El Guettar - additional info on units

[archibaldthe1]

I got to El Guettar section of Howe's book. So naturally was very interested in the information available around the action on 23rd. There are few fairly minor clarifications that could be added to the game's operation, but as always with newer operations, the quality level of what we already get is very high.

First things first - there is no German info online that I could get to that would describe 10TD actions and intentions in details.
One change compared to what's in the game I could find - 10th PzD specifically for this counterattack was attached to DAK. And even right before then, it technically wasn't a part of 5th PzA (it was a reserve of Army Group Afrika). Something that would surely drive people who think that theoretical OOB's can't be broken nuts! In fact, 5th PzA archives have war diaries from BG Lang (same PzGr Regiment as those participating in El Guettar under 10th PzD) on March 23rd, but none from 10th PzD (for that reason I assume). The records from DAK for that time period exist, just not online

[archibaldthe1]

Next, there is divisional arty for 1ID:
at the time, it was 32, 33, 5, 7, 17 (less Bn 2) and Bt A of 36 FA
All of them, except 7 fired on German tanks on 23rd at some point: https://i.imgur.com/O0eAr0K.jpg, even 33FA, which is directly attached to 26IR. 7FA was in Gafsa.

5, 17 and A/36 are 155mm, the rest are 105mm: https://i.imgur.com/yNNodzL.jpg

5th and 32nd each has an AA battery attached: https://i.imgur.com/uq0RFue.jpg (A and C of 105 CA Bn respectively). I know there is no 40 mm Bofors modeled though

Edit (7/28): actually, 7FA eventually moves closer and contributes https://i.imgur.com/Y50RcvN.jpg (can be modeled as FO arriving)?

And I have more info on 155mm howitzers used:
A/36 is the french model (that's in the game) - note M1 shell is M1A1 "Long Tom" (not sure why the shell is listed as M1, but I have several source that confirm this)
5th is using M102 shell, so it must be 155 mm Howitzer M1 https://i.imgur.com/6l5i0xC.jpg ("Dozen" is the code name for 5FA). Apparently, the old 1917 French guns used both Mk1A1 and M102 shells, so let’s say there are no 155mm M1 at this time (also the charges used indicate the older howitzer).
17th is a split: https://i.imgur.com/zlll3RE.jpg (uses both M1A1 and M102 shells) - also 1917 (or 1918) Schneiders

https://imgur.com/0tkqtXQ - this is what's used by M1 155mm Howitzer (M107)
https://imgur.com/GAa5eyy - M102 has limited use in M1. I am not 100% sure if it's fot training only or not
https://imgur.com/a1yWN1w , https://imgur.com/3TkHnkJ - both of these can be fired by 1917 Schneider 155mm, so it's just that not everyone had modern ammo available.


Hard to find more precise data - the earliest equipment list 1st ID has online is from summer 1943

Some authors put 155mm M1 Howitzers in Tunisia. So maybe I have to edit this post yet again ;)

Edit (Nov 14): I was very much incorrect on the types of guns (calibers are good though), made edit, put some links to US army munition guide screenshots

[archibaldthe1]

Now, a question - which of these should be on the map? There is pretty detailed info by the DA HQ as well as the individual battalions. So here we have a contact (or near-contact) and withdrawal for
17FA: https://i.imgur.com/vSQ6etn.jpg (at 8:25)
32FA: https://i.imgur.com/mFcFbcX.jpg (at 10:35)
5FA: https://i.imgur.com/j5i3gYv.jpg (at 11:30)

I have the coordinates for them on 22nd (will post)

With that in mind, what would be "regimental arty" how is divisional arty distributed for 16IR and 18IR? Here is the task assignment:
https://i.imgur.com/rS8nNqo.jpg and https://i.imgur.com/77bYvbv.jpg

The only one "attached" was 33FA to 26IR (26IR did not participate in the defense from the attack along Gafsa-Gabes road)
7FA is the one supporting 16IR, but 16IR was supposed to be in reserve, so 7FA never participates (it's all the way back in Gafsa, yet it moves in closer, so it must be temporarily reassigned away from supporting 16IR at the time)
32FA supports 18IR, but it's already on-map.

