1942 - US Army Center Of Military History

[ 7–11 MAY 1943 ]
assembles behind 1st Div for possible commitment.
34th Div’s 168th and 133d Regts drive beyond Eddekhila.
In Br First Army area, 9 Corps opens attack
toward Tunis with Br 4th and Ind 4th Divs abreast,
latter on left, on narrow front. After enemy line is
breached, 6th and 7th Armd Divs pass through infantry
and push on to Massicault, about half way to
Tunis. Enemy attempts unsuccessfully to establish
new line from Djedeïda to St. Cyprien.
7 May
BURMA—Ind 26th Div withdraws NW from
Buthidaung under pressure.
TUNISIA—18 Army Group: Overruns both
Tunis and Bizerte, splitting enemy forces.
In U.S. II Corps area, 9th Div finishes clearing
Djebel Cheniti and adjacent hills to N; reconnoiters
toward Bizerte as enemy resistance on N front
collapses. Rcn elements of 894th TD Bn, followed
closely by elements of 751st Tank Bn, enter Bizerte,
where they find few enemy but many mines and
booby traps. Ferryville falls to 1st Armd Div; elements
driving E to cut Tunis–Bizerte road reach
Oued ben Hassine and take bridge intact. 34th Div
drives toward Chouïgui defile but is stopped a
little short of it by enemy on Hill 242; enemy
abandons the pass before dawn of 8th.
In Br First Army’s 9 Corps area, 7th and 6th
Armd Divs continue NE from Massicault, overrunning
St. Cyprien and Le Bardo; Derbyshire Yeomanry
and 11th Hussars enter Tunis in afternoon. Fr 19th
Corps occupies Pont-du-Fahs.
8 May
TUNISIA—18 Army Group: In U.S. II Corps
area, Corps Franc d’Afrique makes official entry
into Bizerte. RCT 47 of 9th Div also enters, but
withdraws while French mop up. 1st Armd Div
pushes E in region S of Lac de Bizerte, clearing
Djebel Sidi Mansour. Left flank elements, upon
reaching Tunis–Bizerte road, drive N to Menzel
Djemil. Column on right flank moves toward Protville
to establish contact with British moving NE
from Tunis and reaches Hill III, about midway
between Mateur and Protville.
In Br First Army’s 9 Corps area, while 7th Armd
Div pushes northward toward U.S. II Corps zone
from Tunis, 6th Armd Div, followed by 4th Div,
drives SE toward Hammamet in effort to prevent
enemy from making final stand on Cap Bon Peninsula
and is halted abruptly at narrow Hamman
Lif defile by enemy rear guards bent on keeping
this line of retreat open. 1st Armd Div, released to
9 Corps from army reserve, is pushing NE from
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Goubellat area. 5 Corps’ 1st Div and Ind 4th Div
press eastward in conjunction with Fr 19th Corps.
Fr 19th Corps is meeting firm resistance in hilly
Zaghouan area.
9 May
CBI—Gen Wheeler, CG SOS, is directed to
take charge of U.S. portion of Assam airfield project.
TUNISIA—18 Army Group: U.S. II Corps receives
unconditional surrender of enemy within its
zone. Thousands of prisoners, including 6 generals,
are taken. 1st Armd Div drives to coast on left
and makes contact with Br 7th Armd Div on right.
Br First Army continues to meet resistance in
region S of U.S. II Corps zone. 9 Corps’ 6th Armd
Div is still held up at Hamman Lif defile. Fr 19th
Corps battles enemy in Zaghouan area.
MEDITERRANEAN—Preparations are begun for
conquest of Pantelleria (Operation CORKSCREW),
largely by air and sea bombardment, before invasion
of Sicily (Operation Husky) in order to remove
this threat to HUSKY and gain an airfield from
which to support HUSKY. NAAF is directed to make
its full strength available for the operation. Fleet
Adm A. B. Cunningham is to provide surface striking
force and naval protection for movement of
assault troops—Br 1st Inf Div—and maintain close
naval blockade about the island. D Day is tentatively
set as 11 June.
10 May
ALEUTIAN IS.—Japanese, alerted to expect assault
on Attu during past week, decide that it will
not be forthcoming and slacken their defenses.
TUNISIA—18 Army Group: In Br First Army’s
9 Corps area, 6th Armd Div forces Hamman Lif defile
in morning and thrusts rapidly to Hammamet,
cutting off Cap Bon Peninsula. Advance is continued
toward Bou Ficha.
11 May
ALEUTIAN IS.—U.S. 7th Div lands at widely
separated points on Attu. Dense fog limits naval
gunfire and air support, but helps infantry achieve
complete tactical surprise. 17th Inf (less BLT 1),
with 2d Bn of 32d Inf attached as reserve, makes
main landing of Southern Landing Force on coast of
Massacre Bay (Beaches Blue and Yellow) in afternoon;
2d and 3d Bns of 17th Inf push rapidly northward
up Massacre Valley toward Jarmin (Massacre–
Holtz Bay) Pass until pinned down about 1900 by
intense enfilading fire from heights surrounding the
valley. Platoon of 7th Rcn Tr makes subsidiary landing
at Alexai Pt and joins main body at Massacre
Bay without opposition. BLT 1, 17th Inf—the main
assault group of Northern Landing Force—goes