British supply problems

Now that the British forces occupied almost all of Cyrenaica in late December 1941, they were faced with major supply problems, while those of the Axis forces were reduced. Tobruk was still not in any condition to allow for large shipments. The port was still being repaired and there was sufficient danger from air attack, that shipments were more difficult than anticipated. Still, by 13 December, the RAF was at least able to provide fighter cover over Tobruk, so that shipments could be scheduled to arrive during daylight. They had hoped to use the Glenroy to transport lighters to Tobruk, but she was torpedoed by an Italian SM79 (a really good torpedo bomber) and was lucky to survive. The main threat now had become German submarines. They were still able to handle 600 tons of supplies per day at Tobruk, but the army needed more than that. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

Desert Raiders

The December 1941 equivalent of Special Forces had been tasked to harass the Axis forces. The Oasis Force had joined with the Long Range Desert Group and Special Air Service at Jalo. From there, they cut across through the desert to the northwest, headed towards Agedabia. They crossed the Wadi Faregh south of Agedabia and then turned to the northeast and followed the wadi to Giof el Matar, which they reached on 22 December 1941. Tamet airfield and Agedabia's airfield were both hit, the former being hit twice. They claimed to have destroyed between 20 and 30 aircraft, all Italian. General Godwin-Austen hoped to mount an attack, as well in late December. In the event, nothing significant was achieved. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The Axis forces withdraw further from 22 December 1941

After part of the 15th Panzer Division had driven back a column from the 22nd Guards, reinforced by the 3rd RTR, the Axis forces withdrew further. The Brescia Division seems to have performed a rearguard role while the other Italian infantry divisions went further down the road. The British plans went awry. The 22nd Armoured Brigade "ran out of petrol" after advancing to Saunnu. The 7th Support Group wasn't able to interfere with the Axis withdrawal from Benghazi. "Bencol" had started to move towards Agedabia. The Brescia Division finally withdrew after fulfilling its rearguard mission. By late on 24 December, the DAK, the Italian 20th Corps (Ariete and Trieste), and the Brescia Division were at Agedabia. Vol.III of the Official History says that this completed Rommel's successful withdrawal from the Gazala position. This account is based on that in Vol.III of the Official History.

More about the 22nd Armoured Brigade on 22 December 1941

I know a bit more about the 22nd Armoured Brigade, as it was on 21 December 1941:

22nd Armoured Brigade

composed of
3rd County of London Yeomanry
4th Country of London Yeomanry
both equipped with a total of 80 Crusader tanks
  (I would suppose about 40 Crusaders each)
2nd Royal Gloucester Hussars
equipped with 30 Stuarts, which might be
about 9 Stuarts per squadron with 3 for the HQ

This is based on information in Vol.III of the Official History

The British continued to fight dispersed in late December 1941

When we read about British operations in the last third of December 1941, we see that they commanders still insisted on dipersing the larger units into small columns of small fighting strength. To some extent, this can be excused by pointing out that the Axis forces were greatly depleted, but in fact, it was more of the same losing policies that came close to losing the North African Campaign during 1942. Generals Ritchie and Godwin-Austen continued to issue orders, directing units this way and that, having lost touch with what was actually happening on the ground. By 21 December, the 22nd Armoured Brigade, actually a component of the 1st Armoured Division, had been reborn with 80 cruiser tanks (probably mostly Crusaders) and 30 Stuarts. That formed the pattern for the first half of 1942. The armoured brigades would have mostly cruiser or medium tanks with a smaller component of Stuarts. The 4th Armoured Brigade had been withdrawn, except for the 3rd RTR. The dispersed state of British forces left them vulnerable and the 15th Panzer Division (note the unit site) attacked a company of Coldstream guards and artillery at Beda Fomm and caused them to retreat. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The Australian War Memorial site has a page about the Douglas Boston

By December 1941, the Douglas Boston was becoming increasingly important in the desert war. The Martin Marland was vanishing through attrition and the Baltimore was not ready yet, so squadrons converted to the Boston, which was being produced in numbers. The Australian War Memorial has a page on the Boston and a picture of a SAAF Boston being armed. They typically bombed at low level and high speed during daylight hours.

Axis losses

As the Axis air forces were forced to the west, the number of fields from which they could operate was sharply reduced. One effect was to jam too many aircraft onto the remaining fields. That offered good targets, of which Air Vice-Marshal Conyngham took great advantage. At Benina, alone, there were 62 German and two Italian aircraft on the field when the British arrived.

The Axis had a few successes, as 22 tanks arrived on 19 December 1941 at Benghazi for the 8th Panzer Regiment. Another 45 were lost when two Italian cargo ships were sunk on 13 December.

I was interested to read that the 7th Armoured Division had been reduced to the support group by 21 December. The 1st Armoured Division was the latest arrival, and that division replaced the much depleted 7th Armoured Division. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The RAF from 18 December 1941

Two tactical reconnaissance squadrons, No.208 and No.237 (Rhodesian), operated in support of the advance, as the Axis forces retreated west and south. There were some LR Hurricanes from No.33 Squadron operating as reconnaissance aircraft, as well. The fighters supplying air cover also doubled as reconnaissance aircraft. By 18 December, there were many fighters based at Gazala. They were able to operate from Mechili by 20 December. By 23 December, they could use the field at Msus. No.262 Wing then was able to move to Msus to take charge of fighter operations. Bombers operated by day, hitting targets far in advance of the front line, to minimize the chance of attacking friendly forces. This reduced their effectiveness in direct support of the army. Night bombing was conducted by FAA Albacores and Wellingtons, presumably from Malta. The British were running short of day bombers due to teething problems with Bostons and the small numbers remaining of Marylands, which were out of production. The remaining Blenheims were being withdrawn to be sent to the Far East. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

After the change of plans

After General Godwin-Austen realized that the Axis forces were in full retreat, he made changes in the plan. Instead of the 7th Armoured Division sending a force towards Mechili, he had them advance up the road beyond Benina to Benghazi. By 19 December 1941, "the 7th Indian Infantry Brigade had reached Derna". The brigade lost its transport for use in the rapid advance. That left the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade to advance with "reconnaissance troops". At Charruba, the 7th Support Group came upon the Italian Trieste and Ariete Division rearguards. They withdrew, and the British were having severe supply problems, leaving them low on fuel. The Support Group and Bencol (the augmented 22nd Guards Brigade) had made good progress towards Msus and Antelat. By then, the 15th Panzer Division had arrived at Beda Fomm and the 21st Panzer Division at Ghemines. Three Italian divisions were at El Abiar. Two more were at Barce and Tocra. The 90th Light Division and the Italian Bologna Division had reached Agedabia. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The 22nd Guards Brigade WAS Bencol

I had not gotten picture that in fact the 22nd Guards Brigade WAS Bencol. I had assumed that Bencol was an adhoc battlegroup (which it seems to have partly been). The majority of the force was two 22nd Guards Brigade battalions: the 3rd Coldstream Guards and the 2nd Scots Guards. Bencol was sent past Tegender, south of Mechili, and then was split between Antelat and Msus. They were eventually at Antelat by the 15th Panzer Division. The 7th Support Group eventually joined the northern group at Msus and then swept south to support the southern group at Antelat. With the Oasis Force coming northward from Jalo, the three Italian infantry divisions formed a defended position at Agedabia. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The Soviet T-28 tank

I have long been interested in the Soviet T-28 tank. With a 76.2mm gun, I would have thought that this should have been effective against many of the weaker German tanks. In the one book that I bought yesterday that covers the T-28, there is a photograph of a T-28 Model 1938 with an L-10 76.2mm gun that had a higher muzzle velocity. The L-10 was a 76.2mm L/26 gun. Wikipedia has a nice photo of a Finnish T-28, captured from the Soviet army. The Finns used seven T-28s until 1944. This Finnish page has specifications beyond what I have seen before, including armour penetration data from the shorter and longer guns. This page has a nice rear view of the T-28. This T-28 seems to have an advanced state of rust.

Some recent book acquisitions

I visited Recycled Books, a store in Denton, Texas, this afternoon. I purchased four books there and was tempted to buy a few more. This is what I bought:

John Norris, illustrated by Mike Fuller, 
  88 mm FlaK 18/36/37/41 & PaK 43 1936-45, 
  New Vanguard 46, Osprey Publishing, 2002.

David Fletcher, illustrated by Peter Sarson,
  Crusader Cruiser 1939-45,
  New Vanguard 14, Osprey Publishing, 1995, reprinted 2002.

Steve Zaloga, Peter Sarson, T-34/76 Medium Tank 1941-1945,
  New Vanguard, Osprey Military, 1994.

Steven J. Zaloga, Jim Kinnear, Andrey Aksenov, 
  and Aleksandr Koschchavtsev,
     Soviet Tanks in Combat 1941-1945: 
        The T-28, T-34, T-34/85 and T-44 Medium Tanks,
  Armor at War Series,
    Concord Publications Company, 1997.

