xx 7 xx 21 xx Ariete Units British German Italian After the utter defeat of Italian arms in North Africa by the British during Sept and Oct of 1940 Hitler decided to help Mussolini hold on to what was left by sending a corps size task force The ID: 721294
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Slide1
Operation Crusader
18 Nov to 7 Dec, 1941
xx
7
xx
21
xx
Ariete
Units
British
German
ItalianSlide2
After the utter defeat of Italian arms in North Africa, by the British, during Sept and Oct of 1940, Hitler decided to help Mussolini hold on to what was left by sending a corps size task force (The
Afrika
Korps
) commanded by Erwin Rommel
Rommel was not one to sit on the defensive – In April of 1941, he defeated the British forces deployed near El
Agheila and
Bengazi –
He then moved to surround the British held port of TobrukSlide3
Archibald
Wavell, the overall commander of the British forces in The Middle East and North Africa organized two operations to relieve the siege of Tobruk
(Operation Brevity and Operation Battleaxe) – Both failed
Until
Tobruk was taken, Rommel could not move further eastward to achieve his main goal of driving the British out of Egypt and controlling the Suez CanalSlide4
Churchill
felt it was time for a new commander – He felt Wavell was tired - New ideas were needed
In July of 1941, Wavell was sent to command in India - He essentially changed places with
Claude Auchinleck, the previous commander in India
- Like Wavell, Auchinleck now had responsibility for the entire
Middle East and northern Africa
Auchinleck
Auchinleck
appointed Alan Cunningham (Victor over the Italians in Ethiopia) as head of
the new 8th Army - an unfortunate choiceCunninghamSlide5
Cunningham was coming from a theater where he had commanded a maximum of 5 infantry brigades
He knew nothing about armor operations and a large part of the British forces in the upcoming operation would be armor
In his favor, Cunningham did not follow the usual British procedure by keeping armor and infantry completely separated – He organized two corps – 30
th, containing most of the armor with a significant infantry component and 13th containing mostly infantry but with a significant armor component of Valentine and Matilda tanks
Still, he was way over his head with the size of the operation and his corps commanders had no clue about how to fight with coordinated armor, infantry, anti tank weapons (AT) and artillery Slide6
Auchinleck
was able to fend off Churchill’s unceasing demands for a new offensive - He was able to delay the offensive
until November
to absorb new equipment and train the troops for desert warfareUnfortunately, new equipment and enthusiastic troops could not make up for the incompetent commanders and obsolete tactics
Seeing all the new equipment, the troops were confident of victorySlide7
British Armor 1941-1942 - Operation Crusader
Matilda II - 40mm gun
max armor = 78 mm
Crusader II - 40 mm gun
max armor = 49 mm
Stuart - 37mm gun
max armor = 38mm
Max
Penetration 37 mm gun - 48mm of armor at 500m
Valentine II - 40 mm gun
max armor = 65mm
The U.S. lend Lease Stuart could fire canister rounds for use against
infantry – The 40mm guns on British tanks fired only solid shot to kill enemy tanks
Max penetration 40 mm gun
- 57 mm of armor at 500mSlide8
Afrika
Corps Armor - 1941
Pz-1B - two 7.92mm MGs
max armor = 13mm
Pz-IIB - 20mm gun
Max armor = 30mmpenetration = 20mm at 500m
Pz
-IIIF - 50mm gun
Max armor = 30mmpenetration = 58mm
at 500mCould also fire HE rounds
Pz
-IVE - 75mm gun
Max armor = 30mmpenetration
– HEAT AT rounds
