Victory in Tunisia Europe 1943

Victory in Tunisia - Europe 1943

FDR and Churchill at Casablanca Conference, from ILN cover, 2/6/43

Casablanca Conference Jan. 14-24, 1943

Giraud and DeGaulle "forced" handshake
from ILN 1943/02/06

Eisenhower
from ILN 1943/02/20
FDR and Churchill meet in North Africa - images of the 5th war conference

Casablanca decisions:

Anfa pledge - Giraud and deGaulle to cooperate as "local authorities"
unconditional surrender - but only verbal declaration by FDR
see end of FDR's radio speech 1943/2/12
Global strategy - see the Casablanca Communique of 1943/1/24:

1. secure the Atlantic lifeline ag. U-boat in Battle of the Atlantic
2. "a paying investment" to aid Russia (FDR memo Jan. 23)
3. invade Sicily - op. HUSKY
4. BOLERO buildup, bomber offensive
5. Pacific operations, aid China

Ike promoted to full general and overall command, but British skeptical of Ike; Alan Brooke able to appoint Harold Alexander as commander of ground troops in Tunisia

Tunisia

Mediterranean map top - mid bott
from ILN 1941/04/19

from East - Gen. Kenneth Anderson & British 1st Army and Gen. Bernard Montgomery & British 8th Army

from West - Gen. L.R. Fredendall & U.S. Army 2nd Corps

held back in reserve - Gen. Mark Clark & US 5th Army

Gen. Carl Spaatz led U.S. Air forces, but Arthur Tedder was the Allied Air Commander

Tunisia map
from ILN 1943/05/08 - large
German reinforcement of Tunisia

Field Marshall Albert Kesselring sent troops from Italy

Hitler created 5th Panzer under Gen. Jurgen von Arnim - grew to 11 divisions
German offensive started in Jan. 1943

Jan. 30 drove Americans & British out of Faid Pass & the eastern dorsal

George Patton
from ILN 1943/03/27

Feb. 19 - Kasserine Pass in the western dorsal

Fredendall lost 3000 casualties, 3700 captured, 200 tanks
but German tanks unable to maneuver in narrow mountain passes
March 4 - 2-star Gen. George S. Patton arrived

"blew into Tunisia like a cyclone"
replaced Fredendall as II Corps commander

German prisoners in Tunisia
led by Brit with white flag
from ILN 1943/05/22
Mar. 16 - Gafsa, El Guettar

lesson of Kasserine - take sides of mt. passes first
but U.S. role was only a diversion for main Brit attack in east

Mar. 20 - Monty attacks Mareth line Apr. 1 - Patton drove down road to Gabes - through minefield

Apr. 22 - Allies shot down 16 of 21 Gigant motorised gliders

German gliders used in Crete
from ILN 1941/07/26 - large
Apr. 30 - Germans out of fuel - distilled from local wines and spirits

May 7 - fall of Bizerte

May 8 - Luftwaffe abandoned Tunisia

May 13 - final surrender of German & Italian army - 275,000

was a major disaster for Mussolini

Eastern Front
Russian Caucasus offensive successful - map from Eastern Front images

Jan. 31 - Paulus surrendered at Stalingrad

Feb. 8 - Kursk taken - salient formed in Russian front

Feb. 16 - Kharkov taken

Feb. 22 - Manstein's counteroffensive began from south

July 12 - battle of Kursk - 1800 tanks - largest of the war

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