In 1943, world war II entered a stalemate, and the German Army of North Africa was defeated by the British general Montgomery at the Battle of El Alamein. But it was impossible to hang the British as it had done before. At the same time, the US army has landed in North Africa, which is undoubtedly a strong aid to the British army. Even more terrifying was the strengthening of the sea blockade by the British Mediterranean Fleet, which was even worse for the Already undersupplied German army!
Leave me alone, the landlord's family has no surplus food!
Faced with the grim situation, Marshal Rommel immediately made a decision, personally led a large army from the Italian island of Sicily, landed in Tunisia, and randomly occupied all of Tunisia. Not to be outdone, major general Freton Road led the U.S. Second Army to the Kesselring Pass and fortified.
The Yankees rushed over!
I. Pre-war decision-making and deployment of the Battle of Kesselring Pass
This move of the US military greatly aroused the vigilance of Rommel. After several days of deliberation, he was ready to attack the American army with all his might, break through the Kesselring Pass, and then occupy the supply base in the western Algerian mountains, thus greatly alleviating the Supply Dilemma of the German Army.
1. The firepower configuration and deployment of the German army in the campaign
The main force of the German army is the tiger tank that has long been famous, and this tank has made great achievements for the German Third Reich in the battles of North Africa! Its fierce firepower, strong armor and the proper command tactics of the German army made the Allied armored forces "talk about the tiger" for a while!
People tigers are not white barking!
In addition, the 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, as a unique weapon on the battlefields of North Africa, continues to shine in this battle!
The Yankees are ready to be "popped"!
You Germans are simply "playing with laipi", and even hit the tanks with anti-aircraft guns!
The German air power was the only one in the Stu dive bombers who continued to sing the "one-man show" alone, after all, the sky had always been British!
The nickname "Screaming Death" wasn't a waste of time, but it was a long time ago
The ground forces were the 10th Panzer Division and the 21st Panzer Division, totaling more than 22,000 men, as the main force in the frontal attack of this campaign. In addition, the Italian 131 Centaur Panzer Division responded to the German frontal attack.
2. The firepower configuration and deployment of the US army in the campaign
The main force of the U.S. army armor in this campaign was the M3 tank, and the tank group needed as many as seven people. Previously, this type of tank had aided a batch of Soviet Unions, and the information fed back from the Soviet-German battlefield could be described as a wave of bad reviews, and it also had to be nicknamed "Seven Brothers Coffin"! The main force was the U.S. Second Army, with the Anglo-French (Free French) Allies coming to the rescue.
Don't spread rumors! I sue you for "slander."
The Battle of The Kesselring Pass began, and the Desert Fox hoisted the American cowboys
On 19 February 1943, Marshal Rommel personally commanded a large army to attack the American positions. Suddenly, the American positions were full of flames, and a ghost was crying wolf howl. Since the Allied top brass was unprepared before this attack, in the face of the German blitzkrieg, there was no countermeasure for a while, and they were in a dilemma. The U.S. commander had to order the troops to withdraw from the position in formation. Over the next day or two, the U.S. military gradually woke up from the initial helplessness, gradually adjusted its troop deployment, and at the same time received strong volunteers from Britain and France (Free France), especially the air force.
Yankees have a kind of don't run!
In the end, Field Marshal Rommel, in the face of serious shortages of supplies and lack of air superiority, had to order the Germans to withdraw from the Kesselring Pass, and the Americans immediately regained their positions. The Battle of Kesselring Pass came to an end.
On the German-Italian Axis side: more than 2,000 casualties and 34 tanks were lost; on the Allied side: more than 30,000 casualties, more than 180 tanks and other military vehicles were lost.
In general, later historians see the Battle of Kesselring Pass as a prelude to the Battle of Tunis, as well as the last German victory in the North African theater of World War II. Although the battle lasted less than a week, it still had a great impact on both sides.
1. The impact of the campaign on the German-Italian Axis
In terms of the above casualty figures, the German army won the battle with less than one-tenth of the enemy's casualties, but only a tactical victory, and undoubtedly a strategic defeat. The Germans neither took the Allied supply bases nor annihilated the living forces of the Americans. Once again, Marshal Rommel proved that Marshal Rommel was only a good tactician.
You want to put on a layman's leader, not as good as me!
2. The impact of the campaign on the Allied forces of the United States, Britain and France
In view of the poor performance of the US army in this battle, Eisenhower transferred the COMMANDER of the US army and replaced him with General Patton, who was famous in World War II, and the nightmare of the Germans came! In this campaign, the Royal Air Force undoubtedly did its best to turn the tide at a critical moment, helping the US army to gain a firm foothold and then recover the lost ground. By the way, he also gave the US military a joke and mocked - "You are the 'Italians' on our side." ”
The German guy washed his neck and waited to die!
Conclusion: For whom does the death knell ring? Justice is never absent
The losses suffered by the Allies at the Battle of Kesselring Pass were not worth mentioning in the face of the continuous supply that followed, and then in the Battle of Tunis, the American Army, under the leadership of General Patton, fought more and more courageously to break through the main force of Rommel, and the German-Italian North African Army, except for a few escapes, most of the rest were completely annihilated, capturing more than 230,000 German and Italian officers and soldiers, thus achieving the final victory in the North African Campaign. The death knell of German-Italian fascism has been sounded, and history has once again proved that justice will triumph over evil!
German and Italian officers and soldiers captured by the Allies in the North African Campaign
Tiger tank destroyed by the Allies