Bencol on 18 December 1941

Vol.III of the Official History gives the composition of "Bencol":

The 11th Hussars (armoured cars)
one squadron, the 2nd Royal Gloucester Hussars (14 Stuart tanks)
51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (presumbly with 25pdr guns)

From the 22nd Guards Brigade:
3rd Coldstream Guards
2nd Scots Guards

More moves from 17 December 1941

On 17 December 1941, Rommel ordered the DAK "to move south of Benghazi and be ready to operate towards Agedabia". He sent the Italian forces to head for Benghazi. The Italian commanders were angry, but couldn't stop the movements. Rommel intended to pull back to El Agheila and Agedabia, so as to contract his supply lines and stretch the British lines, hoping to severely tax them. The relatively new 8th Army commander, General Ritchie, sent the 4th Indian Division to Lamluda and the 7th Armoured Division to Mechili. He also sent a force across country to try to get "as far to the west as possible". He wanted to send the 22nd Guards as part of an all-arms column "Bencol" to Benghazi, but it only was ready by 20 December. By 18 December, the British could see that Rommel only intended to withdraw, not fight. He gave Bencol orders to head for south of Benghazi to attempt to cut off Axis forces. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

17 December 1941

Rommel informed the vistors to North Africa, on 17 December 1941, early in the day, that he intended to defend Derna and Mechili, but if the British advanced that far, he would leave rear guards behind and withdraw from the rest of Cyrenaica. When Rommel heard that a British force was approaching Tengeder, he told General Cavallero that they needed to withdraw further back. The general disagreed, as he doubted the report, but it was real enough. The British force was from the 7th Support Group. Tengeder is about thirty miles south of Mechili. The British actually turned north from Tengeder and made for Mechili, which they reached on the 18th. Rommel was concerned that his more forward troops could be cut off by a bolder move southwest towards Agedabia. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The Italians had some hot aircraft, even in 1941

You don't think of Italy when you think of hot fighter aircraft, be even in 1941, they had some good designs. Marco Bossi has a page about the Macchi C.202 Folgore. He has some good photographs of planes, including one of a C.202 at Maruba, in Libya, in December 1941, our current time period.

15th to 18th December 1941

The High Command in Italy panicked when they realized that Rommel intended to withdraw from Cyrenaica. They sent Field-Marshall Kesselring out to assess the situation and try to influence Rommel. On 15 December 1941, Rommel made plans to withdraw from Gazala overnight between the 16th and 17th. Rommel told Kesseling and his Italian companion, General Cavallero, that the war in the Far East was likely to pull British troops out of North Africa, and they just needed to keep the German-Italian force intact until that happened. Rommel vowed to vigorously defend Tripolitania if he could withdraw immediately. They found out on the 16th that the withdrawal from Gazala had already started. The Italian infantry divisions were headed for Derna by way of Tmimi. The Italian mechanized corps and the DAK were headed for Mechili. Rommel intended to form a defensive front stretching from El Agheila south to Marada. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

13 to 16 December 1941

The Axis High Command, especially the Italians, wanted to hold onto territory as long as they could. Rommel was more interested in keeping his forces intact, as he believed that he could recapture territory later, if he could maintain a fighting force. Rommel's main difficulty was his supply line. If that could be secured, he would quickly regain lost ground. The 13th Corps commander, General Godwin-Austen, wanted to mount this grand operation to outflank and destroy the Axis forces, and wanted a fluid battle. The RAF was still moving forward, and would have trouble making itself a factor in the battle, but when they could not tell friendly from enemy forces, they would not risk attacks. In the period of 13 December to 16 December, the RAF had not dropped any bombs at all. When Rommel heard of the 4th Armoured Brigade's move forward, he planned to withdraw from the Gazala line, as he assumed that they would head for Mechili, as that was what he would have done. That caused great consternation among the Italians. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The miscalculation

The order for the 4th Armoured Brigade to move forward was made without realizing that the brigade could not be supplied in that forward of a position. As we have seen, only Robert Crisp's squadron (C Squadron, 3rd RTR) with some Royal Dragoons and other troops were able to make a small attack. Robert was severely wounded and the attempt was called off. They small force pulled back to the brigade, which was in turn, pulled back further to refuel. Because of their low fuel situation and the inability to get fuel to them, the desired attack from the west on the Gazala position never happened, other than Robert's small force. 13th Corps was in a bad position, because the 4th Indian Division had been committed, believing that the 4th Armoured Brigade attack would occur. A column from 7th Armoured Brigade was sent to Tmimi, on the road, but they were so short of fuel that they quickly had to withdraw without really accomplishing anything. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

13th Corps attacks, starting 15 December 1941

13th Corps attacked on 15 December 1941 with brigades not divisions. Gazala was actually a town near the coast and that is where the 5th New Zealand Brigade attacked the Italian Brescia Division. The Polish Carpathian Brigade, next to the south, attacked the Italian Trento and Pavia Divisions. The 5th Indian Brigade attacked the Trieste Division and the 7th Indian Brigade attacked the Ariete Division. Both were repulsed. The German 8th Panzer Regiment attacked with a small number of tanks, along with the 2nd Machine Gun Battalian and overran the 1st/The Buffs and put a thousand men in the bag. In the process, however, they lost between nine and twelve of their remaining 23 tanks. The 13th Corps commander hoped that when the 4th Armoured Brigade hit the Gazala position from the west, that they would have some success. The Official History says that they hardly attracted notice, perhaps because they were so low on fuel. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History,.

The plan to attack Gazala

The British had closed up to Gazala by 13 December 1941. The Axis forces appeared to be ready to make a stand on this position. The British plan was to outflank Gazala from the south, as Rommel feared. The 13th Corps commander was ready to fight. He wanted to use the 5th New Zealand Brigade to attack the front of the Gazala position. The Polish Carpathian Brigade would go around the southern flank and head for the coast road. The 4th Indian Division, sitting near Alem Hamza would attack to the northwest. They were located at the northern end of the fortified position. The 7th Support Group was on their left flank. The 4th Armoured Brigade would sweep wide and cut up to Bir Halegh el Eleba. A detachment of the Royal Dragoons and the 3rd RTR would attack the Gazala line from the west. This is what is described at the end of Robert Crisp's book, Brazen Chariots. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

Developments in December 1941

There were many changes happening in the situation in Cyrenaica and the larger Middle Eastern Theater. Besides Rommel being given command of the forces in Cyrenaica, which gave him 10th Corps, the Italian infantry division corps, as well as the 20th Corps, which had the Ariete and Trieste divisions. The biggest change that would occur was that more German airpower was moving to Sicily. When that island had substantial German airpower, the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean would change. Instead of the British having superiority in the air and on the sea, the balance would shift back to the Axis. Rommel expected, in the near term, that the British would outflank Gazala from the south and that he would be forced to withdraw further west. A strange feature was that Auchinleck was in one of those phases where he was concerned about a German attack down from the north, and wanted to pull the remains of 30th Corps back into reserve so as to have a way to counter such a move. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

Axis Air Transport

With the British having successfully interdicted the Axis supply lines by sea, the Germans and Italians resorted to using their transport aircraft to fly cargo to Libya. The Germans painted their Ju-52s green and black. The Official History says that made them difficult to see, when they flew low over the Mediterranean. The only suitable British fighters were the Beaufighters and there were not enough of them to really interfere with the traffic. The Axis High Command wanted to retain Benghazi and control of Western Cyrenaica. They agreed to withdraw to Gazala and to hold that position. The 90th Light Divsion was withdrawn to hold Agedabia, as that was a key place on the road, forward of El Agheila. Rommel was given command of all forces in Cyrenaica, as he had requested. There was no sense in having a divided command structure, especially when the Axis was in such dire straits. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

General Ritchie was making pretty good decisions in December 1941

From what we have seen so far from Vol.III of the Official History, my initial impression is that General Ritchie, the new 8th Army commander, was making pretty decent decisions and had a better grasp of the action than someone nominally closer to what was happening, General "Strafer" Gott, the 7th Armoured Division commander. I am sorry to say that I have a pretty negative view of General Gott, based on close scrutiny of his decision making during the Crusader Battle. In the opening days of the battle, he squandered his armoured forces by dispersing them to be defeated in detail. By the time that more serious action was joined with the Axis armoured forces, the 7th Armoured Division was not in a position to fight on an equal basis. At the start of the battle, the British were superior in numbers of tanks in their three brigades equipped with mobile tanks. That situation had quickly changed for the worse. Only the 4th Armoured Brigade, which was operating independently, was effective. The 7th Armoured Brigade was removed from the campaign at Sidi Rezegh. The 22nd Armoured Brigade was almost in the same state, but was reconstituted later in the battle.

The siege of Tobruk ended on 10 December 1941

Tobruk had been besieged by Axis forces since 11 April 1941. On 10 December, the siegde was lifted when the Italian Trento and Brescia Divisions withdrew from the west side. The original expectation was that the siege would be lifted early in the Crusader Battle. In fact, there were three weeks of combat before the Axis forces were depleted enough to be forced to withdraw. Transport had been the greatest challenge, because supplies had to be carried from the railhead, by road, to the forward forces. Simply lifting the seige was not enough to fix the supply problem, as much work would be required before the port of Tobruk would be up and receiving supplies by sea in sufficient quantity to meet the army's needs. A supply center had yet to be built up and that would take time. Still, the enemy's withdrawal from around Tobruk allowed the air forces to redeploy to fields much further forward, which extend British air superiority over the new battlefield. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The Axis withdrawal, starting 7 December 1941

The Official History says that the Axis rearguard operations were effective, because the British forces never seriously interfered with the Axis withdrawal to the Gazala line. On the night of 7 December 1941, "two battalions of the 2rd Infantry Brigade (Brigadier C.H.V. Cox) and a few tanks broke out of the western face of the El Duda salient and advanced almost as far as the Tobruk-El Adem road". By the next morning, the Axis forces were obviously pulling out of locations such as Bir el Gubi. The 7th Armoured Division was ordered to advance to what later was called Knightsbridge "twelve miles south of Acroma". Wikipedia has a good overall map of the area that lists most important locations. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

