Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45
Bardia to Enfidaville
by Major-General W. G. Stevens
War History Branch
Department of Internal Affairs
Wellington, New Zealand
1962
The authors of the volumes in this series of histories prepared under the supervision of the War History Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs have been given full access to official documents. They and the Editor-in-Chief are responsible for the statements made and the views expressed by them.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Pause at Bardia
The Halt at Bardia – Reorganisation – 5 Infantry Brigade Group – 6 Infantry Brigade Group
Chapter 2: Squaring Up to the Agheila Position
Air Power – Operation torch – The Enemy Retirement into the Agheila Position – Montgomery – Rommel and the Enemy – The El Agheila Position – Plan of Attack – Preliminary Moves – In the El Haseiat Area – The Enemy in early December
Chapter 3: Left Hook at El Agheila
Across the Rift – Pushing on – 14 December – Enemy Reaction – Into the Blue – 15 December – 6 Brigade Advances – The Enemy escapes – 16 December
Tidying Up – Attacking Nofilia – Outflanking Nofilia – Night Operations – Gone Away – After Nofilia
Chapter 5: Preparing to Hurry to Tripoli
Tunisian Front – The General Situation on Eighth Army’s Front – From the Enemy’s Side – Christmas Interlude – Back to Business – The Terrain – Plans for Operation fire-eater – The Division moves Forward – Divisional Orders for the Advance – The Enemy – 2 NZ Division Closes up for the Attack
15th January – The Enemy on 15 January – 16 January – across Wadi Zemzem – The Enemy on 16 January – 17 January – across Wadi Sofeggin – The Enemy on 17 January – 18 and 19 January – Bottleneck at Beni Ulid – The Enemy on 18 January – 19 January at Beni Ulid – The Enemy on 19–20 January – 20 January – into the Gebel – The Enemy on 20 January – 21 January – the Plains of Tripoli – The Enemy on 21 January – Action at Azizia, 22 January – The Enemy on 22 January – 23 January – Tripoli Captured – The Enemy on 23 January – Mr Churchill’s Visit
Chapter 7: The Medenine Incident
Early Days in Tripoli – Demonstrations and Discussions – Dock Labour – Other Activities – The Casablanca Conference – The Enemy Attempt at Disruption – Allied Counter-action – In the Background – Operation PUGILIST – Operation PUGILIST – General Plan of Eighth Army – 2 NZ Division Moves to Medenine – 5 Infantry Brigade Group and 4 Light Armoured Brigade in Position – The Remainder of the Division – Lull before the Storm – The Enemy Prepares – The Enemy Attacks – The Enemy Withdraws – Some Thoughts on Medenine
Chapter 8: Preparing for PUGILIST
The Terrain – The Outflanking Problem – 2 NZ Division Prepares – NZ Corps Moves Forward – NZ Corps Operation Order No. 1 – Administrative Instructions – Final Preparations – First Army Front – The Enemy
Delayed Attack – 22 March – The Enemy – 22 March – NZ Corps – 23 March – The Right Flank on 23 March – The Main Mareth Front – NZ Corps winds up PUGILIST – The Enemy – Change of Plan
Chapter 10: SUPERCHARGE – a Victory
Preparations on 25 March – Orders for supercharge – Starting Positions for supercharge – Artillery – Rate of Advance – Air Support – Brigade Operation Orders – The Enemy – An Outline of SUPERCHARGE II – 8 Armoured Brigade – 28 (Maori) Battalion – 23 Battalion – 24 Battalion – Flanking Units – 1 Armoured Division – The Enemy – Point 209
Chapter 11: Concentration at Gabes
Reorganisation – Dealing with the El Hamma Bottleneck – New Zealand Corps advances – 5 Infantry Brigade Group on 28 March – The Enemy on 28 March – 10 Corps’ Orders – Gabes Captured – The Enemy on 29 March – The End of the supercharge Phase – Tebaga in Retrospect
