Nigel Cawthorne by Japanese Reaping the Whirlwind: Personal Accounts of the German, Italian Experiences of WW II Page A
Authors: Japanese Reaping the Whirlwind: Personal Accounts of the German, Italian Experiences of WW II
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– French and British – were contradictory and of little use.
However, it became clear that an attack was coming soon – particularly when Allied air reconnaissance was stepped up on 21 December.
Following a brief expenditure of ammunition reminding us of the First World War, the attack started on 22 December. In that coverless, hilly terrain, which produces only some miserable and thorny bushes and afforded no chance whatsoever for digging in, the brave German soldier was mercilessly exposed to the hail of shells and rock fragments. The fireworks claimed their victims … After hours of enemy fire, the enemy infantry rose to an assault on the decimated defenders, but was unable to reach its immediate objectives. All day long and during the night, the battle fluctuated back and forth … General von Arnim, as commander of the Axis forces in Tunisia, took the opportunity to express Field Marshal Kesselring’s approval and, disregarding the proximity of the enemy, he decorated some of our valiant fighters in the most advanced line …
Again the fighting flared up. Fighting went on all night long. The enemy finally succeeded in gaining possession of the summit of the mountain and some hills towards the west. The situation had grown to be very serious … To get us out of this difficult situation I assembled a counterattack for Holy Night. The commander who knows his men is entitled to make a demand of this kind on them, even though they had suffered severe casualties, were tired from extensive fighting during wet and cold days and nights, and were, furthermore, in an extremely unfavourable situation … The enemy forces, fighting stubbornly and obstinately, were caught in the frontal fire as well as in that from the Panzers to their west flank and were forced to give up. The group making the main effort reached the enemy’s east flank unnoticed. The enemy was completely wiped out or taken prisoner in close combat. The Panzers continued their thrust, cut off all of the important enemy elements from the chance of escaping, and proceeded up to a point where a mine field made a stop imperative … This troop had not only inflicted considerable losses to a British regiment and to an elite regiment from London, but it had also proved its ability to make a stand in defensive action.
The troops received congratulations by radio from the high command at 0955 hours on Christmas day. Even the enemy grudgingly acknowledged defeat.
The British newspapers did by no means conceal the failure of this action at Christmas time to the public, but they attributed its cause to the stormy, cold and rainy weather conditions, and to the commanding position of the Germans. It was during the close combat fighting there that the British earned the respect of the German soldier.
Although the Axis forces in North Africa were on the back foot, there were other small victories to be recorded. The March issue of the Army newspaper
Die
Wehrmacht
crowed:
Through the streets of Tunis rolls an American Sherman tank – bouncing along on its mobile tracks, its engine rumbling, with captured ammunition in its gun barrels, and on board, its crew – the German scout patrol that captured it in the hills of Sbeitla on the foggy morning of 22 February. Down it travels from the hills through the sea of olive groves, headed towards the seaport of Sfax. It’s a journey of some 210 miles, lasting four-and-a-half days, which testifies well to the overall march capacity of this steel colossus. The thing weighs about 31 metric tons. It was loaded onto a ship in the harbour while German fighter planes wheeled overhead in the clear sky of Africa, and not one enemy bomber dared intrude on this deadly zone. Now, after many intermediate stops, this star of American armament has arrived at its destination, a proving ground near Berlin, in the hands of German arms experts who are testing its combat efficiency and durability. Preliminary investigation in Tunisia had
However, it became clear that an attack was coming soon – particularly when Allied air reconnaissance was stepped up on 21 December.
Following a brief expenditure of ammunition reminding us of the First World War, the attack started on 22 December. In that coverless, hilly terrain, which produces only some miserable and thorny bushes and afforded no chance whatsoever for digging in, the brave German soldier was mercilessly exposed to the hail of shells and rock fragments. The fireworks claimed their victims … After hours of enemy fire, the enemy infantry rose to an assault on the decimated defenders, but was unable to reach its immediate objectives. All day long and during the night, the battle fluctuated back and forth … General von Arnim, as commander of the Axis forces in Tunisia, took the opportunity to express Field Marshal Kesselring’s approval and, disregarding the proximity of the enemy, he decorated some of our valiant fighters in the most advanced line …
Again the fighting flared up. Fighting went on all night long. The enemy finally succeeded in gaining possession of the summit of the mountain and some hills towards the west. The situation had grown to be very serious … To get us out of this difficult situation I assembled a counterattack for Holy Night. The commander who knows his men is entitled to make a demand of this kind on them, even though they had suffered severe casualties, were tired from extensive fighting during wet and cold days and nights, and were, furthermore, in an extremely unfavourable situation … The enemy forces, fighting stubbornly and obstinately, were caught in the frontal fire as well as in that from the Panzers to their west flank and were forced to give up. The group making the main effort reached the enemy’s east flank unnoticed. The enemy was completely wiped out or taken prisoner in close combat. The Panzers continued their thrust, cut off all of the important enemy elements from the chance of escaping, and proceeded up to a point where a mine field made a stop imperative … This troop had not only inflicted considerable losses to a British regiment and to an elite regiment from London, but it had also proved its ability to make a stand in defensive action.
The troops received congratulations by radio from the high command at 0955 hours on Christmas day. Even the enemy grudgingly acknowledged defeat.
The British newspapers did by no means conceal the failure of this action at Christmas time to the public, but they attributed its cause to the stormy, cold and rainy weather conditions, and to the commanding position of the Germans. It was during the close combat fighting there that the British earned the respect of the German soldier.
Although the Axis forces in North Africa were on the back foot, there were other small victories to be recorded. The March issue of the Army newspaper
Die
Wehrmacht
crowed:
Through the streets of Tunis rolls an American Sherman tank – bouncing along on its mobile tracks, its engine rumbling, with captured ammunition in its gun barrels, and on board, its crew – the German scout patrol that captured it in the hills of Sbeitla on the foggy morning of 22 February. Down it travels from the hills through the sea of olive groves, headed towards the seaport of Sfax. It’s a journey of some 210 miles, lasting four-and-a-half days, which testifies well to the overall march capacity of this steel colossus. The thing weighs about 31 metric tons. It was loaded onto a ship in the harbour while German fighter planes wheeled overhead in the clear sky of Africa, and not one enemy bomber dared intrude on this deadly zone. Now, after many intermediate stops, this star of American armament has arrived at its destination, a proving ground near Berlin, in the hands of German arms experts who are testing its combat efficiency and durability. Preliminary investigation in Tunisia had
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