Early on 7 December 1941

From the British perspective, 7 December 1941 (the day that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and brought the Americans into the war) was frustrating. The British had hoped to advance and take territory from the Axis forces. 30th Corps was to advance to El Adem from their current location at El Duda. 13th Corps, with the 2nd South African Division, was going to clean up pockets of Axis forces from Tobruk to Bardia. The RAF needed forward airbases, so these became a priority. Rommel's delaying tactics worked so well that "General Gott even began to think that the enemy was being reinforced". The Official History indicates that General Ritchie had a better view of the situation. He believed that Rommel was hitting them before withdrawing. They could afford to wait for the withdrawal and then occupy the territory he left for them. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

7 December 1941

After a bad day on 6 December 1941, Rommel visited General Crüwell at DAK HQ. The General pointed out the danger from the British forces to their south and that the Axis forces were low on supplies. The British were stronger on the ground and still had air superiority, which made movement difficult. Rommel made the decision to withdraw to the previously prepared Gazala line. Gazala had been built as a defensive position, facing east, as long ago as May 1941, when they realized that Tobruk was not going to be easily reduced. The plan was to withdraw four Italian infantry divisions into the position. The Italian mobile corps would be positioned to protect the south end. The Afrika Korps would be to their southwest. Meanwhile, General Ritchie had ordered General Norrie to advance, finally. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

5 to 7 December 1941

By late on 5 December 1941, the Axis situation had deteriorated further, mostly due to the lack of supplies and reinforcements. The only hope for the troops on the frontier was to withdraw to Bardia and then hope for rescue by sea. There was an apparent danger that the British would be able to outflank the entire force from the south. Action on 6 December left the 15th Panzer Division commander dead and the forces in further disarray. It had been the 22nd Guards Brigade that fought the 15th Panzer. General Ritchie had told his 30th Corps commander, General Norrie to leave Bir el Gubi alone and push to the northwest, rather than use the 4th Indian Divsion at Bir el Gubi. That was the right move, as the Germans were concerned about just such a move and it would cause them to withdraw further west. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The Luftwaffe intervenes around Bir el Gubi

The battle around Bir el Gubi on 5 December 1941 brought out the German Luftwaffe in force. The British forces to the south seemed a great enough threat that something needed to be done to save the Axis position. "Large formations of escorted dive-bombers made frequent attacks", according to the Official History. British fighters were overhead, providing cover, and these caused enough problems for the attackers, that only German fighters were used, after the initial encounters. The Luftwaffe was equipped with Me-109F fighters, which were superior to what the British were using at the time. The RAF lacked any Spitfire V's to combat the German fighter. The British countered at night with Wellington and Fairey Albacores, which were bombing the German forces moving south. During the day, they used Martin Marylands, starting to be supplanted by Douglas Bostons. Maryland production had ceased and numbers were declining. The eventual replacement was to be the Baltimore, but these were not arriving at this stage. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

4 and 5 December 1941

On 4 December, when his forces were blocked at El Duda, Rommel decided to hit British forces near Bir El Gubi, instead. They posed a serious threat, as his forces could be outflanked by an attack from Bir El Gubi. He decided to send the panzer divisions and the Italian mechanized divisions (Ariete and Trieste) to hit the British at this spot. The Axis forces would attack on 5 December 1941. The plan fell apart from the beginning. The Italian divisions never arrived, as the Ariete was held up by the 7th Support Group while the Trieste Division never moved from where they were sitting. Only the 8th Panzer Regiment and infantry had any success. They had overrun part of the 11th Indian Infantry Brigade, but could make no further progress. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

Near Bir El Gubi on 3 December 1941 and the next moves

Rommel's move to the frontier had pinned down the 4th Armour Brigade, keeping them out of the action near Bir El Gubi on 3 December 1941. A force comprised of the 11th Indian Infantry Brigade, 16 infantry tanks from the 8th RTR, the 7th Medium Regiment RA, some of the 51st Field Regiment RA, and one battery from the 73rd Anti-Tank Regiment were sent against a position about six miles northwest of Bir El Gubi. The operation was commanded by Brigadier Anderson, the 11th Indian Brigade commander. He decided to make a night march and attack at first light from the west. They made the attack and captured part of the position. A second attack on 5 December failed to take the remainder of the position. Early on 4 December, the Germans attacked El Duda, but that position held. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History

Another failed rescue attempt

Prior to losing his tactical signals intelligence unit, in the fall of 1942, Rommel was able to keep abreast of British plans, due to poor communications practices. Rommel knew, then, that General Godwin-Austen would not attack before 3 December 1941. Because Rommel kept hoping to rescue his troops trapped at the frontier, he plotted to send two columns to the east, prior to any British attack. The Germans didn't have any available tanks, so Rommel decided to send two columns, each with an infantry battalion, anti-tank guns, and field artillery. General Crüwell opposed the move, but Rommel persisted. The move was helped by bad weather until the 3rd that kept aircraft grounded. By 3 December, aircraft were able to fly and found the two columns. One was caught by the 5th New Zealand Brigade, about ten miles west of Bardia, and was all but annihilated. The other fought an action with troops from the 4th Indian Division. The Germans were going to try again on 4 December and also decided to attack El Duda, as it blocked the "Tobruk bypass road". This is base on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

There seems to be some effort in Britain to publicize the Slapton Sands disaster in 1944

When I was sitting in Garfunkel's restaurant, at London Gatwick Airport, on the way back from Amsterdam, I talked with a couple from Plymouth, England. When the husband heard that I wrote about history, he asked me if I knew about the incident at Slapton Sands, during a practice for the Normandy invasion, in early 1944. I had not heard of it, as the cover-up has been very effective. There seems to be a concerted effort to publicize the disaster (for that was what it was). Marion Hoffman has a page about the incident.

More Rommel vs. British

Rommel relished the fluid battle while Bernard Law Montgomery hated and feared them. He preferred set-piece battles where every aspect was under his control. Rommel had discovered the advantages of infiltration over the set-piece or frontal attack on the Italian front in the Great War. He cut his teeth and built his reputation there. He also set his pattern for war-fighting. Because Rommel commanded from the front, largely, in Cyrenaica, he was much more aware of what was happening in battle than his British counterparts who commanded from headquarters in the rear. The British commanders who beat the Italians in 1940 and into 1941 followed this style, as well. Richard O'Connor, and his commanders thrived in the mobile, fast-moving battle. They readily beat the Italians, who were tied to the coast road and were mostly formed from marching infantry divisions. The war might have progressed considerably better for the British if Richard O'Connor's health hadn't failed and then he hadn't been put into the bag in early 1941.

The British 20pdr gun

I believe that the Centurion tank prototype was armed with the 76.2mm "17pdr" gun. What was really desired was a more potent gun. That gun was the British equivalent of the German 88mm L71, the 20pdr gun. This gun had an 83.4mm bore. With such as gun, the Centurion was the equal of any opponent in the late 1940's and into the 1950's. The 20pdr gun was made obsolete by the need to counter the ever larger Soviet guns. The AFV Club has a model of the Centurion with the 20pdr gun. The Centurion was the first really general-purpose British tank, and was very widely used, because of its quality.

Rommel was a high-stakes gambler

Rommel functioned by taking risks in exchange for occasional big wins. In December 1941 to January 1942, he pulled his forces back to Agedabia and then to El Agheila, almost to Tripolitania. Wikipedia has a nice map of the locale of the Crusader Battle. By giving up territory, Rommel was able to largely preserve his force, except for the troops trapped on the Libyan-Egyptian frontier. The Axis supply lines were greatly shortened, while the British were stretched. Rommel was able to build strength fast enough that Rommel was able to push them back to the Gazala line by February 1942. Both sides rested and re-equipped and built strength. The British brought in new tanks, primarily the American-built Grants and Lees. The Germans received a very few of the new "specials", Pzkw IIIs with the 50mm L60 gun. The next battle would be fought on the Gazala line. That battle almost lost the campaign for the British, and would have if General Auchinleck had not intervened again.

Lessons of the Crusader Battle

Vol.III of the Official History argues that the lessons of the Crusader Battle were that the RAF and the best-trained British units were the equal of the Germans. I can believe that was true. Prior to being expended in Greece and Crete, the British pre-war units still in service in late 1940 and early 1941 ran over the Italian infantry units. Only the elite forces, such as the Ariete Armoured Division and Trieste Motorized Division were any where near the level of the best British and Commonwealth troops. What the first two weeks of the Crusader Battle also showed was that the British generals commanding in the desert war were inferior to their German counterparts. Only General Auchinleck, of the senior commanders present in late 1941 and into 1942 could match wits successfully with Rommel. Not only was the problem at the level of the Lt-Generals, but even some of the division commanders, such as General Gott, were not up to the standard needed. I do not like what I know about Bernard Law Montgomery, but he was at least able to fight the Germans and win, if he had sufficient military strength. Men, such as Alan Cunningham, Neil Ritchie, and their corps commanders, could not compete with Rommel and his men. They continually made what I would call "rookie errors", such as committing forces piecemeal, where they could be defeated in detail.

