An Italian account of the Campaign

Deployment

OberKommando Afrika assigned my Corps a defensive role along the Beja-Medjez-Derda axis. Our southern flank was covered XXI Corps, who were protecting us from the British Eighth Army, whilst to the north the so-called Afrika Korps was conducting yet another one of its armoured glory rides motoring around in masses of Italian transport and leaving my brave troops immobile under the relentless African sun. Ariete was in reserve midway between Tunis and Bizerta.

For an infantry corps faced with the prospect of being assaulted by four fully mechanised divisions, defence in depth was the only solution. I prepared two lines of minefields covering firstly Medjez and secondly the Kasserine Pass. The first line was mainly dummies to slow the Americans down, but the second was real enough, and Pavia dug in deeply in front of the Pass with the Corps artillery battalion and Semoventes in support. Brescia and the Blackshirts established an outpost line covering the dummy minefields in an arc west of Medjez, and Pavia’s L33 battalion was pushed up to the front as a ‘forward detachment’ to conduct a mobile defence in front of the static positions.

Day 1

The new day was greeted by waves of American bombers flattening Medjez, and communications from our agents in Beja reporting endless columns of American tanks and trucks rolling past. The Blackshirt garrison of Medjez lost half its strength in this air raid, and hastily evacuated the town to occupy safer positions on the edge of the minefields.

To our astonishment a group of Luftwaffe Nachtjager flew overhead, evidently on a reconnaissance mission, and returned confirming that at least one US Armoured Division was heading our way in road column, preceded by light armoured vehicles. The insult! They were just trundling along expecting us to run away! This was not to be borne; whilst we may have lacked vehicles, weapons, ammunition and training, at least we had the blood of Rome in our veins! I immediately ordered our L33 battalion up the road to show them what we were made of.

As the tankettes sped up the road, our airforce made yet another surprise appearance as waves of SM79 and Do 17 bombers flew overhead on their way to Beja. Their sadly depleted numbers returned later. Our tanks made contact with the Americans halfway between Beja and Medjez and fought a spirited action, brushing aside the Stuarts and attacking the leading US armored infantry battalion. The Americans were thrown into confusion and clumsily deployed an entire Combat Command to deal with threat. The L33s then conducted a model delaying action, keeping just out of reach of the vengeful US tankers and at nightfall fell back through Medjez, having kept the Americans over 20km from the town.

10. Panzer-Division pushes forward against 1st UK Infantry Division.

Italian L33s prepare for battle.

15. Panzer-Division advances in the north.

15. Panzer-Division and 6th UK Armoured Division reconnaissance units clash.

Italian L33s attack CCA of 9th US Armored Division.

German and Italian bombers raid Beja.

US forces prepare to assault the Medjez Line.

Italian Blackshirts hold Medjez; the Italian Brescia Diviusion can be seen in the distance.

Massed US armoured forces advance.

6th UK Armoured Division under attack by 10. Panzer-Division.

Day 2

The Americans were conscious that our forces we close although they had failed to locate our defence lines the previous day, and overnight lined up two armoured divisions side by side, in combat formation, 20km west of Medjez. We were aware of vague reports from DAK that they were engaging the British 50km north of us, but we could see little sign of heavy fighting.

At dawn the Americans rolled forward. preceded by a screen of armoured cars and light tanks; meanwhile hundreds of US bombers passed overhead and obliterated our air base near Tunis, including all our surviving bombers. After a few hours the American recce troops spotted our defences and ponderously re-deployed to outflank the minefields. Our troops waited until the last moment and then put into effect the plans to pull back to Kasserine. Retreating at top speed in order to take full advantage of the poor off-road going, this enable them to keep one step ahead of the pursuing American tanks. A regiment of Blackshirts was left holding the road through Medjez, and although they took 50% losses, they prevented the Americans taking the town. The survivors even managed to fall back to the next line at nightfall. The Americans meanwhile discovered most of the minefields were dummies, having wasted hours avoiding them. Their inexperienced engineers suffered heavy losses clearing the few genuine ones, but did clear the road by nightfall.

10. Panzer-Division pins 1st UK Infantry Division whilst attacking 6th UK Armoured Division.

Day 3

Overnight all three divisions lined up side by side in the strong Kasserine position, flanked by steep hills and covered by minefields. Pavia dug in across the road itself as this was the best blocking position in the sector. To our surprise lead elements of Ariete began to arrive at Djerda, then headed east. Perhaps things weren’t going so well in the south after all.