Chapter 12: Breakthrough at Akarit
Eighteenth Army Group Plan – Eighth Army Plan – The Terrain – Enemy Dispositions – 2 NZ Division is Relieved – Plans and Orders – 2 NZ Division Orders – Artillery – Brigade Plans – Divisional Activities, 1–6 April – The Enemy – The Attack at Akarit – Position at the End of 6 April – The Enemy – Advance from Akarit – 8 April – 9 April – to the Sfax-Faid Road – First Army Front – 10 April – Cross-country Journey – 11 April – Rest and no Rest – 12 April – the End of Desert Fighting
Chapter 13: Up Against It at Enfidaville
First Contacts with the Enemy Line – A Halt on 14 April – The Tactical Picture – Comparative Strengths – Eighth Army – 10 Corps’ Plan – 2 NZ Division, 15–18 April – 6 Infantry Brigade and Enfidaville – 5 Infantry Brigade and the Takrouna Area – Other Activities – Patrolling – 10 Corps’ Orders – 8 Armoured Brigade – 6 Infantry Brigade – 5 Infantry Brigade – 28 (Maori) Battalion – 21 Battalion – 23 Battalion – Plans Reviewed – Lining up for oration – The Enemy
Chapter 14: ORATION – a Soldiers’ Battle
6 Infantry Brigade – 26 Battalion – 24 Battalion – Other Arms in 6 Brigade – 5 Infantry Brigade – 28 (Maori) Battalion – 21 Battalion – 23 Battalion – 23 and 28 (Maori) Battalions – The Assault on Takrouna – Situation at First Light, 20 April – 6 Infantry Brigade on 20 April – 5 Infantry Brigade – Takrouna, 20 April – 21 Battalion – Situation at the End of 20 April – 20–21 April – Some Reorganisation – 21 April – the End of oration – Operations on Djebel Garci – oration in Retrospect
Chapter 15: The End in North Africa
2 NZ Division after Takrouna – The General Situation up to 26 April – Eighth Army Plans – Change of Plan – 2 NZ Division from 27 April to 3 May – The Last Plan – Operations Around Djebibina – The Campaign Ends – 2 NZ Division after the Surrender – Back to Egypt
1: Allied Battle Casualties, North Africa, October 1942–May 1943
2: 2 New Zealand Division Casualties, 11 November 1942–13 May 1943*
3: Axis Casualties, 23 October 1942–13 May 1943
On to Tunis – NZ Army (H. Paton)
The left hook at El Agheila – F. T. Allan
A 25-pounder and its limber are winched up a rise – F. T. Allan
New Zealand Vickers guns in position near Wadi Matratin –
General Freyberg confers with his O Group near Nofilia – J. C. White
Bypassing a demolished bridge on the Via Balbia near Sirte – NZ Army
Engineers search the roadside for mines – NZ Army
A sapper removes an S-mine from a landing field – NZ Army (H. Paton)
An enemy shell bursts among advancing transport to the south of Buerat – J. C. White
The Division, in desert formation, advances from Wadi Zemzem towards Beni Ulid – NZ Army (H. Paton)
Beni Ulid - from a painting by R. L. Kay –
New Zealand engineers clear a track on the route between Beni Ulid and Azizia – NZ Army (H. Paton)
A British armoured car near Tarhuna – NZ Army (H. Paton)
A New Zealand column approaches Tarhuna – NZ Army (H. Paton)
On the road to Azizia – NZ Army (H. Paton)
New Zealand sappers make friends with an Italian family on the way to Tripoli – NZ Army (H. Paton)
General Freyberg confers with a Royal Scots Greys officer and Brigadier Weir near Azizia – NZ Army (H. Paton)
Entering Tripoli. Four Maori soldiers share a tin of bully beef; Maori anti-tank gunners drive through an avenue of bluegums – NZ Army (H. Paton)
A New Zealand battalion on an Eighth Army church parade in Tripoli – NZ Army (H. Paton)
Unloading supplies from a lighter at Tripoli – NZ Army