[archibaldthe1]

As far as infantry, there is just a couple of things to nitpick

One is that 18IR has extra cannon coy platoons attached, one from 26IR and one from 16IR:
https://i.imgur.com/miC69i9.jpg
It's not clear though - this screenshot shows that extra platoons are 105mm, but there is another page that says 75mm SPG's are attached.
So 3/18IR has two cannon platoons attached (1 native 105 and 1 from 16th)
The rest is hanging around 1 and 2 Bn's

Edit (7/29): The order states that Cannon Coy platoons that went to 18IR are 75mm: https://i.imgur.com/QAUEdEl.jpg

3/18IR, according to its heavy company executive officer, was closer to the "horseshow" (i.e. dj Mchelat): https://i.imgur.com/K8KNdKL.jpg (this is from https://mcoecbamcoepwprd01.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/library/DonovanPapers/wwii/STUP2/S-Z/Smith%20Herbert%20A%20Jr%20CPT.pdf )
This is also somewhat corroborated by the coordinates (although they are very imprecise) here: https://i.imgur.com/miC69i9.jpg


It's possible 2/16IR arrived by mid-morning to the positions of 3/16IR. It is from this article: https://mcoepublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/library/DonovanPapers/wwii/STUP2/A-F/ButlerAllen%20S.%20MAJ.pdf (page 13). There is definitely an order issued for that at 6:50AM, but I am not sure how much I trust that particular paragraph, since it's claiming 17FA is arriving from reserve, while in fact 17FA was withdrawing
Edit: It certainly did arrive at some point: https://i.imgur.com/JQdEEPF.jpg
Edit2: Ok, there is a 5FA report confirming that 2/16IR and TD's arrived before 11:30: https://i.imgur.com/WDPLMYS.jpg

Names of some of the CO's are known:
Lt Colonel Robert H York: 18IR 1Bn CO
Lt colonel Ben Sternberg: 18IR 2Bn CO
Lt colonel Courtney Brown: 18IR 3Bn CO
Colonel Frank U Greer: 18IR CO
Lt. Col. Herschel D. Baker: 601TD Bn CO
Lt. Col. William O. Darby: 1 Ranger Bn CO
Lt. Col. Maxwell A. Tincher: 899 TD Bn CO
Lt. Col. Joseph B. Crawford: 16IR 2Bn CO
Colonel d’Alary Fechet: 16IR CO
Colonel George A. Taylor: 26IR CO
Lt. Col. John W. Bowen: 26IR 3Bn CO
Lt. Col. Clarence E. Beck: 26IR2nd Bn CO
Lt. Col. Gerald Kelleher: 26IR 1st Bn CO

I suppose they aren't "famous” (except maybe Darby), but I like seeing real CO names in the game.

Oh, and the main event: bazooka firing by 3/18IR: https://i.imgur.com/E5gUGV0.jpg
Dislaimer: this is from that same article, which isn't even written by the participant in the events, so does not quite cut it for Graviteam :)

[archibaldthe1]

Forgot about minefields. They were further up next to where 3/16IR - 18IR HQ positions are:
https://i.imgur.com/tDf0ju2.jpg mines
And engineers to lay them are: https://i.imgur.com/OeBdzkN.jpg, https://i.imgur.com/wGyys59.jpg

[archibaldthe1]

This has nothing to do with the game operation, but an interesting piece of information I found while searching for a more detailed information on equipment. 188th is the Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Bn:

So strong was the counterattack during the week following that Gafsa itself was threatened. The 188th Battalion, which had followed II Corps headquarters into Gafsa on 20 March, was organized for defense. One company practiced firing 105-mm. howitzers, another was made into an infantry heavy weapons company, and the third was assigned an antitank and infantry role. A tremendous strain was placed on the 53d Ammunition Company's dump, manned by only half the company, the other half having been left behind with the 42d Battalion. On 23-24 March one section of the 53d handled an average of about 40 tons per man. Fortunately the crisis was soon over and the Ordnance units did not have to become combat units.

