Operation Crusader
Fall 1941 The new British Generals
In August 1941 General Alan Brooke arrives in Egypt to take control over the situation. The costly (in terms of assets committed) sideshows in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Italian East Africa have been won by Wavell, who was also blamed by Churchill for the failure of the embarrassing debacle of Operation Battle Axe in June. With Brooke is his pick to take over the newly formed 8th Army, Bernard Montgomery, who has done wonders in turning morale and training around for the Southeastern Command in Britain, the vital army level command that would have been responsible for dealing with Operation Sealion had it occurred during the summer. The German turn to the east and invasion of the Soviet Union, and the American entry into the war has made a German invasion of England a dead letter. Monty, as he is soon known, thus not only has experience commanding an army, but soon to be joining him are 3 divisions from Britain, which arrive on monthly intervals beginning September 1941. The first is the 10th Armored Division which is equipped with the American M3 Stuart for both of its armored brigades although it lacks a separate motorized infantry brigade. Previously the British 1st Cavalry Division, the formation only becomes the 10th Armored Division in November, just before the start of Crusader. Although consisting of prewar Regulars and Yeomanry, the division is still highly inexperienced in armored warfare. It is transferred from Palestine in September. Its arrival however spells the departure of the 7th Australian Division which is sent to Ceylon (in part) and home to Australia to provide cadre for the Australian Militia Divisions.
The next to arrive is the British 2nd Infantry Division, another pre-war division that performed sterling work in France, but only 2,500 of its 13,000 men managed to make it home. Among those killed were several dozen massacred by the SS and the survivors have a bone to pick with the Germans, which they have transferred to the recruits that have been trained since. Major General John Grover, its commander, is a favorite of Brooke’s who has high expectations for the Division and its commander. Shortly after, in the middle of October is the British 18th Infantry Division, a Yeomanry unit which has thus far been untested but has been training for some time for desert combat. By October 29, the Australian 9th Division and the 2nd New Zealand Division have also left for Ceylon (with parts going home) where General Freyburg is made commander of the Ceylon garrison as senior officer present. All 3 ANZAC divisions are at half strength when they arrive on Ceylon but are training replacement drafts by the start of December. The sole remaining ANZAC division in the Middle East is the 6th Australian, which is also absorbing replacements and is garrisoning Cyprus. Just as painful for Brooke in losing these near elite quality troops is the return of the 4th and 5th Indian Divisions to India and which are needed as their experienced professional cadre is desperately needed to train the Indian Army However Brooke also loses responsibility for Iraq, the Persian Gulf and Persia, which now fall under the authority of New Delhi and thus are no longer his problem.
This leave the 8th Army with the following forces as of November 1, 1941
Tobruk Fortress: MGen Ronald Scobie w 70th Infantry Division under his personal command and attached to his division is the Polish Carpathian Rifle brigade (which includes a Czech battalion) and the 32nd Tank Brigade (Matilda II tanks).
XVIII Corps MGen Goodwin-Austen
2nd Infantry Division w 1st Army Tank Brigade (Matilda II/Valentine II/IV) attached
1st South African Division w 4th Armored Brigade (Crusader tanks) attached
XXX Corps ( Lt General Vyvyan Pope)
10th Armored Division (with 9th Armored Brigade detached and attachment of 22nd Guards Motorized Infantry Brigade)
18th Infantry Division with 7th Armored Brigade (A10 Cruiser/A13 Cruiser/Crusader Cruiser) attached
Army level reserves
7th Armored Division (MGen Gott) w 4th Armored Brigade (M3 Stuarts), 22nd Armored Brigade (Crusaders) and 9th Armored Brigade (M3 Stuart) plus 7th Support Group (3 artillery, 2 infantry battalions) and 29th Indian Infantry Brigade attached (only remaining Indian Army unit remaining in Mideast)
General Norrie is given command of the nascent 9th Army which has the Cyprus garrison as well as the 2nd South African Division (in Palestine) and newly arrived 1st Armored Division (Egypt and in training) and 56th London Infantry Division (Syria with the Arab Legion) and 8th Armored Division which is a depot division at this point having been raided for its combat troops, tanks and transport to fill out other units.
Thus Montgomery has 4 divisions to launch his attack, plus a reinforced division in reserve and another reinforced division in Tobruk. Monty orders his troops to train relentlessly, and having read over the lessons of Battleaxe and earlier, orders that the tanks assigned to the infantry are not to run off and leave their support, as artillery and infantry can kill antitank guns that can kill his tanks. By pleading the case that the shuffling of forces and the arrival of so many units new to the Mideast make it necessary, General Alan Brooke persuades Churchill to reign in his impatience until the new target date of December 1, which also means that a new rail and fuel pipeline is completed from the Nile Delta to the Egyptian / Libyan Border.
