KASSERINE PASS BATTLES Readings - US Army Center Of Military ...

10 -
.tbora unttil the arrival 4f K=p£gruppe D.A.K. wtdoh will come for rd out
balk of the
of the pass ` etV .06 hr . "The/10th 1-z .Div. will move at the sate tim an
1hola (p,2-8) .' . 'The raid of the 33d Reo.Bn. failodj the battalion rlont in-
t6--positron north ofthe' trail loading to the main paoe at point 732 at
tadi Hatob' (An.W.
At 1400 hr the bulk - of'thd Karnpfgruppe moves in in the order namods 1
battalion o£ Pz'.Qrun,Rgr . Afrioa,artillery, 1 battalion Pz.Crf:n.Rgt . Africa,
tank8,`-5th Dn.F Bersaglieri .' The foremost battalion joins the loft iAnnk
of ,.the'3.3d Reo.Ba.at 1530 hr and prepares on both aides of the :%aasoa for
an attach to the' mrthwast .
--' W0 hr the battalion reinforced by tanks of the Div.Centauro (An-15)
. . . , south of P,732 strong
launoheo . the' attack (p"9) trhioh is ohooked/by inoreasingly/arty fire (p .10,11) .
Our artillery, ready to fire in a vrry short time can only engago onemy vot2iclos
and adveuaaad onenV positions. The positions of the enemy artillery (4. btrios)
am, not been spotted .
t; `~ . F-sti=ta of the situation at night falls
The mission assigned at noon for the opening of one of the two pausas
tO'`Tebessa could not We oxcouted, as the foroos brought forward Mtil tho
afternoon wero too strongly hindered by the of foot of one artillery :ire .
--The
attitude of the enemy leads to the oonoluuion that he no lon or in-
tends to hold bridgeheads west of itie paseas . It can be assumed, however,
that'he will defend the passof proper on 22 Peb. also . ''
The terrain between the positions we have r;!achod and the north pass
51
(Kranguat ae 8loughi) 1s very level, offers hardly any oovor and can bo v:ewdd
exoeptioually Troll from than - do-Atant iaountain positions on both aides of the
pees . - 'The strength'of our %ampfgruppe, especially of our infantry, indicates
that a froatal attack, as mall me one from the riorticaDt would bo hopoloss .
An attack from the south along the east ridge of D j . firms is rc joot .:d booauso