[archibaldthe1]

And then another minor point as far as 601TD - its recon company was in front of C and B positions (it had the first contact with the enemy). Both Bn CO and Coy CO reports indicate that: https://tankdestroyer.net/images/stories/ArticlePDFs/601st_Battle_Operations_Report_El_Guettar_Mar._23_1943--10_pages.pdf
https://tankdestroyer.net/images/stories/ArticlePDFs/601st_Op_Statements_Recon_Co_Mar._23_1943--5_pages.pdf

I could not find anything concrete, but it appears that recon Coy has normal infantry platoons with Jeeps. The 37mm M6 just happen to be available because the battalion's TD companies got rid of those. So we should have 2 platoons of recon Coy + 3 M3 + M6’s closest to the enemy advance, and the remaining platoon of recon Coy part of Coy A position

[archibaldthe1]

899TD does not have a particularly detailed report to work with: https://www.tankdestroyer.net/images/stories/ArticlePDFs2/899th-Rpt_of_Combat_March_15_-_Apr_11_1943-13_pg.pdf

One change compared to the game - according to this report, Coy A remained in reserve at point 2373, which is not on the map (apparently it's where road to Gabes and "gumtree" roads split just next El Guettar

[archibaldthe1]

Here are the artillery positions (those close to the action), I skipped 33FA as it's clearly near 26IR ,A/36 which is way west (4km west of 17) and 7FA which is all the way back in Gafsa. I can't guarantee the accuracy - I am not quite following how 5FA got cut off if the attack never penetrated beyond hill 336. But it's plausible that 5FA position extend to north-east, in which case it does make sense. Anyways, here are the positions overlayed on the local map they used at the time:

https://i.imgur.com/SGQ3sM4.png

Edit: in 5FA report, they state that infantry (3/16IR) retreated behind then, and they remained on the side of the ridge facing the attack. so the position does make sense.

[archibaldthe1]

This illustrates my original point on 10PzD not being under 5th PzA:
https://i.imgur.com/jfcwqcL.png
The order states that II/7PzR is transferred from 5th tank army to 10th Tank Division. Separately, there is a count of tanks by formation, and you can see that 10th TD is counted under DAK instead of 5th Tank Army: https://i.imgur.com/2WN48bO.jpg

This settles the matter either way: https://i.imgur.com/D1mikdW.jpg
DAK is to take 10th TD and Cetauro and "restore" Gafsa positions

Edit: while we on the topic of OOB - German force in Chouigui Pass operations wasn't under 90 LID, it was under "von Broich" division.
Edit (Jan 20 2022): just as minor - for hill 290 timeframe, both 21 TD and 10 TD are under German Africa Corps, which itself is under Army Group Africa (the game has "Tank Army Africa", which is the older name for the organization).

[archibaldthe1]

You have to admire the effort of the developers to find as much data as possible to stay true to history!
Here is an example - I am reading Howe's book next chapter (it, among other things described the events transpired in Hill 290 operation). And it mentions that to help 10TD, in addition to the units of 21th TD (group Pfeiffer), DAK sent Panzergrenadier Regiment "Africa" a day earlier (March 29). Is that the same regiment that just operated in the thick of things on Mareth line? It took me 4 days just to figure out what in world Panzergrenadier Regiment "Africa" even means! An unconfirmed version is this http://lrdg.hegewisch.net/elite_german.html (lexicon-der-wehrmacht seems to repeat the origins story of Sonderverband 288), and while I was able to find it in 164's OOB (BG Menton - the regiment is still in its glory with most of its assets intact): https://i.imgur.com/rFw38fg.jpg, during the time of Mareth line engagement, the only mention of the regiment was in 90 LID papers (Graviteam evidently got the information for the game from it too).
Long story short, I still have no idea whether "Africa" MIR was in El Guettar area on 29th, but I surely spent way too much time trying to figure it out!

[Waiting to Visit Japan (^.-)]

Originally posted by archibaldthe1:

I surely spent way too much time trying to figure it out!