Other reinforcements under way in December 1941

Some of this will repeat what I had previously written, but I want to give the total picture in one place for what reinforcements were being sent to Cyrenaica in early December 1941:

From the 1st Armoured Division at Suez:
12th Lancers (armoured cars) and division artillery
2nd Armoured Brigade (60 Stuarts and 106 Crusaders)

The Royal Dragoons (armoured cars) from Syria
38th Indian Infantry Brigade (newly formed) from Egypt
150th Infantry Brigade from Cypress
50th Divsion Reconnaissance Battlion 
  (formerly the 4th Royal Northumberland Fusiliers)

The latter two units were in reserve, to be located at Maaten Baggush.
This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The British plan in December 1941

General Ritchie, now 8th Army commander, started December 1941 with a plan. He wanted 30th Corps to capture El Adem, which seemed like a critical point for the Axis forces. 30th Corps would have the 7th Armoured Division, 22nd Guards Brigade, 1st South African Division, and the 4th Indian Division, when it was available. The 2nd South African Division would relieve the 4th Indian Division so that it could move forward to western Cyrenaica. To begin with, only the 11th Indian Brigade was ready to participate. 13th Corps would hold Tobruk and the newly won ground. General Ritchie gave General Godwin-Austen the freedom to withdraw back into the fortress, if he needed to do so to keep his forces intact. Of the New Zealand Division, only the 5th New Zealand Brigade would participate, under the command of the 2nd South African Division. The remainder would "refit at Maaten Baggush". On 1 December, "General Auchinleck arrived at 8th Army Headquarters to be at hand if needed". This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

December 1941: more British reinforcements

While the Germans and Italians were in desperate straits in early December 1941, the British were receiving significant reinforcements, as well as replacements. The 1st Armoured Division had arrived the Suez area in November, and had started to disembark. The armoured car regiment, the 12th Lancers, as well as the division artillery, were sent forward immediately. The 22nd Armoured Brigade had arrived earlier. The 1st Armoured Division still followed the old two armoured brigade organization. The 2nd Armoured Brigade also followed a new pattern, as it had Stuart regiment and two Crusader units (60 Stuarts and 106 Crusaders). This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The British Official History takes a jibe at Rommel

The British Official History, on page 71 of Volume III, takes a cut a Rommel, saying "it is unlikely that this would have happened if General Crüwell had been given a clear task and left to carry it out". This refers to what has been called "The Dash to the Wire", when Rommel attempted to panic the British and win the Crusader Battle. The Official History ignores the fact that it was working as designed, until General Auchinleck intervened and would not allow a withdrawal. In fact, with the Afrika Korps away from the decisive battle zone around Sidi Rezegh, the British situation had dramatically improved, with the siege of Tobruk broken. Rommel still managed to stampede the British supply troops and rear, and had panicked General Cunningham. Auchinleck could take no more and intervened, saving the battle.

Early December 1941

Early December 1941 saw the Axis forces still strongly positioned near Sidi Rezegh airfield. Tobruk had been cut off from ground communication, after the siege had been briefly broken. The Germans had generally committed their forces in such a way as to be give their troops the best possible chance of success, except in Rommel's abortive "dash to the wire". The planned big armoured battle where British armoured formations would fight the decisive battle with the Axis armoured forces never happened, as the British forces were dispersed and expended piecemeal. The British commanders who succeeded General O'Connor, besides General Auchinleck, lacked the knowledge of how to fight this sort of battle. They also had lost their artillery superiority. The 25pdr gun-howitzer was the most effective British weapon against German tanks, but they had taken losses and had scattered their artillery units across the desert. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

As we have mentioned, the Axis was having great difficulty keeping Rommel's army supplied in late 1941

The RAF and British submarines were making life very difficult for Rommel's army. In the beginning of December, small freighters were still able to bring some fuel and ammunition into Benghazi. The army was just a short distance to the east, so transport forward to the troops was less of an issue. The RAF was based far enough forward that they were able to make movements into Benghazi increasingly difficult. For November, only one third of the needed 120,000 tons of supplies had reached North Africa. Malta was also a big factor in the success against the Axis supply lines. Wellingtons from Malta and Egypt made a major effort on the nights from 28 November to 1 December to hit the port at Benghazi with their 4,000 pound bomb loads. The situation had progressed to the point where the British were able to resupply and re-equip, while the Axis were not even able to supply their needs, much less rebuild their units. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

General Ritchie hoped to use the New Zealand Division and 4th Indian Division in a new offensive

British command of the sea lanes, in support of Operation Crusader meant that Axis forces were unable to quickly recover from their losses in Crusader. In contrast, the 5th New Zealand Brigade was quickly reconstituted and was used to contain Axis forces in Bardia. The 4th Indian Division was busy taking the Italian Sidi Omar. Reinforcements in the form of the 2nd South African Division were being sent forward to free up the New Zealand Division and 4th Indian Division for use in a new offensive. In contrast, Rommel had to contend with a visiting General Bastico, who had finally come forward to see for himself what had happened, since Rommel had not seen fit to inform him of developments. At least, General Bastico agreed that they needed to ask for reinforcements to be sent and to ask for permission to use ports in Tunisia which were thought to have lower risk of attack by British sea control forces. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

Changes on 1 December 1941

Not only did the New Zealand Division withdraw to the Egyptian frontier, but the 1st South African Division moved back to Taieb el Esem. The 13th Corps Commander, General Godwin-Austen had grown uneasy about holding El Duda, but Lt-Col. Nichols, the 1st Essex Regiment commander, told him that the position was "growing stronger every hour". The 70th Division commander, General Scobie, commended the colonel: "Well done, I admire your spirit". Too often, in the Crusader Battle, we saw timidity and readiness to withdraw. On the frontier between Egypt and Libya, the remaining Axis pockets were either eliminated or at least contained. Much of this was being done by 4th Indian Division troops. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

British airpower in support of the army in early December 1941

By late November and early December 1941, the weather was less than ideal for air operations. There was considerable support, though, at this critical time. They benefited, though, from the restricted battle area near Tobruk. Air reconnaissance was able keep track of the battle and Axis movements. They saw the Trieste Motorized Division moving up to support the German battlegroup Mickl. Light bombers, escorted by fighters, much of the time, were able to make planned strikes. A sortie was one aircraft on one operation. A 1,029 sorties were flown in four days. This was independent of the "offensive sweeps" flown over the battlefield. For example, RAF Beaufighters made repeated low-level strikes on Axis airfields near the battle zone. A critical development involved the New Zealand Division, which was able to disengage and move to the east. They eventually were able to withdraw "back to the Egyptian frontier". The 1st Army Tank brigade with its ten remaining infantry tanks withdrew with the New Zealanders. A few New Zealand units withdrew into the Tobruk fortress area. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The Ariete Division

The Italian Ariete Armoured Division was the best of the Italian units to serve in North Africa. We have seen in late November and early December 1941 that repeatedly, the Ariete achieved various successes over British and Commonwealth forces. That was despite having the obsolescent M13/40 tank, in the process of being superceded by the somewhat better M14/41 tank, which was better protected and had a more powerful diesel engine. Apparently, the M14/41 designation was not official, and simply referred to a late production M13/40. The Italian tank gun, the 47/32, was a medium velocity piece that fired a 3.25 pound shot or shell. With a direct impact, the 47/32 could penetrate 48mm at 400 yards. At the beginning of the Crusader Battle, the Ariete had 146 M13/40 tanks. Altogether, about 1,960 M13/40's were produced. Of these, 250 were delivered in 1940. There is a nice M13/40 at what is now called The Tank Museum at Bovington, Dorset. There is a Wikipedia page that leaves something to be desired.

The events of late November and the beginning of December 1941 drove the New Zealand Division from the battle

We might recall Robert Crisp's account of meeting Bernard Freyberg near the Sidi Rezegh airfield, as recounted in Brazen Chariots. By 1 December 1941, the New Zealand Division, under General Freyberg's command, just wanted to survive. Every divisional formation in the Crusader Battle had been committed piecemeal and had their strength dissapated in haphazard battles, mostly initiated by General Gott. General Gott seems to have had a near fatal tendency to distribute any units that he could into small groups, of battalion size or smaller, if he could. General Norrie, the 30th Corps commander, is harder to judge, as he seems to have had less control over what was happening than Gott. The new 8th Army commander, General Ritchie, seems to have had an incomplete view of the situation near Tobruk, so anything he ordered was liable to be problematic. By the afternoon of 1 December, General Freyberg had decided that the New Zealand Division was spent and should be withdrawn to refit. He got General Norrie's approval, and General Ritchie later agreed, when he was informed, after the fact. This is based, in part, on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The situation on 1 December 1941 was getting very bad for the New Zealand Division

Early on 1 December 1941, the Germans attacked near Belhamed, with the intent to keep the New Zealanders out of Tobruk, so that they could be destroyed. The 4th NZ Brigade was there, and fought well, but had lost the 20th NZ Battalion. That divided the New Zealand Division. The next victim seemed to be the 6th NZ Brigade. They could see the 4th Armoured Brigade arriving from the south. They had the 5th RTR and the 8th RTR, since the 3rd RTR had been used elsewhere. "The remains of the 6th New Zealand Brigade" was located north of Sidi Rezegh. The commander of the 5th RTR contacted the NZ brigade commander at about the time that an order arrived from General Gott, instructing the New Zealanders to withdraw. The British had expected the New Zealanders to withdraw to the south, with them, but they made off towards the rest of the division. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The 1st South African Brigade finally moved

The solution for getting Brigadier Pienaar's 1st South African Brigade to move into danger was for the 30 Corps commander, General Norrie, to personally lead them. The South Africans cautiously moved to the northeast, to Sciafsciuf. They were protected by the 4th Armoured Brigade, which now included the remaining tanks from the depleted 22nd Armoured Brigade, which had been perviously squandered. The British commanders wanted to take Point 175 with the South Africans, but they had not been close enough to do so, as of 1 December 1941. They had managed to reduce the Ariete Division by 19 light and medium tanks, while moving towards Point 175. The 13th Corps commander, General Godwin-Austen, was getting increasingly nervous, and told the 8th Army commander that he thought that the remains of 13th Corps should move into the Tobruk fortress area, to prevent further losses. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

Dan Pienaar was just following his government's orders

After the various disasters caused by either careless or incompetent British commanders, the Commonwealth countries had become very wary. I would say that they had every right to be concerned about what might happen to their troops, when the British commanders seemed to have lost their senses. Dan Pienaar's seeming intransigence or even disobedience must be put into perspective. On 23 November, the 5th South African Brigade had been expended to little result. The 22nd Armoured Brigade, also in the fight, had been reduced to something like 20 Crusaders. By late November, the British were very sensitive to Commonwealth concerns, and they had wanted to support the New Zealand Division by sending the 1st South African Brigade to Point 175. Much of the fighting in late November was to prevent another disaster, this time to the New Zealanders. As it was, they had lost a field hospital and an infantry brigade, which had been bagged by the Ariete Division.