Divisional parade for Mr Churchill at Castel Benito, 4 February 1943 – NZ Army (H. Paton)
Mr Churchill takes the salute – NZ Army (H. Paton)
Medenine – J. M. Mitchell
Soft sand on the route to the Tebaga Gap – G. V. Turnbull
Operation SUPERCHARGE: an aerial mosaic of the Tebaga Gap – Army Air Photograph Interpretation Unit
A 1 Armoured Division tank on its way to the Tebaga Gap – K. G. Killob
The breakthrough at Tebaga. British tanks assemble for the advance to El Hamma – British official photograph
Passing through Gabes. The inhabitants fill in a crossing over Wadi Gabes – NZ Army (H. Paton)
A Hurricane drops a message at New Zealand Corps Headquarters – J. C. White
Stretcher bearers carry wounded to an ambulance plane near Tebaga Gap – NZ Army (H. Paton)
Eighth Army advances to attack the Wadi Akarit position – Indian official photograph
NZASC vehicles pass through the Wadi Akarit defences – O. Bracegirdle
The Enfidaville battlefield – a relief model made by New Zealand engineers –
Takrouna, from the east – French official photograph
5 Brigade’s sector, showing the axes of advance of the three battalions of 5 Brigade –
Takrouna. The Ledge, taken from the Pinnacle – NZ Army (M. D. Elias)
Looking south-east from Takrouna – K. G. Killoh
The lower village – K. G. Killoh
New Zealand field artillery in action near Takrouna – NZ Army (M. D. Elias)
A convoy passes through a field of daisies – NZ Army (M. D. Elias)
Black diamond signs and cactus hedges mark the route forward – NZ Army (M. D. Elias)
Italian troops surrender north of Enfidaville – NZ Army (M. D. Elias)
General Montgomery – NZ Army (H. Paton)
Lieutenant-General Horrocks – British official photograph
10 Corps Headquarters awaits word of the enemy’s capitulation, 13 May 1943 –
10 Corps’ message to 1 Italian Army, 9.5 p.m., 12 May 1943, and situation report on 13 May notifying the surrender of the Italians – War Diary, G Branch, 2 NZ Division
Field Marshal Messe surrenders to General Freyberg, 13 May 1943 – J. C. White
General Mannerini, GOC Saharan Group, with his Chief of Staff at Divisional Headquarters, 8 April 1943 – NZ Army (H. Paton)
General von Liebenstein, GOC 164 Light Africa Division, surrenders on 13 May – J. C. White
German prisoners in Tunisia – NZ Army (M. D. Elias)
An Italian taken at Akarit – NZ Army (H. Paton)
War cemetery at Enfidaville – French official photograph
The Division returns to Egypt – NZ Army (H. Paton)
The end of a 2000-mile journey. Passing through Maadi township; arriving at Maadi Camp – NZ Army (H. Paton)
List of Maps
The Mediterranean Theatre
2 New Zealand Division’s route from Bardia to Wadi Matratin
Nofilia to Tripoli
Tripoli to Medenine
Outflanking the Mareth Line
Gabes to Enfidaville
In text
Wadi Matratin, 15–16 December 1942
Outflanking Nofilia, 17–18 December 1942
Medenine, 6 March 1943
5 Brigade positions at Medenine
Plan for Operation PUGILIST. New Zealand Corps’ assembly areas, axis of advance and objectives
6 Brigade attacks Point 201, 21–22 March
Mannerini Group positions on 22 March showing 6 NZ Brigade’s penetration at Point 201 – a trace from enemy records
Operation SUPERCHARGE. The breakthrough at Tebaga Gap, 26 March
Liebenstein Group positions, 27 March, showing advance by 1 Armoured Division and counter-attack by 15 Panzer – a trace from enemy records
30 Corps’ attack at Wadi Akarit, 5–6 April 1943
10 Corps’ plan for Operation ORATION
Takrouna. Company positions and lines of advance, 19–20 April
Djebel Terhouna and Djebel es Srafi. Night attacks on 23 and 24 April
5 Brigade operations north-east of Djebibina, 4–8 May
The End in Tunisia, April–May 1943