If you had fun... then it was worth it. There are worse ways to spend your time. (^.-)

[andrey12345 v2.0]

Originally posted by These are just toys... Relax:

Originally posted by archibaldthe1:

I surely spent way too much time trying to figure it out!

If you had fun... then it was worth it. There are worse ways to spend your time. (^.-)

You are wrong, studying military operations from archival documents is one of the most exciting things to do. Compared to this, reading ordinary literature looks extremely dull.

[andrey12345 v2.0]

Originally posted by archibaldthe1:

Long story short, I still have no idea whether "Africa" MIR was in El Guettar area on 29th, but I surely spent way too much time trying to figure it out!

Yes, the Germans have a very specific chaotic approach to the organization of combat units, in many cases it looks like a puzzle in which some of the elements are broken or lost.

[archibaldthe1]

it does not help that I don't know ANY German, so I have to look for unit designation or a date and then rely on google translate to understand what's going on.

But regarding MIR Africa - the original reference for its deployment to the area of 10TD was from KTB of First Italian Army, which I cannot find. There is some in BAMA (by German liaison), but it's not digitized. However, here is something from Kampfstaffel DAK, KTB: https://i.imgur.com/csCrQME.jpg
It says that MIR "Africa" is getting an anti-tank platoon assigned and it'll be deployed at 113km of Gabes-Gafsa road. And guess where that is - due south from the end of the "horseshoe", so just in the right place! I realize that measuring using Google maps isn't quite accurate, but we are talking about the same route 15, so even it's off by couple of kilometers, this places Panzergrenadier Regiment "Africa" right into the action. No information about its roster and equipment. So it may as well be Italian :)

Edit: another piece of the puzzle https://i.imgur.com/YB4Z4uj.jpg
someone from 4th Company of PzGrRgmt Afrika was taken prisoner south-west of ht 369 (so around the positions of MCB 10). I think the writing says that "on 27th (?) of March, he was thrown back at Mareth line by British". And there were indeed at Mareth line before then. It's all coming together now.

Edit (8/5): here is a detailed debrief from someone captured https://i.imgur.com/Y5CROtX.jpg - it appears that the regiment by now has "regular" structure and only 1st Bn is present. One cool thing - what these guys say match what I read in "Rommel's lost battalions" article about Africa replacement battalions, which states that at some point A40 simple became 2/MIR "Africa" https://www.jstor.org/stable/26298812?seq=15#metadata_info_tab_contents

[archibaldthe1]

Speaking of Italians. 10TD war diary says Centauro units were positioned between Eng Bn (holding dj Mcheltat) and MCBn (holding heights 772 and 361) https://i.imgur.com/l0atymd.jpg So pretty much right where Benson attacked

No further information there (again, damn First Italian Army is elusive, and DAK's documents are not very specific), but here is where our friends from 1ID help:
https://i.imgur.com/1J6EKpj.jpg

They captured prisoners from 2./I/132AT Regiment (Centauro division). It was 26IR on March 30 midday, at which time they were attacking toward the southeast tip of dj Mchelatt. So this places some Italians with on the southern slopes of dj Mcheltat

Edit: here is the summary of Italian prisoners captured by 1st ID. Obviously, units on the road and south of the road would not even be listed here as that's either Benson force or 9th ID.

https://i.imgur.com/FJFFBvK.jpg

Some interrogation reports even include the type of equipment the units had. Some are really funny. Here are tricky Germans hiding behind surrendering Italians: https://i.imgur.com/jH3m5NR.jpg
Here is what captured Italians think about Italian women getting Mussolini a piece of mind: https://i.imgur.com/MkgB21I.jpg

Edit (20220409): https://imgur.com/VYRqL2v - this indicates that Italians were being engaged on 23rd as well. Which makes sense I suppose - 1ID was moving against the positions occupied by Italian troops until 10TD arrived to counterattack.
This is from "INF(18)-1.2: G-1 Journal and File, 28 Dec 42 – 8 Apr 43" (page 39)