Kasserine Pass Battle Analysis
1. DEFINE THE SUBJECT/EVALUATE THE SOURCES:
a. Define the Battle to be analyzed (where, why, when).The Battle of Kasserine Pass was the first big engagement between American and German forces in World War II.
1. The United States, United Kingdom and Free France were the allied forces on one side. Nazi Germany and Italy was on the other.
2. The Battle of Kasserine Pass happened on February 19-25 1943 During World War II. (Hickman, Battle of Kasserine Pass , 2016) 3. Kasserine Pass is a 2 mi (3.2 km) wide gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia.
2. REVIEW THE SETTING (SET THE STAGE):
a. Strategic/Operational Overview/ The Battle of Kasserine Pass occur during World War II in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 1941, the Western Allies, primarily the United States and Britain, began to calculate of an strategy utilizing their combined forces. While the US initially argued for an operation to invade France in 1942, limitations prevented such a bold move. The invasion of France was therefore moved to 1943, but Roosevelt and Churchill …show more content…
insisted that an operation should occur somewhere in 1942. The Allies finally agreed to Northwest Africa. Several advantages would be gained with this operation. The Allies landed on 8 November 1942, at three separate sights in Morocco and Algeria in an operation known as TORCH. This course of action proved to be very beneficial for reasons beyond the stated objectives: the green American troops were given the opportunity to practice war; it allowed for the accumulation of men and equipment; and it allowed the Allies to test their equipment, and more importantly, test the newly formed alliance, prior to attacking the Germans in Europe. (watson, 2007)The Axis strategic objectives were more defensive in nature, trying to prevent the Allies from using the Mediterranean for shipping, protecting their southern flank and trying to keep the Italians in the war. They had been trying to gain control of North Africa since the ill fated attack by the Italians into Egypt in September 1940. From the continuous see-saw campaign between Tunisia and Egypt. The advantage kept shifting between the two forces as one side overextend its supply lines, and hat point onward, until the Allies landed in Northwest Africa, the British 8th Army and the German/Italian forces, led primarily by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, conducted a an opportunity to strike a blow to the Allied First Army, prior to any offensive that could be conducted by Montgomery’s Eighth Army in the south. The Axis therefore planned a major offensive in the Area of Faid Pass and Gafsa (the extreme right of the 1st Army defenses) for mid-February. Army, under General Bernard Montgomery, began to push the Panzer Army Afrika back toward Tunisia. After TORCH, the Axis forces were in danger of being crushed between two major Allied forces. A race then ensued, with Rommel rushing westward back toward Tunisia (with Montgomery on his trail), while the newly formed British First Army moved east from Algeria to capture the ports of Bizerte and Tunis. Field Marshall Kesselring, the ranking German in the Theater, attempted to counter this move by rushing troops into Tunisia to secure Rommel’s rear area. (watson, 2007) (rottmann, n.d.)
b. Study the area of operations.
(1) Weather: Angry winds from the Sahara lashed the mountains and plains of central Tunisia just before dawn on.
The howling currents and swirling dust cloaked the maneuvers of advancing German armored battle groups. Weather did not play a great role in the actual Sidi Bou Zid engagement. It was significant in the events leading up to Kasserine Pass. In November 1942, as the British First Army approached Bizarte and Tunis along the northern routes from the TORCH landing sites, severe rains turned the ground into a muddy quagmire. The present of this harsh weather shifted to the German defenders and the Allied offensive ground to a halt. The Allies decided to await the end of the rainy season (March time frame) for further offensive operations. As a result, the US II Corps was moved south to establish defensive positions along the Eastern Dorsal. (Chen, n.d.) (watson,
2007) (2) Terrain: Stretching down the center of Tunisia, just south of Tunis, are two mountain ranges, called the Eastern and Western Dorsal. Most passed though the East of the mountain.
c. Compare the principle antagonists (Operational/Tactical). (1)Size and composition: US and Allied forces consisted of the U.S. II Corps (Major General Lloyd Fredendall), the British 6th Armored Division (Major-General Charles Keightley) and other parts of the First Army (Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson) strength of about 30,000. Nazi Germany and contributors General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, were primarily from the Africa Corps Assault Group, elements of the Italian Armored Division and two Panzer divisions detached from the 5th Panzer Army which equaled to about 22,000 (rottmann, n.d.).
a. Define the Battle to be analyzed (where, why, when).The Battle of Kasserine Pass was the first big engagement between American and German forces in World War II.
