In October and November 1942 the British Eighth Army under General Montgomery fought the Battle of El Alamein, which was to signal the end of the British withdrawals in North Africa and the beginning of the final advance along the Libyan coast. On 8/9 November 1942, British and American forces under General Eisenhower landed in Morocco and Algeria. The German/Italian Axis forces were now caught in a pincer movement, being hounded by Montgomery from the east and by Eisenhower from the south and west. Slowly the German and Italian forces were driven into Tunisia, where they eventually surrendered in May 1943.
This tour follows that last campaign in Tunisia, part of the North African campaign of world war II. We begin by examining the battle of the Mareth Line where, in March 1943, the Eighth Army broke through the defences of Tunisia proper, in an assault bitterly contested by crack Italian Fascisti units supported by German Panzers, under the command of Erwin Rommel.
|  |
Then we follow the fighting to the battle of Wadi Akarit, where an astonishing night attack by the 4th Indian Division in April 1943 allowed the Eighth Army to force the Gabes Gap. We then step sideways to look at the battle of Kasserine Pass, the first battle fought by American troops in the Western Hemisphere and a disaster from which the US Army quickly learned valuable lessons. Staying with the 1st Army, we visit the site of the battle of Takruna, a vicious slogging match to capture the high ground looking towards Tunis, and Longstop Hill, scene of tenacious fighting in early May 1943, before the final surrender of Axis forces later that month.
Dr. Chris Pugsley is your guide, bringing this period to life.
Tunisia, once the granary of the Roman Empire, has seen many wars and myriad conquerors in its long history. Interspersed with our examination of the events of 1943, we shall visit British and German WW2 cemeteries and memorials, and also Roman and Carthaginian sites, including ancient Carthage, home of Hannibal Barca, one of the greatest generals of military history.
|