Facing him is Panzergruppe Afrika with the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions (with 260 tanks including 69 Mark II, 76 Mark III w 37 mm guns, 60 Mark III w 50 mm short barrel guns, 31 Panzer IV w 75 short barrel guns) stationed between Bardia and Tobruk, the 90th Light Division (renamed only recently) near Tobruk, and the mostly motorized Italian 55th Division Savona (which is a brigade in size). Also attached is Italian Division Pavia manning the border fortifications along the Egyptian/Libyan border, while the Italian XX Mobile Corps with the Italian Ariete Armored Division and Trieste Motorized Division (with 189 tanks between them) and the Italian XXI Corps with Divisions Brescia, Trento and Bologna (all three are 2 brigade divisions) which are manning the perimeter opposite of Tobruk and are preparing for an offensive on December 4.
In the air, the British have 616 serviceable aircraft, the German/Italians have 342 serviceable). Both sides have airfields near enough to the front to be a serious nuisance to one another and the opposing ground troops. The two sides each have 120,000 men available for the battle.
Operation Crusader
The British begin on December 1, just after midnight, with a massive artillery barrage aimed at the border defenses which are then attacked by the 1st South African and 18th British along with their supporting armor just before dawn. The Italian infantry are badly handled and many become casualties or are routed and two large holes are made in the border defenses and their minefields are soon being cleared by attached Royal Engineers. General Rommel is initially surprised as he was not expecting a British attack until later in the month, and had planned his own assault to wrong foot them. A recent change in American codes brought about after a review of Operation Chariot robbed him of information he had been getting from Cairo through intercepts of the American Brown Code, and tight British security and some misdirection had robbed his signals intelligence people their usual fount of information. Rommel had been discussing the proposed assault on Tobruk with the commanders of the Italian XX and XXI Corps and thus takes some time to reach his forward headquarters. By that point the 90th Light Division and Division Savonia have been rushed to establish a line from Bardia south.
British casualties are relatively light and by the next day the British 2nd Infantry and 10th Armored Divisions have leap frogged through the South African and British initial assault forces and are bearing down on Sidi Omar and Maddalena. On December 2, the Afrika Korps (both panzer divisions) attacks the flank and front of the 10th Armored Division, wrecking 8th Armored Brigade which in its inexperience manages to get separated from its supporting infantry and the Guards Brigade is soon fighting a desperate defensive battle. Monty however has been expecting this, and orders the 18th British Division to maintain contact and prevent any flanking assault and Monty commits the 7th Armored Division to a counterattack of the Africa Corps.
Over the next three days of swirling and confusing combat, the Germans lose 120 tanks, the British 240, but neither side is able to break the other. This allows the XVIII Corps and General Goodwin Austin to continue the drive on Copuzzo, taking it on December 6, and forcing the Italians to commit their XX Motor Corps to prevent Bardia from being cut off. The Italians suffer severe losses as the British tank brigades remain close at hand to assist their infantry and 104 Italian tanks are lost to only 50 British tanks. The Italians are forced to retreat to El Adem on December 9, and this now threatens the rear of the Afrika Korps. General Rommel is now in crisis, as his flanks are seriously threatened and his tank losses have been heavy, as have losses in everything else. Only the determined efforts by the wrecked XX Italian Corps and the 90th Light Division (and survivors of Division Savonia) are holding the British to a slow pace, but it has become a steady one. He has had to pull his armor back as the first attempts to flank the British have failed.
Monty meanwhile is pleased but has had to pull the 10th Armored out of the fight to regroup and it remains in reserve while the 18th Infantry and 7th Armored Division are essentially firmly committed as flank guard while the entire XVIII Corps pushes slowly but relentlessly toward Tobruk. Brooke meanwhile decides to gamble and commits the 1st Armored to the 8th Army has a new reserve and sends it by train and transport truck to Mersa Motruh on December 10. Rommel is running out of options and it is becoming increasingly clear that the British will achieve a link up with Tobruk within days unless he tries something desperate. On December 11 he does just that, breaking clear of the XXX Corps and making a dash for the wire with his two panzer divisions, while pulling the 90th Light Division away from XVIII Corps to delay any XXX Corps advance. The 10th Armored is alerted to the move and shifts to meet it but blunders into the German advance and its armored regiments, already at seriously reduced strength, are slaughtered one by one and the 22nd Guards Infantry and much of the division support group is badly mangled and forced west away from the attacking Germans. However the Germans still suffer some losses themselves, and the timely arrival of the 1st Armored Division, even though ineptly fought, is just enough to reduce Rommel to barely 25 operational tanks. His infantry strength of his two panzer divisions has fallen to around 40% and ammunition and fuel shortages are critical. He has no choice but to retreat the way he came, brushing aside a counterattack by the 22nd Armored Brigade that attempts to cut him off and returning to his starting point near Gabr Saleh on December 14. That same day, the Carpathian Brigade and British tanks attack and wreck half of the Italian Bolgona division, threatening the rear of the Italian XX Corps which is forced to retreat to Bir el Haiad. With the British 1st Armored Division in close pursuit, the XXX Corps threatening to overwhelm the 90th Light Division, and the XVIII Corps having now isolated Bardia (and the rest of the Bologna Division and remnants of the Italian Pavia Division, and his German troops at 30% strength (and falling), the Italian divisions that have fought thus far in similar shape, and no hope of immediate reinforcement, Rommel is forced to order a retreat on December 16.