70mmThe Pz-IV E was primarily an anti infantry weapon – firing mostly HE roundsSlide9
Italian Armor in North Africa
Autoblinda
AB 41- 20mm gun
max armor = 9mmPenetration = 20mm at 500m
L3/35
Tankette - 6.5mm MG -max armor = 13mm
M11/39 - 37mm gun
- max armor = 30mm
Penetration = 35mm at 500m
M 13/40 - 47mm gun - max armor = 30mm
Penetration = 48mm at 500m
37 and 47mm guns can fire bothHE and solid shotSlide10
British Advance to relieve
Tobruk
British - 690
tanks (plus more in reserve) - 34,000 trucksGermans - 244 tanks - Italians - 146 tanks - 10,000 trucks
The British had the advantage of numbers in armor – Troop numbers were about the same – Brits-118,000 – Axis-119,000
Assembly area
Halfaya Pass
The battle
turned into a confused melee as both sides lost control
Next mapSlide11
xx
90
xx
Ariete
x
7
xx
1 SA
x
22Gd
xx
4 IND
xx
NZ
xx
Savona
Pavia
xx
Trento
xx
Bologna
xx
Crusader - Opening Moves - 18 Nov
x
22
x
7
x
4
x
1ATB
xx
21
II
3
33
II
xx
15
13
th
Corps
30
th
Corps
22 Arm
Bde
= 163 Crusaders
7Arm
Bde
= 129 Crusaders
4 Arm
Bde
= 166 Stuarts
60 Valentines
60
Matildas
1
st
Army Tank
Bde
= Slide12
xx
90
xx
Ariete
xx
Savona
Pavia
xx
Trento
xx
Bologna
xx
Crusader - Opening Moves - 18 Nov
xx
21
II
3
33
II
xx
15
x
22
x
7
x
7
x
4
xx
1 SA
x
22Gd
xx
NZ
xx
4 IND
x
1ATB
Cunningham’s original
plan - await with massed armor at
Gabr
Saleh
for German counter attack -
Rain
masked
the advance – Germans didn’t
know Brits were
there in strengthSlide13
xx
90
xx
Ariete
xx
Savona
Pavia
xx
Trento
xx
Bologna
xx
Crusader
-
19
Nov
xx
21
II
3
33
II
xx
15
x
22
x
7
x
7
x
4
xx
1 SA
x
22Gd
xx
NZ
xx
4 IND
x
1ATB
Cunningham discarded
the original plan -
Armor dispersed -
7th to
Sidi
Rezegh
- 22 to
Bir
el
Gubi
- 4th stays at
Gabr
SalehSlide14
xx
90
xx
Ariete
xx
Savona
Pavia
xx
Trento
xx
Bologna
xx
Crusader
- 19
Nov
xx
21
II
3
33
II
xx
15
x
22
x
7
x
4
xx
1 SA
x
22Gd
xx
NZ
xx
4 IND
x
1ATB
4
th
Arm
Bde
suffered significant tank losses but 21
st
Pz
had to withdraw – Low on fuel –
Ariete
dug in – Held off 22 Arm
Bde
– 90
th
Light surrounded 7
th
Arm
Bde
at
Sidi
Rezegh
airfield
III
90
III
90
III
90
x
7Slide15
xx
Ariete
xx
Savona
Pavia
xx
Trento
xx
Bologna
xx
Crusader
- 20
Nov
xx
1 SA
x
22Gd
xx
4 IND
x
1ATB
III
90
III
90
III
90
x
7
x
7
x
22
xx
21
x
4
xx
NZ
xx
15
x
TOBF
A mixed tank and infantry force from
Tobruk
tried to open a corridor to
Sidi
Rezegh
while 15 Panzer attacked the unfortunate 4 Arm
Bde
and 13
th
Corps advanced toward
Capuzzo
- 22 Arm
Bde
recalledSlide16
xx
Ariete
Pavia
xx
Trento
xx
Bologna
xx
Crusader
- 21
Nov
xx
1 SA
x
22Gd
III
90
III
90
III
90
x
7
x
7
x
TOBF
x
22
x
4
xx
15
xx
21
xx
NZ
xx
Savona
x
1ATB
xx
4 IND
TobForce
continued to try opening a corridor to
Sidi
Rezegh
while 7 Arm
Bde
charged the two approaching
Pz
divisions with
disatrous
results
15 and 21 Panzer withdrew north to replenish ammo and fuel while 7 Arm
Bde
retreated to
Sidi
Rezegh
– 30
th
Corps ordered to
Sidi
Rezegh
while 13
th
Corps advanced to
Sidi
Azeiz
and
BardiaSlide17
xx
1 SA
xx
Ariete
Pavia
xx
Trento
xx
Bologna
xx
Crusader
- 22 Nov
x
22Gd
III
90
III
90
III
90
x
7
xx
4 IND
xx
NZ
xx
21
x
4
x
7
x
22
x
TOBF
x
NZ
NZ Division dropped off a brigade at
Sidi
Azeiz
and moved toward
Sidi
Rezegh
– Rommel ordered an all out attack on British forces at
Sidi
Rezegh
xx
15
- First Battle of
Sidi
Rezegh
Battle occurred on –
Totensonntag
(Sunday of the Dead) – Fierce battle – each side lost about 60% of their armor
x
1ATBSlide18
With the British on the ropes, Rommel made a mistake
Gen. Ludwig
Cruwell