As dawn broke the American airforce once more pulverized an airfield wiping out our Stukas and the US tanks rolled forward again, only pausing whilst their massive Corps artillery was brought up. To our dismay 4th Indian Division appeared on the southern front, pursuing the shattered remnants of 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division; however they seemed content to move to engage Ariete, so we faced the awaited the American onslaught on our tront.

US forces advance towards the Kasserine Line.

Whilst the Afrika Korps retreats, 1st UK Airborne Division captures Tamera.

Italian Blackshirts counter-attack in the hope of halting the US advance.

The US troops rolled forward through the minefields in great blocks of tanks and halftracks as our artillery tore gaps in their ranks. The vicious fighting raged for hours but eventually regiments of both Brescia and the Blackshirts succumbed and the flanks began to crumble. Pavia was left to fight to the last as the other two divisions fell back to preserve some of their strength. The Semoventes, L33s and two battalions of Blackshirts put in counterattacks, but they failed and the wrecks of our armour were left littering the plain. As Brescia fell back through the hills it was once more surprised, this time by the appearance of German recce forces in our rear. Evidently 10. Panzer-Division was on the way, racing down from the northern front after heavy fighting with the British. As night fell, our remaining two divisions formed a new front through the Carthaginian ruins North West of Djerda. Pavia fought its last battle, the infantry died where they stood denying the Kasserine Pass to the enemy, but the way was finally open for the Americans.

1st UK Infantry Division and 51st UK Tank Regiment relieve 1st UK Airborne Division.

X Corps and 10. Panzer-Division are concentrated to counter the US breakthrough.

The Italian Ariete Division holds up the advance of 4th Indian Division.

15. Panzer-Division fights and fails to defeat 1st UK Infantry Division.

Day 4

Overnight our infantry held the line as masses of German tanks and troops - including new Tiger tanks - arrived at the front. Hasty intelligence reports were exchanged and the Germans learned of the heavy losses the Americans had suffered in the hills, whilst we learned of the destruction of the British 6th Armoured Division. X Corps meanwhile assumed command of Ariete, engaged in bitter fighting east of Djerda. A welcome reinforcement was a battalion of Ferdinand SP guns, forgotten in a box file but assigned to Ariete. With the help of these massive vehicles, their offensive spirit was renewed!

The panzers swept past Brescia and the Blackshirts to take on the Americans. In preparation for the final defence, the surviving Blackshirts and 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division began marching back to Tunis, whilst Brescia began an even longer march to Bizerta. In the north the British 1st Infantry Division was inexorably forcing back 15. Panzer-Division. With the infantry sent on their way, X Corps HQ spent most of their attention on Ariete, and there were a series of bloody attacks and counter-attacks through the day in what was rapidly degenerating into a WW1 style stalemate. To the west, 10. Panzer-Division effortlessly obliterated one of the weakened US armoured divisions, and turned south to face the next. In retrospect the Americans might have been wiser to user their infantry to force the Kasserine Pass, leaving their armour intact to fight the panzers.

By the end of the day Tunis was defended by a composite division, including Luftwaffe ground staff from the shattered airfields and Brescia was well on its way to Bizerta to link up with 15. Panzer-Division. Ariete was reinforced with the X Corps artillery for one final effort and 10. Panzer-Division continued to conduct powerful counterblows against the American armour.

Day 5

Overnight Brescia managed to reach the road junction west of Bizerta and was joined by the remains of 15. Panzer-Division to form a front against the British, who by this time were leading with a brigade of 'Red Devils' supported by heavy tanks. In the south 10. Panzer-Division smashed the second US armoured division and Ariete moved forward one last time. The extra artillery finally broke 4th Indian, its leading infantry battalions were overrun, and the rest of the division loaded up onto its lorries and headed back south to rejoin Eighth Army.

The fighting died down as the Allies prepared for a final assault with their surviving three infantry divisions, but Tunis was clearly not going to fall today and the Axis commanders congratulated themselves on having staved off defeat, for this week at least.

Although we had held the Allies off, the future looked bleak. Whilst we could still muster a strong panzer division and the equivalent of a weak infantry division, the enemy had three full strength divisions available as well as their massive airforce. Having relocated my HQ to Tunis I was able to inspect the OKA supply dumps, and discovered not one round of ammunition or drop of fuel remaining. All those shiny Tigers and Ferdinands would soon have to abandoned and blown up by their crews, whilst our artillery would fall silent as they didn’t have any shells left to fire. Time to book a ticket on a submarine to La Spezia I think.

Lt General Martino Rapieri
Xth Italian Corps