Gradually falling back, with scratch forces fighting delaying actions all the way, the Germans and Italian XX Corps falls back toward El Agheila, while the Italian XXI Corps retreats to Benghazi. With one armored division wrecked and out of action (the 10th), both other armored divisions at seriously reduced strength (50% tank strength), and his infantry having suffered 30% casualties in infantry and tanks, Montgomery advances carefully and mindful of his flanks. The 1st South Africans, with naval and air support, takes Bardia (and 2,000 German and 6,000 Italian prisoners, including the wreckage of Divisions Pavia and Bologna) on December 22, while the 2nd British and 70th British link up on December 19.
Happy to have achieved the victory he has won, Montgomery ceases the battle on December 22, and orders his men to dig in along the Gazala line running from Gazala to Bir Hakeim. Montgomery also requests every available land mine and as many replacements as he can get and begins shifting his logistics and RAF airfields closer to the new front. Rommel meanwhile waits for reinforcements and replacements at El Agheila, while the Italians send reinforcements and replacements to Benghazi.
The British 8th Army and General Montgomery have won a costly but important victory at the cost of 20,000 casuaties and 400 tanks versus Axis losses of 40,000 men and 300 tanks. For the remainder of the year the two forces remain at rest as they recover from the fierce three week battle which allows their troops to enjoy a Christmas meal in a base camp instead of on the march.
In August 1941 General Alan Brooke arrives in Egypt to take control over the situation. The costly (in terms of assets committed) sideshows in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Italian East Africa have been won by Wavell, who was also blamed by Churchill for the failure of the embarrassing debacle of Operation Battle Axe in June. With Brooke is his pick to take over the newly formed 8th Army, Bernard Montgomery, who has done wonders in turning morale and training around for the Southeastern Command in Britain, the vital army level command that would have been responsible for dealing with Operation Sealion had it occurred during the summer. The German turn to the east and invasion of the Soviet Union, and the American entry into the war has made a German invasion of England a dead letter. Monty, as he is soon known, thus not only has experience commanding an army, but soon to be joining him are 3 divisions from Britain, which arrive on monthly intervals beginning September 1941. The first is the 10th Armored Division which is equipped with the American M3 Stuart for both of its armored brigades although it lacks a separate motorized infantry brigade. Previously the British 1st Cavalry Division, the formation only becomes the 10th Armored Division in November, just before the start of Crusader. Although consisting of prewar Regulars and Yeomanry, the division is still highly inexperienced in armored warfare. It is transferred from Palestine in September. Its arrival however spells the departure of the 7th Australian Division which is sent to Ceylon (in part) and home to Australia to provide cadre for the Australian Militia Divisions.
The next to arrive is the British 2nd Infantry Division, another pre-war division that performed sterling work in France, but only 2,500 of its 13,000 men managed to make it home. Among those killed were several dozen massacred by the SS and the survivors have a bone to pick with the Germans, which they have transferred to the recruits that have been trained since. Major General John Grover, its commander, is a favorite of Brooke’s who has high expectations for the Division and its commander. Shortly after, in the middle of October is the British 18th Infantry Division, a Yeomanry unit which has thus far been untested but has been training for some time for desert combat. By October 29, the Australian 9th Division and the 2nd New Zealand Division have also left for Ceylon (with parts going home) where General Freyburg is made commander of the Ceylon garrison as senior officer present. All 3 ANZAC divisions are at half strength when they arrive on Ceylon but are training replacement drafts by the start of December. The sole remaining ANZAC division in the Middle East is the 6th Australian, which is also absorbing replacements and is garrisoning Cyprus. Just as painful for Brooke in losing these near elite quality troops is the return of the 4th and 5th Indian Divisions to India and which are needed as their experienced professional cadre is desperately needed to train the Indian Army However Brooke also loses responsibility for Iraq, the Persian Gulf and Persia, which now fall under the authority of New Delhi and thus are no longer his problem.