, commander of the German armored forces, urged Rommel to pursue and destroy the decimated British armorConcerned about his own losses Rommel felt the a threat to surround the British forces would make them withdraw as it had in Brevity and Battleaxe
He could then recover much of his damaged armor and finally take Tobruk – Possession of Tobruk
was a necessity if the Germans were to move on to Alexandria
The result of Rommel’s decision was Known as the “Dash to the Wire” (Barbed wire marking the Egyptian frontier) 24 to 26 Nov – It almost workedSlide19
Pavia
xx
Trento
xx
Bologna
xx
xx
Ariete
x
22Gd
III
90
III
90
III
90
xx
4 IND
x
TOBF
x
NZ
xx
NZ
xx
21
xx
15
x
4
x
22
x
7
x
7
xx
1 SA
Rommel’s dash to the wire - 24 to 26 Nov
As Rommel heads for British rear,
Ariete
tries to join but runs into British armor –
21
Pz
brushes the 4
th
Ind
Div and heads into the British rear area –
15
Pz
heads north to try and recapture
Sidi
Azeiz
–NZ Div arrives at
Sidi
Rezegh
and occupies the airfield – Still no corridor to
Tobruk
British tank reinforcements
arrived at a rate of 40 per day
xx
2 SA
x
1ATBSlide20
Cunningham
reacted exactly as Rommel had hoped – With 21
Pz on his supply route, he panicked and wanted to withdraw
Auchinleck realized German losses had also been high – He relieved Cunningham and took over direct command of the army around Tobruk
– There would be no retreatRommel’s command vehicle was separated from 21 Pz Div – for several hours, Rommel was lost
Meanwhile, the NZ Division created a crisis at
Sidi
Rezegh – Col. Westphal used his prerogative as Rommel’s chief of staff and took command of the German forces – 15
Pz was ordered back to Sidi Rezegh
Once Rommel was back in communication, he approved
Westphal’s action and also ordered 21 Pz
back to
Sidi
Rezegh Rommel’s dash to the wire had given 30th Corps time to reorganize and absorb reinforcements – A fatal mistakeSlide21
Pavia
xx
Trento
xx
Bologna
xx
x
22Gd
III
90
III
90
xx
4 IND
x
TOBF
xx
Ariete
x
4
x
22
x
7
x
7
xx
1 SA
xx
21
xx
15
x
NZ
III
90
xx
NZ
xx
2 SA
2nd Battle of
Sidi
Rezegh
- 27 Nov to 1 Dec
German Panzer divisions were both recalled to
Sidi
Rezegh
and reclaimed the airfield but German armor losses had been so high that they could not hold against reinforced 30
th
Corps
Afrika
Korps
troops formed a screen to slow down the British advance and allow the rest of the Axis forces to escape –
Tobruk
was relieved
x
1ATBSlide22
Although badly managed in its earlier stages, Operation Crusader was a victory of sorts for the British – A victory due entirely to
Auchinleck’s courageous decision to continue the fight
British tank losses were heavy, although possession of the battle field allowed then to recover and repair all but 278 tanks (British started with 690 tanks)
The Germans and Italians were forced to retreat and left behind many repairable tanks – Combined tank losses for both Italian and German forces were 300 (They started with 390)Casualties (killed wounded and missing) were about 18,000 British, 14,000 German and 24,000 Italians
There was air activity over the battlefield, but close air support for either side was not decisive – Many actions were bombing raids in the enemy’s rear – Aircraft losses were British-300, Axis-600Slide23
Rommel
retreated
to El
Agheila to be nearer to his supply source (Tripoli) – He was followed hesitantly by the British
Halfaya Pass
Several supply convoys with replacement tanks and troops reached Tripoli shortly after Rommel reached El
Agheila
Rommel began to contemplate another offensive despite objections from the Italian supreme command
This would lead to the
Gazala
Battles and the fall of
Tobruk