The situation near Sidi Rezegh on 29 and 30 November 1941

The Official History confirms that Dan Pienaar was concerned that the 1st South African Brigade might be left to be overrun, as had the 5th Brigade "six days before". The only excuse for the commanders was that in reality, which no one in the British side knew, the 15th Panzer Division had already passed and the 21st Panzer Division was reduced to about 20 tanks. Of course, the remains of the 7th Armoured Division was scattered on many wild goose chases. If the British had fought concentrated the way the Germans did, they might have been in a better position to protect the infantry near Tobruk. The real danger was from the Ariete Divsion, which had already had one success, eliminating one infantry brigade. By early on 30 November, German air reconnaissance had found that "fresh British forces were collecting to the south". Rommel was very eager to wipe out the New Zealand Division before any reinforcements could intervene. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

British generals

Thinking about Dan Pienaar and the South African government's concerns about the course of the Crusader Battle in late 1941 had me thinking again about my assessment of British generals. I now think that Claude Auchinleck was not a particularly effective theater commander, but he was a good army commander. He won two battles: the Operation Crusader and the First Battle of El Alamein. His appointments, as theater commander were almost uniformly disastrous. The strange thing was that his appointments were generally solid men, who were successful in other contexts. They just seemed to become incompetent when placed in command in the desert, with mechanized forces. The best general to command for the British in North Africa was Richard O'Connor, who vanguished the Italians, prior to the arrival of Rommel in early 1941. His health failed by early 1941, so even if he had not been captured, he would have been less effective as army commander. The second best army commander for the British was Bernard Law Montgomery. As much as I dislike him, he was able to not lose battles at a time when the British needed desperately to win. He was too conservative and lacked a tactical flair, but it didn't matter.

Later on 29 November 1941

El Duda is located to the southeast of Tobruk, about 15 miles away. The 15th Panzer Division attacked there, starting at about 2pm. They had taken one end of the postion by 6:30pm. There were British, Australians, and New Zealanders holding the place. There was the 1st Essex Regiment, which lost almost two companies in the attack. Nearby were the 2/13th Australian Battalion and the 1st RHA, which were able to repel Axis infantry attacks. There were two Royal Artillery Regiments in support: the 104th and 107th. A counter attack by 11 infantry tanks from the 4th RTR, with two Australian infantry companies "and regained all the lost ground". The Germans had intended to use the 8th Panzer Regiment of the 15th Panzer Division to recover El Duda, but they were mistakenly withdrawn on El Adem. When General Ritchie and others had tried to get Brigadier Dan Pienaar to bring the 1st South African Brigade up to support the New Zealanders, he resisted, as he was apparently concerned about being expended the way that the New Zealanders had been so casually lost. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The RASC comes through on 29 November 1941

The RASC performed extremely well on 29 November 1941, in large part due to the leadership of Brigadier Clifton, the "Chief Engineer of the 30th Corps". A large convoy gathered "near Fort Maddalena". There were more than 250 lorries in the convoy. They had been loaded at the "No. 62 Field Maintenance Centre". Brigadier Clifton, who was a New Zealander, had led the convoy, which included some Stuart tanks and which was escorted by South African armoured cars, for about forty miles to resupply the New Zealand division. The Stuarts were for the 4th Armoured Brigade. The convoy moved down the escarpment to a position near the Trigh Cappuzo. Sadly, the brigade that received the supplies was later overrun by Ariete Division tanks. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

Some disasters on 28 and 29 November 1941

Late on 28 November 1941, Rommel had made plans to attempt to stop the forces that were moving to relieve Tobruk. The Axis forces would gather "to the north of Belhamed and strike west and south-west". Rommel changed plans almost immediately to try to prevent a breakout from Tobruk. General Crüwell decided that changing the orders would be a mistake and wanted to meet with the division commanders. Before that could happen, General von Ravenstein had blundered into the 21st New Zealand Battalion's position and was captured. There was an immediate shuffle, so that General Böttcher took over the 21st Panzer Division "and Colonel Mickl took over the Böttcher Group". Late on 29 November, the Ariete Division broke into the 6th New Zealand Brigade and took them prisoner. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

Travel

I am afraid that my blogging has been negatively impacted by traveling in the Netherlands. I had a combination of problems, plus two long days, that left me without time to write. I hope to remedy that today (Wednesday, in Amsterdam).

I think that it is odd that I have not been able to find a photograph of Robert Crisp online

Since Robert Crisp was such a prominent cricket fast-blowler, I had expected to find a photograph of him on a cricket-related site. If not there, I thought that he might show up somewhere else. I was wrong. I will keep looking, as some of his friends are shown in photographs from the 1930's and 1940's.

We saw the attempt to rectify the situation near Sidi Rezegh on 28 November 1941

The situation near Sidi Rezegh, on 28 November 1941, was rapidly deteriorating. The army commander had tried to aid the New Zealand division by sending the 1st SA Brigade, under Brigadiier Pienaar, to their aid. Instead, the South Africans, for reasons we don't understand, stopped halfway to their objective for the night. The Support Group was supposed to try to stop the Ariete Armoured Division from closing to the area, but the 15th Panzer Division commander desired their presence at the battle. The situation had deteriorated to the point that the 13th Corps HQ and "the rear H.Q." of the New Zealand Division entered Tobruk for protection. General Freyberg, was still outside, where Robert Crisp had met him. The support group had been greatly reduced in strength. By this date, they only had a single motorized infantry battalion, the 4th RHA, without C Battery, with just 12 25pdr guns, the 60th Field Regiment, with 14 25pdr guns, and the 203rd Field Battery, with just 7 guns. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

November 27 and 28, 1941, near Sidi Rezegh

I am back to the Official History, for now. From the German war diaries, we know that the 15th Panzer Division had moved through the night of 27 to 28 November, 1941, to position themselves at a critical location on the escarpment, near Sidi Rezegh. General Ritchie, now 8th Army commander, had previously ordered the 4th and 22nd Armoured Brigades from trying to prevent just such a thing. General Gott, 7th Armoured Division commander, had heard the report from the King's Dragoon Guards about the "enemy force" being on the escarpment "near Bir Sciafsciuf". Gott had ordered the Support Group to try to keep the Ariete Division away from the scene. Early on 28 November, complete cloud cover prevented RAF intervention in the battle. Later on the 28th, the 15th Panzer Division moved west. This was after the British armoured brigades had been ordered to protect Dan Pienaar's 1st SA Brigade. When the 15th Panzer Division moved towards Sidi Rezegh, they overran a New Zealand medical personel and wounded troops, including Bernard Kippenberger, who later became famous. The Germans bagged over 1,000 New Zealander patients and medical staff. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The Royal Gloucester Hussars

I found this document that gives some useful information about the Royal Gloucester Hussars. Be aware that this is a Word document. Apparently by 1930, the RGH was reduced two three squadrons equipped with Peerless armoured cars. These were later replaced by Rolls Royce armoured cars. They regained their name, the Royal Gloucester Hussars, by 1938, and by 1939, were split into the 1st and 2nd RGH. The 1st RGH was kept in England for training, but the 2nd RGH went to North Africa, in 1941, with the 22nd Armoured Brigade. They lost "30 of its 52" Crusader tanks at Sidi Rezegh, on 19 November 1941. They were withdrawn and re-equipped with "inferior" Stuart tanks. They then joined the advance to Agedabia, which was quickly retaken by the Germans.

Gaming the war in North Africa

My favorite wargaming topic is using miniatures to game the war in North Africa. I combine them with a map, so that we can use the map for the larger scale movement. When you come in contact, you go to the table top or floor to fight with miniatures. To make it work, you need to concoct an OOB and order of arrival and departure. You need to have replacement tanks, guns, armoured cars, and other vehicles arriving, as well. We also provided a way to repair knocked out tanks and return them to action. I may eventually publish something derived from our experience gaming the North African campaign. If you don't mind making some major compromises, you can just use something as crude as Afrikakorps, from Avalon Hill. Just use standard OOBs for units and accept that it is not going to be accurate. You still know general unit sizes and numbers of vehicles. We found that a 1:4 ratio between what we used in the game with what the units actually had for armoured vehicles and guns worked quite nicely. That way, a British field artillery unit with 24-25 pounders would have 6 guns in the game. You would at least give then quad gun tractors for the six guns. If you wanted to add to that, you could, but we were busy making compromises and didn't use any more than that. An armoured regiment or battalion would have 52 tanks in real life. We gave them 13: 1 command tank and three squadrons with 4 tanks each. You can get the idea. We really did bad things and didn't really use infantry. For infantry units, they just had vehicles and guns! You can use infantry, if you want to do the right thing. Anyway, that is some quick advice.