This leave the 8th Army with the following forces as of November 1, 1941
Tobruk Fortress: MGen Ronald Scobie w 70th Infantry Division under his personal command and attached to his division is the Polish Carpathian Rifle brigade (which includes a Czech battalion) and the 32nd Tank Brigade (Matilda II tanks).
XVIII Corps MGen Goodwin-Austen
2nd Infantry Division w 1st Army Tank Brigade (Matilda II/Valentine II/IV) attached
1st South African Division w 4th Armored Brigade (Crusader tanks) attached
XXX Corps ( Lt General Vyvyan Pope)
10th Armored Division (with 9th Armored Brigade detached and attachment of 22nd Guards Motorized Infantry Brigade)
18th Infantry Division with 7th Armored Brigade (A10 Cruiser/A13 Cruiser/Crusader Cruiser) attached
Army level reserves
7th Armored Division (MGen Gott) w 4th Armored Brigade (M3 Stuarts), 22nd Armored Brigade (Crusaders) and 9th Armored Brigade (M3 Stuart) plus 7th Support Group (3 artillery, 2 infantry battalions) and 29th Indian Infantry Brigade attached (only remaining Indian Army unit remaining in Mideast)
General Norrie is given command of the nascent 9th Army which has the Cyprus garrison as well as the 2nd South African Division (in Palestine) and newly arrived 1st Armored Division (Egypt and in training) and 56th London Infantry Division (Syria with the Arab Legion) and 8th Armored Division which is a depot division at this point having been raided for its combat troops, tanks and transport to fill out other units.
Thus Montgomery has 4 divisions to launch his attack, plus a reinforced division in reserve and another reinforced division in Tobruk. Monty orders his troops to train relentlessly, and having read over the lessons of Battleaxe and earlier, orders that the tanks assigned to the infantry are not to run off and leave their support, as artillery and infantry can kill antitank guns that can kill his tanks. By pleading the case that the shuffling of forces and the arrival of so many units new to the Mideast make it necessary, General Alan Brooke persuades Churchill to reign in his impatience until the new target date of December 1, which also means that a new rail and fuel pipeline is completed from the Nile Delta to the Egyptian / Libyan Border.
Facing him is Panzergruppe Afrika with the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions (with 260 tanks including 69 Mark II, 76 Mark III w 37 mm guns, 60 Mark III w 50 mm short barrel guns, 31 Panzer IV w 75 short barrel guns) stationed between Bardia and Tobruk, the 90th Light Division (renamed only recently) near Tobruk, and the mostly motorized Italian 55th Division Savona (which is a brigade in size). Also attached is Italian Division Pavia manning the border fortifications along the Egyptian/Libyan border, while the Italian XX Mobile Corps with the Italian Ariete Armored Division and Trieste Motorized Division (with 189 tanks between them) and the Italian XXI Corps with Divisions Brescia, Trento and Bologna (all three are 2 brigade divisions) which are manning the perimeter opposite of Tobruk and are preparing for an offensive on December 4.
In the air, the British have 616 serviceable aircraft, the German/Italians have 342 serviceable). Both sides have airfields near enough to the front to be a serious nuisance to one another and the opposing ground troops. The two sides each have 120,000 men available for the battle.
Operation Crusader
The British begin on December 1, just after midnight, with a massive artillery barrage aimed at the border defenses which are then attacked by the 1st South African and 18th British along with their supporting armor just before dawn. The Italian infantry are badly handled and many become casualties or are routed and two large holes are made in the border defenses and their minefields are soon being cleared by attached Royal Engineers. General Rommel is initially surprised as he was not expecting a British attack until later in the month, and had planned his own assault to wrong foot them. A recent change in American codes brought about after a review of Operation Chariot robbed him of information he had been getting from Cairo through intercepts of the American Brown Code, and tight British security and some misdirection had robbed his signals intelligence people their usual fount of information. Rommel had been discussing the proposed assault on Tobruk with the commanders of the Italian XX and XXI Corps and thus takes some time to reach his forward headquarters. By that point the 90th Light Division and Division Savonia have been rushed to establish a line from Bardia south.
British casualties are relatively light and by the next day the British 2nd Infantry and 10th Armored Divisions have leap frogged through the South African and British initial assault forces and are bearing down on Sidi Omar and Maddalena. On December 2, the Afrika Korps (both panzer divisions) attacks the flank and front of the 10th Armored Division, wrecking 8th Armored Brigade which in its inexperience manages to get separated from its supporting infantry and the Guards Brigade is soon fighting a desperate defensive battle. Monty however has been expecting this, and orders the 18th British Division to maintain contact and prevent any flanking assault and Monty commits the 7th Armored Division to a counterattack of the Africa Corps.
