reaches Sidi Nsir the 18 then Medjez el-Bab in the night of the 19 to the 20 and approaches El Aroussa the 23. However, the first true allied offensive starts the November 25th. The allied plan consists in boring the lines of the Axis then to separate in two columns to take Bizerte and Tunis. Once Bizerte taken, the Torch Operation would end. The first confrontations take place as of this day: Nehring orders attacks again but is withdrawn from Medjez el-Bab during the night. The Luftwaffe, charmed to have the air superiority in the sky of Tunisia, at the time when the allied planes are established on new bases in Algérie, causes serious damage among the allied columns moving towards the west during the two following days. However, an small group of tanks m3 Grant reaches the air base of Djedeida in the afternoon and manages to destroy a certain number of apparatuses on the ground before being withdrawn behind the allied lines.

Eastern Task force advances in direction of the North-East, taking the place of the forces of the Axis in retirement, whereas Nehring and its Body XC install a defensive new line with Djedeida (with only 30 kilometers of Tunis). The 78e division of the general Vivian Evelegh comes to its meeting the November 28th but they are pushed back after having lost 30 killed men and 86 facts prisoner of war. They launch one second offensive but easily lose five tanks vis-a-vis the anti-tank weapons positioned in the city. February 1st, the forces of the Axis organize a counter-attack. During four days following, they succeed in pushing back the Allies until their starting point. Finally, the December 10th, the allied units hold a defensive line in the east of Medjez el-Bab. This series of allied defeats costs the latter more than 1000 missings (prisoner of war), 73 tanks, 432 other vehicles and 70 pieces of artillery.

Consequently, the Allies start to prepare another attack and are ready to launch it at the end of December. The installation continues but slowly and leads the level of the forces allied to a total of 20.000 British, 11.800 Americans and 7000 French Free S. Of the precise information indicate approximately 25.000 combatants and 10.000 troops of service, mainly German, opposite them.

In the night of the 16 to the December 17th, a company of the 1 {{Re}} division of American infantry operates a raid on Meknassy, with 250 kilometers in the south of Tunis, and captures 21 Italians. The principal attack starts in the afternoon of the December 22nd in spite of the insufficient Pluie and air means. Units of the 1st American division and the Coldstream Guards British carry out an opening to the feet of Longstop Hill (hill located between Medjez el-Bab and Tebourba) which overhangs the valley of the Medjerda and opens the way leading to Tunis. But two days later, a German counter-attack stops this projection and, with the December 26th, the Allies withdraw line which they earlier occupied two weeks after having lost 534 men. The attempt at catch of Tunis by the Allies is thus temporarily stopped.

End of the part

The last stage to release Tunisia begins in April 1943. At this time, the German-Italian forces are confined behind a defensive line in the North-East of Tunis and seek to protect their lines armed with little hope to continue the battle very a long time. The allied forces were reconstituted, the 2nd American body positioned in north, the 1st army British in the center, and the 8th British army in south-east. While the Allies prepare their next movement, the Germans test the British center while launching an attack led by the Division Hermann Göring in the night of the 20 to the April 21st. Even if they manage to penetrate of 8 kilometers in certain points, they cannot cause of general retirement and finally join their lines. The 22, the 46e British division of infantry moves back: the losses are high on the two sides but the British advance. The following day, the entire allied face attacks and, in three days, the German lines fall.

The May 7th, the British army enters finally to Tunis and the American infantry in Bizerte. Six days later, the last attempt at resistance of the Axis in Africa is completed with the rendering of more than 275.000 prisoners of war, much of them just made from Sicily where they would have been more useful thereafter. The desperate play of the Axis delayed only inevitable result the one season can be, the American defeat with Kasserine being perhaps the best thing which arrived to them.

With North Africa now to the hands of the Allies, the efforts quickly will be devoted to the invasion of Sicily then of Italy.

Military cemeteries

Following the countryside of Tunisia, part of dead combined and German are buried in a series of military cemeteries created through the country:

Béja : 396 tombs
Carthage: 2841 soldiers fallen to the combat
Enfida: 1551 tombs
Medjez el-Bab: 3000 tombs and memorial intended for 1959 soldiers fallen to the combat
Massicault (close to Borj El Amri): 1578 tombs
Zarga Wadi: 239 tombs
Sfax: 1254 tombs
Tabarka
Thibar: 99 tombs

Borj Cédria : 8562 soldiers fallen to the combat

References

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