Back to the Official History: 27 November 1941

We are now back in the Official History, starting at 27 November 1941. The 7th Armoured Division Support Group had been broken up into "Jock columns", after sustaining serious losses. Early on 27 November, General Gott had ordered the 22nd and 4th Armoured Brigades to head for a column moving towards Gasr el Arid. The 22nd Armoured Brigade was to get in front of the enemy column while the 4th Armoured Brigade hit the flank. Sadly, the action lacked coordination between the brigades. The "column" they attacked was actually the 15th Panzer Division with about 50 tanks. Of the attackers, the 22nd Armoured Brigade had 45 Crusaders while the 4th Armoured Brigade had 77 Stuarts. The Germans responded to the attack by putting their anti-tank guns out front, backed by the divisional artillery. Concurrently, RAF medium bombers attacked. The King's Dragoon Guards reported seeing German losses from the bombing. British artillery had effectively been engaged. The 4th Armoured Brigade group had two batteries of the 2nd RHA, and the 102nd Northumberland Hussars Anti-Tank Regiment RHA (without one battery). The 22nd Armoured Brigade had C Battery, 4th RHA and D Battery, 102nd (N.H.) Anti-Tank Regiment, RHA. This is based on the account in Vol.III of the Official History.

The end of Brazen Chariots

We are finally at the end of Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots. The benefit to me is that I have read the book much more carefully than I ever have previously done. Robert Crisp ends, saying that he had a long gap in his memory, from when he was at the Tobruk hospital, in the midst of the chaos. He eventually ended up in a hospital, which actually had female nurses, "between Fayid and Geneifa on the edge of the Great Bitter Lake". The nurses were interested in the Fleet Air Arm pilots who were convalescing, but whose boisterous voices jarred Robert's injured head. At least, a male nurse got him the "blue ointment" needed to remove the crabs. There was a specialist there, Professor Smith, from Edinburgh, who was puzzled that Robert had complained that his big toe hurt (from his brain injury). The good professor, who saved Robert's life, gave Robert a lecture on needing him to want to live. Robert, of course, very much wanted to live. He did want to be left alone, though, when he was feeling badly. Eventually, Robert had developed an infection in his mastoid, and Professor Smith needed to operate on him. When they took him into the operating room, the nurse "reassuringly" asked him for his next of kin information. The book ends with that incident. This is based on Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

At the Tobruk Hospital

Robert Crisp says that the Tobruk Hospital was in dire straits. They had too many men to treat for the available facilities. Robert was laid on a stone floor, until someone died. He was then lifted onto the bed that was still warm. The next morning, two senior medical officers checked him over and decided that they needed to put a tube into his head wound, so it could drain. They hoped to send him back to Alexandria on a hospital ship. While they were recording Robert's "name and number", a young man who was waiting died. They made sure that he was dead and then removed his body. There was a long line of men waiting for an X-ray. When he was returned to the hospital ward, there were many new wounded men on the floor, waiting for treatment. The nights were punctuated by bomber attacks and AA fire. They were primarily 40mm Bofors guns. There were also some heavier guns that opened up when they were attacked by Stukas. One man broke and went wild, fighting some imaginery enemy. The orderly saw him and immediately went for help. They restrained the man and he was removed. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

"Jago"

In Robert Crisp's book, he described how they would use the radio callsign "Jago" (I may be misunderstanding its use). They would say "Jago Jago". I wondered at the origin of the word. From Ian Paterson's site, I noticed the mention of Lt-Col R. K. Jago, apparently commander of the 3rd County of London Yeomanry. Ian Paterson mentions him in the section about the Crusader Battle, and the fighting on 19 November 1941 near Bir El Gubi. Ian says that the 22nd Armoured Brigade, of which the 3rd CLY was part, lost about 40 Crusaders to anti-tank gun fire. As we have seen, the 50mm PAK38, suitably emplaced, could be quite deadly to British tanks. The low silhouette made them easy to hide. This doesn't explain the use of "Jago" by the 3rd RTR, but at least provides a possible origin for the word.

Robert Crisp arrives for medical care

Robert Crisp finally stopped traveling and was received by a medical facility. A RAMC Major came out to see him, while he was unloaded. He had asked Robert if he wanted a drink. Robert interpreted that to mean a whiskey to kill the pain. Actually, the doctor was thinking of tea or broth. Robert took the tea. Doctor Keller turned out to be a gynecologist in civilian life, but he was to operate on Robert (successfully, it turned out). Robert learned that he had a round in his head, near the brain. He was congratulated on surviving this far. Because of Robert's condition, they would have to use a local, rather than a general anesthetic. Robert had to be awake through the surgery, while they dug around in his head. The doctor showed Robert the "lead", after it was removed. Robert says it was the size of "one of the large 'Ally' marbles". Robert was at the Tobruk hospital. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

I am skeptical about the value of smoke, fired by CS tanks

Ian Paterson has a photo of an A10CS tank with A Squadron, the 3rd RTR, practicing firing smoke. I believe that this tank carried a low velocity 75mm guns, only suitable for firing smoke or HE. I am skeptical that a close support tank with this size gun could fire a useful smoke round. Perhaps I am wrong, and would have welcomed the presence of smoke, if I had been with them, with the 4th Armoured Brigade, in Cyrenaica in late 1941.

Later on the "last day"

The commander of the 3rd RTR informed Robert Crisp, late on "the last day", that they were planning on sending Robert back to the Nile delta on a plane. That was at least what they had hoped to do. In the event, that was not to be. Robert asked, again, about Harry Maegraith. They just said "He's all right. Don't you worry about him" (he had died from the round that wounded Robert). The next morning, Doctor MacMillan checked on Robert and found that he was able to converse intelligently. "Doc" broke the news that they couldn't arrange a plane. He was to go the rear with the "B Echelon". He was to ride for fifty miles in the ambulance, only able to sit up. He could neither lay on his left side nor his right side. The bad news was that sitting up made him sick to his stomache. That was even worse. Robert could hear the radial engines of the Stuarts being started as he waited. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

A German strategic withdrawal in late 1941

Rommel was more concerned with keeping the core of his fighting force intact, in late 1941, than in holding ground. He was very unhappy, though, with losing his forces on the Libyan-Egyptian border. He had made an attempt to relieve them, but his strike force was too depleted to have a reasonable chance of success. Naval-History.net has an interesting summary page that includes the major milestones in 1940 to 1942. While the focus is on the naval campaign, this at least helps to summarize the actions.

The Daimler Armoured Car

Since I have been wargaming the campaign in North Africa since the early 1970's, I was very familiar with the Daimler armoured car, with the 2pdr guns. I used some model of it in miniatures games. I was thinking about British armoured cars, as the last part of Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariot mentions them. I am still curious as to which type the Royal Dragoons used. The Wikipedia page for the Daimler armoured car says that the 11th Hussars had the type in service in North Africa. The catch is "on what date?" The Daimler armoured car (this is a Mk.II) has a very familiar look to military buffs:

I wondered if I had used an Airfix Daimler in gaming. It seems like I had used a CinC Microarmor Daimler, thirty years ago, but I don't see one on their site.

The German forces seem to have pulled out of Gazala after C Squadron, 3rd RTR, attacked them from the rear in December 1941

We are at the point of finishing summarizing Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots. In the last action, Robert was seriously wounded and his friend Harry Maegraith, an Australian, was killed. The attack by C Squadron, 3rd RTR, succeeded in its purpose, which was to cause the Germans to withdraw from Gazala, and to relieve pressure on the 4th Indian Division, them commanded by Frank Messervy, I believe. This was in mid-December 1941, in western Cyrenaica.

The wounded Robert Crisp on "the last day"

Robert Crisp was headed back towards the 4th Armoured Brigade, after he was severely wounded. They lied to him about Harry Maegraith, but Robert guessed that he was dead. In fact, Harry had been killed by the same round that had wounded Robert. Robert's gunner cradled Robert's head while they drove. He told Robert that the medical officer, Doctor MacMillan was driving towards them in an armoured car. Robert realized that he had a chance of living, after thinking he was dying. Still, he was in extreme pain. He could feel the pain from the wound on the left side of his head. He heard a vehicle drive up, but it was just the "petrol lorry", to refuel the Stuart. Robert could hear Doctor MacMillan's voice. His driver, Whaley, told Robert "You'll be O.K. now, sir". The doctor decided that they had to take Robert out "through the front". They got him out through the flap onto a stretcher, and he was relieved to be able to straighten his legs. Robert said: "Hell's bells, Mac, it feels as though my bloody ear's been torn off". The doctor replied: "that...is the least of your troubles". This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

The attack on the last day

The decision had been made to attack the four German tanks on the way to attack the German rear at Gazala. The Germans didn't try to fight, but fled, but two were apparently knocked out in the initial fight. The fight brought the Germn line to life, and the tank men could see the Germans furiously reacting to their assault. They could see the command vehicle go over the ridge, seeking cover. Guns were being repositioned so as to be able to fire at Robert Crisp's squadron. They could see nine or ten Pzkw IVs move into position and start firing HE at them, at long range. Robert saw a Stuart disabled by a 75mm HE round and bail out. It was Harry Maegraith and his crew. Robert headed for them and picked them up. Robert ordered his driver to turn left and suddenly, he was hit in the head and nearly blacked out. Robert thought he was dying. When Robert woke, his gunner told him that they were on the way back to meet the medical officer. Captain Joly had taken over command of C Squadron after Robert had been incapacitated. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

The Official History for the December 1941 Gazala Battle

From the British Official History, Vol.III, I learned that the "Indian Division" in Brazen Chariots was the famous 4th Indian Division, a unit with a good reputation. Sadly, the Official History did not mention specifically the action that is described in the last chapter of Brazen Chariots. There is a reference to a battlegroup with one squadron, but that was the extent of what they had. About all they said was that because of the fuel shortage, the 4th Armoured Brigade was not in a position to influence the Gazala battle, and General Gott, the 7th Armoured Division commander at this date, decided that it was not possible to get a fuel convoy to the brigade in time, and they were too exposed, where they were located behind the German line at Gazala, so he ordered them to pull back, so that they could safely replenish. I will cover this more, later.

