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VICTORY IN THE DESERT 161

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“‘I want to impose on everyone that the bad times are over, they are finished! ”
GENERAL BERNARD MONTGOMERY, 1942
A key goal of Operation Torch (see pp.146–147) had been to provide
a route through Tunisia by which the Allies could attack Italy—the “soft underbelly” of the Axis, according to Churchill. In order to avoid Axis air attacks, Operation Torch had landed its forces some 500 miles (800
km) west of Tunis, and although they raced east
across Algeria as soon as they landed, the Germans acted swiftly to reinforce their positions in Tunisia. The Vichy French governor of Tunisia, Admiral Jean-Pierre Esteva, allowed German aircraft to fly in additional troops, tanks (including the new Tiger tanks), artillery pieces, and other supplies. By the beginning of 1943, around 250,000
Axis troops had arrived in Tunisia, forming a substantial force. The Germans also benefited from the close proximity of their airfields
in Sicily. Rommel’s army, consisting of German and Italian corps, in retreat after the second Battle of El Alamein (see pp.144–145), was also in Tunisia, having taken up positions on the defensive Mareth
Line—a former French colonial defensive line running 22 miles
(35
km) from the coast to the mountains. The advances that
Allied forces had made from Algeria since the Torch landings
came to an end as they reached the Eastern Dorsale (the eastern extension of the Atlas Mountains), which effectively became the front line of the conflict in Tunisia.
January 1943 saw sporadic fighting on the long front as both sides
struggled to resupply their forces. The Allies repulsed a significant Axis advance toward Kasserine in February 1943, and their attacks on the Mareth Line in March overwhelmed the Axis defenders.
The Axis armies retreated toward north-east Tunisia, finally surrendering by May 13. The war in Africa was over.
VICTORY IN THE DESERTFollowing the British victory at El Alamein to their east and the successful Allied landings
of Operation Torch in Algeria and Morocco to their west, the Axis armies were forced
to fight a defensive campaign in Tunisia. Resupplied and reinforced by air and by convoys
arriving in Tunis, they dug in and prepared for a long battle.
THE 8TH ARMYThe British 8th Army was a multinational force. In addition to the UK, units came from Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Rhodesia, Canada, Greece, and Poland, as
well as a sizeable Free French contingent—a total of more than 220,000 men. For much of its operational life in North Africa and Italy, it was led by General Bernard Montgomery.
Mar 6
After Operation
Capri fails, Rommel is forced to retreat. Mar 20
Montgomery
launches Operation Pugilist against the Mareth Line.
Mar 28
8th Army troops
capture El Hamma.
Apr 7
Operation Torch and
8th Army troops
rendezvous at El Hamma.
Mar 20–21
The Allies gain a bridgehead at Zarat.
Allied attack
Axis retreat
BREAKING THE MARETH LINE MARCH 20–28, 1943On the night of March 20, Montgomery ordered Operation Pugilist, a frontal attack on the Mareth Line combined with a second attack around the German right flank by New Zealand and Free French forces. The flanking attack forced a German withdrawal. On March 28, the 8th Army took El Hamma and the Germans were pushed 140 miles (225
km) north into the hills west of Enfidaville.
3
THE ALLIES IN TUNISIAThe campaign to take Tunisia lasted from mid-February to early May 1943. The fighting was hard, as the Axis had superior numbers and air superiority, but they were eventually forced to surrender by May 13. TIMELINE^1234 FEB 1943
MAR
APR
JUN
5
MAY
Tunisia, 1943Axis ForcesAllied Forces
KEY
Front line, May 6Mareth Line
Front line, Jan 1Front line, Feb 24Front line, Apr 21
OPERATION CAPRI
FEBRUARY 17–MARCH 10, 1943From mid-February, the British 8th Army had planned an attack on the Mareth Line. The Germans received intelligence about the plan, and on March 6 launched a spoiler attack (code named Operation Capri) on the British stronghold of Medenine. Operation Capri was repulsed with
the loss of 55 Axis tanks, and the Germans were forced to withdraw back to the Mareth Line.
2
Operation Capri
Axis retreat
US_160-161_Victory_in_desert.indd 161 16/04/19 11:21 AM