1. The United States, United Kingdom and Free France were the allied forces on one side. Nazi Germany and Italy was on the other.
2. The Battle of Kasserine Pass happened on February 19-25 1943 During World War II. (Hickman, Battle of Kasserine Pass , 2016) 3. Kasserine Pass is a 2 mi (3.2 km) wide gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia.
2. REVIEW THE SETTING (SET THE STAGE):
a. Strategic/Operational Overview/ The Battle of Kasserine Pass occur during World War II in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 1941, the Western Allies, primarily the United States and Britain, began to calculate of an strategy utilizing their combined forces. While the US initially argued for an operation to invade France in 1942, limitations prevented such a bold move. The invasion of France was therefore moved to 1943, but Roosevelt and Churchill …show more content…
insisted that an operation should occur somewhere in 1942. The Allies finally agreed to Northwest Africa. Several advantages would be gained with this operation. The Allies landed on 8 November 1942, at three separate sights in Morocco and Algeria in an operation known as TORCH. This course of action proved to be very beneficial for reasons beyond the stated objectives: the green American troops were given the opportunity to practice war; it allowed for the accumulation of men and equipment; and it allowed the Allies to test their equipment, and more importantly, test the newly formed alliance, prior to attacking the Germans in Europe. (watson, 2007)The Axis strategic objectives were more defensive in nature, trying to prevent the Allies from using the Mediterranean for shipping, protecting their southern flank and trying to keep the Italians in the war. They had been trying to gain control of North Africa since the ill fated attack by the Italians into Egypt in September 1940. From the continuous see-saw campaign between Tunisia and Egypt. The advantage kept shifting between the two forces as one side overextend its supply lines, and hat point onward, until the Allies landed in Northwest Africa, the British 8th Army and the German/Italian forces, led primarily by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, conducted a an opportunity to strike a blow to the Allied First Army, prior to any offensive that could be conducted by Montgomery’s Eighth Army in the south. The Axis therefore planned a major offensive in the Area of Faid Pass and Gafsa (the extreme right of the 1st Army defenses) for mid-February. Army, under General Bernard Montgomery, began to push the Panzer Army Afrika back toward Tunisia. After TORCH, the Axis forces were in danger of being crushed between two major Allied forces. A race then ensued, with Rommel rushing westward back toward Tunisia (with Montgomery on his trail), while the newly formed British First Army moved east from Algeria to capture the ports of Bizerte and Tunis. Field Marshall Kesselring, the ranking German in the Theater, attempted to counter this move by rushing troops into Tunisia to secure Rommel’s rear area. (watson, 2007) (rottmann, n.d.)
b. Study the area of operations.
(1) Weather: Angry winds from the Sahara lashed the mountains and plains of central Tunisia just before dawn on.
The howling currents and swirling dust cloaked the maneuvers of advancing German armored battle groups. Weather did not play a great role in the actual Sidi Bou Zid engagement. It was significant in the events leading up to Kasserine Pass. In November 1942, as the British First Army approached Bizarte and Tunis along the northern routes from the TORCH landing sites, severe rains turned the ground into a muddy quagmire. The present of this harsh weather shifted to the German defenders and the Allied offensive ground to a halt. The Allies decided to await the end of the rainy season (March time frame) for further offensive operations. As a result, the US II Corps was moved south to establish defensive positions along the Eastern Dorsal. (Chen, n.d.) (watson,
2007) (2) Terrain: Stretching down the center of Tunisia, just south of Tunis, are two mountain ranges, called the Eastern and Western Dorsal. Most passed though the East of the mountain.
c. Compare the principle antagonists (Operational/Tactical). (1)Size and composition: US and Allied forces consisted of the U.S. II Corps (Major General Lloyd Fredendall), the British 6th Armored Division (Major-General Charles Keightley) and other parts of the First Army (Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson) strength of about 30,000. Nazi Germany and contributors General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, were primarily from the Africa Corps Assault Group, elements of the Italian Armored Division and two Panzer divisions detached from the 5th Panzer Army which equaled to about 22,000 (rottmann, n.d.).