The plan of attack on the "last day"

On the "last day" of Brazen Chariots, the plan of attack for Robert Crisp's C Squadron was to swing north, behind the German lines and then race at full speed, firing at the enemy until they reached the northern edge of the German lines at Gazala, and then turn left and escape. The idea was that the Germans were all pointing their guns towards the Indian division, and that they would have to turn them around to be in a position to shoot at the speeding Stuarts. Robert figured that this sort of reckless attack was the sort of thing that was so sudden, that they had a good chance of pulling it off. Before they started, Robert noticed four tanks very close to them. One was a Pzkw III and the rest appeared to be Pzkw IVs. A minute or two later, the squadron accelerated to high speed and attacked. Robert asked that they take out the German tanks on the way. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

The New Zealanders have some good pics of Gazala in December 1941

If have not looked there, the New Zealanders have some good pics of the operations at Gazala in December 1941. For example, there is a 2pdr portee of the sort that accompanied Robert Crisp. If you are new to the topic, you might not realize that 2pdrs "en portee" could be fired from the vehicle. The older, smaller portee still allowed the gun to be fired while being carried. "Battle Honours" has a 2pdr portee model.

Early on the last day of Brazen Chariots

On the last day of Brazen Chariots, the small battlegroup centered around C Squadron, 3rd RTR, headed off towards the enemy position at Gazala. Robert Crisp instructed his radio operator to at least get the Stuarts on the net. He was not concerned that they had trouble talking with the Royal Dragoons. The sun rose red ahead on their course. They could see the enemy tanks and guns grow, as they got closer to Gazala. As they got close, Robert could see this enormous command vehicle. Robert thought that must be Rommel's captured AEC command vehicle that he had taken early in his first campaign. Rommel called it the Mammoth. The little force got within about two miles, seemingly without being noticed. They saw the artillery pointing east and noticed a Pzkw IV drive by, but the commander did recognize them, as close as they were. Robert had been able to stay in communication with the 3rd RTR commander, but could not reach the armoured cars or portees. Worse yet, he could not reach the Brigade major, Silvertop. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book, Brazen Chariots.

Robert and his men headed out at 6am on "the last day"

On Robert Crisp's last day, fighting in the Crusader Battle, he and the rest of C Squadron moved out at about 6am. Once clear of the camp, they formed into their formation: in the lead were "three troops of Honeys (Stuarts) were in line abreast" ahead of Robert. To his left was one squadron of the Royal Dragoons, with armoured cars. Behind Robert was Alec Gatehouse's brigade major, David Silvertop, in his armoured car. Behind him were the 2pdr anti-tank guns on their portees. Leading up the rear was a 3 ton lorry. That vehicle was loaded with highly inflamable fuel. They were finally under way towards their objective at 6:30am. Soon, they lost the ability to communicate by radio. As the morning progressed, they passed Bir Temrad, which had been reduced to rubble. By 10am, they could see shapes in the distance. They slowed, but kept moving forward, and the silhouettes of tanks and guns became discernable. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

The final chapter of Brazen Chariots is ominously called "The Last Day"

We are now up to the last chapter of Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots. The last chapter is called "The Last Day". No wonder that Robert had a great deal of forboding leading up to the "last day". They woke Robert right before 5am. He got up and went to the battalion headquarters to see the Colonel. The Colonel, the 3rd RTR commander, was just washing. They walked out and were taken to see Alec Gatehouse, 4th Armoured Brigade commander an "his brigade major, David Silvertop". Robert heard Alec Gatehouse mention the dreaded words "reconnaissance in force". Robert's C Squadron, a Royal Dragoons squadron, and a troop of 2pdr guns on portees would conduct the operation to attempt to relieve the pressure on the Indian division. Robert's squadron was to be the force in the reconnaissance. They arranged the details of where they would drive and they agreed that they would start at 6:30am. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

Later on the 28th day of the Crusader Battle

Robert Crisp, late on the 28th day of the Crusader Battle, had an opportunity to be sent to the rear. Dr. MacMillan was very concerned about the fact that Robert's foot would not heal, and continued to bleed. Robert told the doctor that if the foot was still a problem by the next night, he would go back for attention. Later, he saw the orders for the next day's operations. The orders were that tanks of C Squadron would receive all available fuel. Apparently, they would be the only part of the 3rd RTR involved in whatever was planned for the next day. An NCO woke Robert, but it was only 11pm. He informed Robert that he was to report to the "command car at 0515 hours tomorrow" with the battalion commander. The colonel asked if Robert would pick him up at 5am. Robert asked to be woke 15 minutes before that. The fateful last day of Brazen Chariots was set. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

As we get to the end of Brazen Chariots...

As we approach the brutal end of Brazen Chariots, it is worth reflecting on the differing approaches to fighting tanks between the British and Germans. The British still wanted to fight tanks with tanks. That is probably now the modern style, generally, although the hand-held or vehicled-mounted, rocket propelled anti-tank missile or grenade is a major factor. The German practice, in 1940 to 1943 was still to generally fight tanks with anti-tank guns. They had two lethal weapons. One, the 88mm FLAK guns adapted for fighting tanks was a major threat, and could defeat the armour on any British tank. The 50mm PAK38 was also very potent. The gun had an extremely low profile, making it difficult to see, if there was an effort to conceal it. That meant that they often had the element of surprise, and could suddenly hit unsuspecting tanks and knock them out. The British still were thinking in terms of using tanks to fight tanks in 1939 to 1942. They really did not have good tanks suitable for that sort of action, but that was still the doctrine. They lacked a suitable anti-tank gun until the appearance of the 6pdr in 1942. Under the right circumstances, the 2pdr gun could penetrate a German or Italian tank, but it was not guaranteed. The American 37mm gun on the Stuarts fired an even lighter shot, but the combination of muzzle velocity and capped shot meant that they probably had a better chance at the normal ranges than the 2pdr, which in 1941 lacked capped shot.

The Humber armoured car

I had wondered if "The Royals", the Royal Dragoons, might have been equipped with Humber Armoured cars by December 1941. The Royal Dragoons scouted for the 4th Armoured Brigade on their move to outflank the Axis position at Gazala in mid-December. One additional question is if they had Humber Mk.Is or Mk.IIs. Wikipedia has a Humber page.

Later on 15 December 1941

As they were moving north behind the Axis positions at Gazala in the afternoon of what must have been 15 December 1941, Robert Crisp heard a report from the Royal Dragoons that they were being attacked by about 20 vehicles with 75mm guns. B Squadron, 3rd RTR, was sent off in that direction. They heard on the radio the sound of making contact and a "long-range engagement". Night fell and they formed a leaguer, but this time, they had an infantry screen and men on watch on each tank. At the nightly "Situation Report", Robert heard that the Indian division was being heavily attacked by German tanks from Gazala. They heard a report from a broken down lorry that 7 Italian vehicles had approached but had fled when they realized that they had found a British vehicle. There was also a report of a large movement to the east, south of them. Robert interpreted that as indicating that the Germans did not realize that there was a British armoured brigade in their rear. The only problem is that the tanks of the 4th Armoured Brigade were almost out of fuel. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

Ian Paterson also talks about the "Axis Withdrawal" in December 1941

Ian Paterson, on his 7th Armoured Division site, has a narrative about the Axis withdrawal from around Tobruk in December 1941 that Robert Crisp is discussing in Brazen Chariots. Ian's narrative is at a higher level, necessarily, as Robert is talking about his personal experience while Ian is giving an overview. Ian also discusses, specifically, the period in mid-to-late December, which is useful in "Clearing Cyrenaica". The date we have reached in Brazen Chariots is 15 December, so this falls into the latter section.

The Royal Dragoons scouting for the 4th Armoured Brigade

On 15 December 1941, when the 4th Armoured Brigade was heading north, they had the Royal Dragoons ("The Royals") scouting for them. The Royals ran onto soft, swampy ground and were stuck. While they were stuck, the Germans were shelling them. The passed them and drove 32 miles in four hours. They reached Bir Halegh Eleba by 3pm. The 4th Armoured Brigade formed a square with the 3rd RTR facing north, the 5th RTR facing east, the Royal Gloucester Hussars facing west, and the Tower Hamlet Rifles facing south. They had armorued cars and Bren carriers on the corners of the square. The Tower Hamlet Rifles were new to the 4th Armoured Brigade. Robert had not seen them before. The 4th Armoured Brigade was sitting to the west of the Axis forces. They saw "a single German reconnaissance plane" overhead, which made one pass and then headed to the north "in a great hurry". This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

The situation in December 1941 near Gazala

After General Auchinleck backed off from direct involvement in the Crusader Battle, the operation went back to the normal British haphazard mode. Auchinleck had installed Neil Ritchie as the 8th Army commander, as Auchinleck wanted to switch back to theater commander, which he felt was what he had been appointed to be. Because of that, Rommel was able to fight a successful rearguard battle that enabled his forces to eventually withdraw to El Agheila, only to rebound in the new year back to Gazala. At least, the Germans and Italians at Bardia and Halfaya were put in the bag. Some 30,000 prisoners were taken. Wikepedia has a Crusader Battle page with some of the details.

The 4th Armoured Brigade on the move (the 27th and 28th Days?)

The 4th Armoured Brigade had orders to move in the afternoon of what was probably the 27th day of the Crusader Battle. The brigade was in regimental groups (they were stilled called battalions at the time). Robert Crisp actually uses a date, for a change. On the 14th of December 1941, they moved 21 miles to the south-southwest. They received word that on 15 December, they would be moving to the "north to Bir Halegh el Eleba". They drove fast so as to cover 15 miles in an hour. They arrived by 5:30pm. The men received word that they would be driving to the west at 15 mph, for about 35 miles. As it turned out, C Squadron, 3rd RTR was in the lead of the brigade. They left at 7am, heading west. After a two hour drive, they reached "a steep escarpment" which didn't appear on Robert's map. They reached the bottom and watched the replenishment lorries grapple with the escarpment. By 10am, they headed north for the coast, expecting to encounter the Afrika Korps. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

The New Zealand Official History, online, has a nice map of Gazala in December 1941

The online Official History for New Zealand has a nice map of the advance of the 27th MG Battalion to Gazala from 11 to 16 December 1941. One feature of Brazen Chariots is that it is mostly lacking maps. I happen to have a paperback edition that has some illustrations that were added to the original, but the book depends on the narrative, rather than illustrations.

