First Clash in Tunisia DTO (id:#58944)

The Bunker (Dispatches from the Bunker # 6 ID: DB012)   [next]   [previous]

Djebel Abiod, Tunisia 1942-11-17 (5 others)

Overview:

The German XC Corps, comprised of various units which had been rushed to hod Tunisia, was attempting to expand the bridgehead perimeter by pushing combat groups towards Medjez el bab, Bedja and Djebel Aboid. The Allied command had the British 78th Division spearheading the drive on Bizerte and Tunis with its 11th and 36th Brigades, supported by Blade Force, an armored Anglo-American unit. The first major engagement between them would take place at Djebel Aboid, where lead elements of the 36th Brigade had dug in to protect the vital highway junction. Approaching the village was Kampfgruppe Witzig, which consisted of Maj. Rudolf Witzig's 11th Para-Engineer Battalion reinforced with Panzer IVs from Panzer Battaillon 190, 2cm FlaK, 10.5cm artillery, and Italian self-propelled guns. As they neared the east edge of the village the Germans were unaware of the well-concealed British positions, and it wasn't until the lead tanks were at point blank range that they opened fire.

Defender: British (Elements of the 6th Battalion Queens Own Royal West Kent Regt, 360th Battery/138th Regt R.A.,"C" Squadron/56th Recon Regt and 5th Battalion/Northamptonshire Regt (Hartforce))  

Errata (source)