Over the next three days of swirling and confusing combat, the Germans lose 120 tanks, the British 240, but neither side is able to break the other. This allows the XVIII Corps and General Goodwin Austin to continue the drive on Copuzzo, taking it on December 6, and forcing the Italians to commit their XX Motor Corps to prevent Bardia from being cut off. The Italians suffer severe losses as the British tank brigades remain close at hand to assist their infantry and 104 Italian tanks are lost to only 50 British tanks. The Italians are forced to retreat to El Adem on December 9, and this now threatens the rear of the Afrika Korps. General Rommel is now in crisis, as his flanks are seriously threatened and his tank losses have been heavy, as have losses in everything else. Only the determined efforts by the wrecked XX Italian Corps and the 90th Light Division (and survivors of Division Savonia) are holding the British to a slow pace, but it has become a steady one. He has had to pull his armor back as the first attempts to flank the British have failed.
Monty meanwhile is pleased but has had to pull the 10th Armored out of the fight to regroup and it remains in reserve while the 18th Infantry and 7th Armored Division are essentially firmly committed as flank guard while the entire XVIII Corps pushes slowly but relentlessly toward Tobruk. Brooke meanwhile decides to gamble and commits the 1st Armored to the 8th Army has a new reserve and sends it by train and transport truck to Mersa Motruh on December 10. Rommel is running out of options and it is becoming increasingly clear that the British will achieve a link up with Tobruk within days unless he tries something desperate. On December 11 he does just that, breaking clear of the XXX Corps and making a dash for the wire with his two panzer divisions, while pulling the 90th Light Division away from XVIII Corps to delay any XXX Corps advance. The 10th Armored is alerted to the move and shifts to meet it but blunders into the German advance and its armored regiments, already at seriously reduced strength, are slaughtered one by one and the 22nd Guards Infantry and much of the division support group is badly mangled and forced west away from the attacking Germans. However the Germans still suffer some losses themselves, and the timely arrival of the 1st Armored Division, even though ineptly fought, is just enough to reduce Rommel to barely 25 operational tanks. His infantry strength of his two panzer divisions has fallen to around 40% and ammunition and fuel shortages are critical. He has no choice but to retreat the way he came, brushing aside a counterattack by the 22nd Armored Brigade that attempts to cut him off and returning to his starting point near Gabr Saleh on December 14. That same day, the Carpathian Brigade and British tanks attack and wreck half of the Italian Bolgona division, threatening the rear of the Italian XX Corps which is forced to retreat to Bir el Haiad. With the British 1st Armored Division in close pursuit, the XXX Corps threatening to overwhelm the 90th Light Division, and the XVIII Corps having now isolated Bardia (and the rest of the Bologna Division and remnants of the Italian Pavia Division, and his German troops at 30% strength (and falling), the Italian divisions that have fought thus far in similar shape, and no hope of immediate reinforcement, Rommel is forced to order a retreat on December 16.
Gradually falling back, with scratch forces fighting delaying actions all the way, the Germans and Italian XX Corps falls back toward El Agheila, while the Italian XXI Corps retreats to Benghazi. With one armored division wrecked and out of action (the 10th), both other armored divisions at seriously reduced strength (50% tank strength), and his infantry having suffered 30% casualties in infantry and tanks, Montgomery advances carefully and mindful of his flanks. The 1st South Africans, with naval and air support, takes Bardia (and 2,000 German and 6,000 Italian prisoners, including the wreckage of Divisions Pavia and Bologna) on December 22, while the 2nd British and 70th British link up on December 19.
Happy to have achieved the victory he has won, Montgomery ceases the battle on December 22, and orders his men to dig in along the Gazala line running from Gazala to Bir Hakeim. Montgomery also requests every available land mine and as many replacements as he can get and begins shifting his logistics and RAF airfields closer to the new front. Rommel meanwhile waits for reinforcements and replacements at El Agheila, while the Italians send reinforcements and replacements to Benghazi.
The British 8th Army and General Montgomery have won a costly but important victory at the cost of 20,000 casuaties and 400 tanks versus Axis losses of 40,000 men and 300 tanks. For the remainder of the year the two forces remain at rest as they recover from the fierce three week battle which allows their troops to enjoy a Christmas meal in a base camp instead of on the march.
Last edited:
Mac vs Luo_Zhuoying, or the Allies vs Japan? That's a (weak) joke.