The 9pm BBC broadcast

During the evening of one of the days between the 23rd and 28th day of the Crusader Battle, in December 1941, Robert Crisp asked his radio operator to tune into the 9pm BBC broadcast. The radio operator turned the volume up and let his headphones hang over the side of the tank. Everyone who was awake gathered around and heard the announcement that Robert had been awarded an immediate Distinguished Server Order (DSO). Robert was said to be a lieutenant and acting captain. The announcer mentioned that he was a former South African Test cricketeer. To Robert, the British love of cricket explained why he was mentioned in the broadcast. In the morning, they heard that there orders were to move almost due north to the south end of the Indian division's position before Gazala. Robert immediately assumed that they intended to use the 4th Armoured Brigade Stuarts as if they were infantry tanks, which they weren't, as they lacked the necessary armour. They were joined by the Gloucester Hussars and then they drove north. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

Robert Crisp was starting to be afraid

Robert Crisp says that during the period of days 23 to 28 of the Crusader Battle, he felt afraid, as he sensed that he had ceased to be invulnerable to injury. Up to the, like George Washington, he felt that he could not be harmed, which gave him a special edge over the enemy. That afternoon, they watched a Ju87 attack on the supply convoy coming to replenish the 4th Armoured Brigade. In this forward position, they had moved beyond the range of fighter cover. The lack of air cover reminded Robert of their experience in Greece, operating under German air superiority ("the bad old days"). Soon, a vehicle with ammunition exploded. Robert left the evening meeting with the 3rd RTR commander in an unhappy mood. He still had crabs, as the gasoline seemed to have not gotten rid of them. His foot was still was bleeding, although slowly, so that he noticed it when he walked. The 3rd RTR commander, a Colonel, would report to the brigade commander for a meeting at 7:30am, the next morning. Robert thought that whatever was planned would be so bad, that the more senior officers did not want them to know until the time had arrived to move. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

The 4th Armoured Brigade at Gazala in December 1941

Robert Crisp says in Brazen Chariots that the decision was made by the army commander to use the 4th Armoured Brigade to hit the Axis position at Gazala that had blocked an Indian division. The brigade drove forward at 9:15am to start their move 15 miles forward. They had a leisurely drive at 10 to 12 miles per hour. When Alec Gatehouse returned from his meeting with the army commander, fifty German tanks were seen approaching the brigade. The tank report turned out to be mistaken, as the "tanks" turned out to be camels, instead. Robert Crisp was feeling increasingly concerned about the immediate future. He had survived a series of battles since November, when the Crusader Battle had started. He was growing tired of the battle and seeing his companions killed in the process. He had so far escaped serious injury by small margins. Perhaps his time was running short. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

Blocked at Gazala

Rommel was able to make a stand at Gazala, and the attacking Indian division was unable to overcome the Axis forces. The Afrika Korps troops and artillery, backed by the remnants of the armoured forces, including the two panzer divisions, were able to hold their position. That situation got the attention of the 8th Army, and they changed the orders for the 4th Armoured Brigade. They no longer were to be withdrawn to Egypt, but would help with the assault on the force at Gazala. The 4th Armoured Brigade was ordered to advance to the west-southwest about 15 miles. Robert Crisp says that would position the brigade between Gazala and Bir Hakeim (or Bir Hacheim). Robert's opinion was that they were being positioned to turn the Axis position and attack their rear. While Alec Gatehouse was away, the 3rd RTR commander was in charge of the brigade. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots. By the way, this is a nice picture of an A9 CS tank from earlier in 1941. THis is from the Desert Rats site. This is the rear of a 3rd RTR A10 CS tank from the same site.

So how did the British almost lose the war in North Africa?

Given that the British succeeded in beating the Axis forces, including the Deutsche Afrika Korps in the Crusader Battle, how did they reach the low point of the campaign in July 1942? My assessment is that they were in that situation due to trying to keep operating the way that they had in November 1941 and earlier. They wanted to fight with their forces dispersed, rather than concentrated and the commanders were out of touch with the situation at any particular moment. They had beaten the Italians by fighting a rapidly moving battle, much of the sort that Rommel employed so effectively, with the commanders near the front and in communiction so that they were aware of the changing complexion of the battle. The reasons that the British forces won the Crusader Battle was the General Auchinleck had taken control, and he followed the normal principles: he was aware of what was happening, he used the British strengths, and he resisted the temptation to disperse the army into small groups scattered across the desert. The problem was that Auchinleck was the theater commander and he wanted to operate at that level. There were no other officers with the experience and skill that he had in the theater. Churchill immediately sensed that Auchinleck could win the war in North Africa against Rommel. While Rommel had many strengths, he took massive risks and often got into trouble because of it. He finally reached his match in Auchinleck at the First Alamein, and was stopped. It was just a formality to have General Montgomery put together a new force to launch his patented set-piece battle and push the Axis forces back to Tunisia, where they surrendered. Montgomery was not a flashy genius. He just would not lose battles, which was what was needed by the time he was appointed 8th Army commander.

Ian Paterson has a good narrative about the South African armoured cars

Ian Paterson, on his 7th Armoured Division web site, has a good narrative about the South African armoured cars. The initial version was a two-wheel drive vehicle, the Marmon-Herrington Mk.I, and Ian says that 135 were built. These were used in the East African campaign. The Mk.II had four wheel drive and was used in the desert in the Crusader Battle by the 1st King's Dragoon Guards (the KDG). 887 were built. The Mk.III had a somewhat more advanced design and 2,260 were built. Ian says that the Mk.I also had four wheel drive, but I thought that from reading the classic book, Springboks in Armour, that the Mk.I was two-wheel drive. There were later versions that were supplanted by the more advanced British designs that came into service in later 1942 and beyond. In my wargaming, I gave an armoured car regiment 13 cars, one being a commander's vehicle and then with three four-car squadrons. I used a one-to-four ratio between vehicles in the game and in the real world.

Later in the day on the 25th day of the battle

While the 3rd RTR was preparing to move at 8am the next day, the other two regiments rejoined the 4th Armoured Brigade. Robert Crisp says that the brigade was almost back to the original strength that it had at the start of the Crusader Battle. While they were waiting, Robert realized that he was starting to itch, terribly. Nothing he could do would cause the itch to stop. When Dr. MacMillan rebandaged his foot, Robert asked him to check him. The doctor told him that he had crabs, and asked where he had encountered "the Bedouin girl". Robert realized that crabs must have come from the silk pajamas. The doctor informed Robert that they didn't have any blue ointment to apply and suggested he try applying gasoline. Robert tried it and was in intense pain, with the gasoline touching the sores in his skin. I believe that this all happened late on the 25th day of the battle. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

The A13 Cruiser Mk.IV and A10 Cruiser Mk.II

The battles around Sidi Rezegh seem to have marked the departure from the field of the Cruiser Mk.IV and Cruiser Mk.II tanks which were still in service with the 7th Armoured Brigade, up to that time. Wikipedia has a page the A13 that seems reasonably accurate (Cruiser Mk.IV). I had trouble finding the A10 Cruiser Mk.II page, as my search wasn't using the Roman numeral II correctly. They also have a reasonable photo, although grainy, of a Cruiser Mk.IIA. It is possible that a few Cruiser Mk.IIACS (close support) tanks might have survived after this date.

Early on the 24th day of the battle

After Robert Crisp's close brush with a spent anti-aircraft round, he was ordered to "send out patrols" from C Squadron on a reconnaissance out to the "north and northwest" to the 10 mile limit and back. Just "two or three miles out", Robert was startled to see a tank "nestling in the scrub". He approached and saw that the tank was "an abandoned Crusader". Robert rescued the officer's valise with his name on the leather bag. He could see that the crew had hastily abandoned the 22nd Armoured Brigade tank. Robert's driver, Whaley, figured out that they had "run out of gas", as we Americans would say. By 3pm that day, the patrols were recalled to hear some amazing news. The buzz was that the 4th Armoured Brigade would be withdrawn, so that it could be sent to "another front". 3rd RTR would stay, until "relieved by the Royal Gloucester Hussars". Robert decided to celebrate by putting on the silk pajamas from the letter valise. He slept in luxury for the night and then returned the pajamas to the valise. He wrote a note to the owner, "explaining what I had done". This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.

In the night between the 23rd and 24th days of the battle

Late on the 23rd day of the Crusader Battle, the 3rd RTR received seven new tanks. The crews would be arriving during the night. The men felt a great relief, knowing that the action had slowed and they would not be under constant threat of death, for now. They were even allowed to brew tea, before nightfall. A reorganization was underway, with the replacements. Robert would now command C Squadron, with the three squadrons each having 12 Stuarts. Harry Maegraith had received a package of food from Australia, and at dawn, Robert Crisp and Harry moved off together to share the package. The relaxation was interrupted by the sound of an air raid, and AA guns firing. Suddenly, the heard something coming towards them. They hit the ground and then heard the "thump" of something hitting. When they looked up, the others were laughing. Robert was not laughing, becuase a spent AA round had only missed him by two feet. This is based on the account in Robert Crisp's book Brazen Chariots.