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

;report of Operations, jiq: II Corps, 2 Lay 19113 (Continu_
150 i_ien froia the 2nd Battalion, 16uth Infantry, on DJLELL ' : - SSOLTD:, ._ianaged to
rit!.draw to DJZBEL i- .:,,;. . The 3rd Battalion, 168th Infantry, still held D,f_'B;,L
: ::S:,IR, . Contact 1- .as lost Both the 168t1: Infantry and the 2nd Bn ., 1st
:.r._,orod ?Zc, ;i.aent, which was near SIDI BOU ZID. Patrols were unable to Cet
t!xou; h from these forces or to that . The eno-q or-;"nizcd a strong def .- ;nsave
position north and south through SIDI BOU ZID . EnenV tanks crest of SIDI ,OU
'ID withdrew towards SIDI BOU ZID . :s of 1220 hours or. the 16th, aaout 50
c:ne:.Tf tarp=s attacked in the vicinity of DjIMEL iL.I Ti .'. . Our armored . forces lost
a_r-)rox1matcl .-" 86 niadiwi tanks in their att opt to relieve t :ie infantry 1_olding
DJ=-' :L L_~~SOUL4". and DJZBUT KS..IR'. .
u . :1. directive from the Co:"_.ia ding General, 1st British Ar :T;, dated 15
February 19Zt3, directed that forces holding t=ic : high Z-round west of .F:JD be
i:itadrav:n azd the pass at KASS_1nIIJa organized .-for defense . :, force consisting
of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantx--, and the 19th Combat Engine=er Re;~iuaent orr
aanizod a naw defensive position four miles east of K;,SS:,RI?E, . After repeated
rvgncsts, CC"B" was released bar 1st British to ;I Corps as of 1800 hours,
15 February, with permission to move CC"B" from 1_,KTAR to SBLI :I:. .
7. From the 17th to the 19th of February, II Corps coMleted its with-_
dr :wal to the &;moral line DJ BOU DJ=:L - DJ BOIL G:XEf. - DJ CI"2BRI - DJ
- SPIB;.. Thu XII ILir Support Command ~;vacuatcd both airfields in the
%ricipity of TIihI= . Vine 1st Arriored Division withdrew from SBEITL:1 to an
area southeast of TEB%SS.. . The 894th TD Bn . arrived and tsunt into bivouac in
the vicinity of BEIO~-.r~I ,. The 26th Arsaored Brigade (less 1 Regt . Group) (British)
car. under control of II Corps in. the vicinity of T11:1.1 as of 0500 hours,
~_° February, with t ie provision that they wore not to be COELAtted to action
--:ithout the authority of the Con>`anding Gesusral, First British ixmy . Other
new arrivals in the II Corps ware the 58th C .-Vi . ; :ortar Co . (British), AT and
"Lu Co ., 39th Infantry, and the 56th Ron . Sqdn (British), all of which were
in.-a-diately dispatched to rcsinforce the troops holding the K:1SSM.INE PASS
"positions .
SECTION IV - Iti.SSERI :" VALLEY TIMUST
1 . The TIESTERi1 DORS..LE, a range of mountains 20 miles west and parallel
to the E:,STI:R:1 DORS ..LE rform-d a cross cora>>artment through which the . onemy
would have to pass in an operation against the ; Allie=d right flank. MSSMINE
WM" SBI3:. P:SS, the DrR:11:. PASS above TIMEPTE, consisting of three approaches
across DJ. B=M :, and the EL MOD P..SS were the four ra=in approaches across
t_~e ijBSTEI-I DORS:.LE in the II Corps zone of action . In a clockwise direction
from Y,ASSMII4E P.M, DJ C:-dMI, south of the pass, DJ IdOGULZ:. and BOU DRIES
south and west of the pass, DJ :"'T-U, about 20 miles west of the pass, DJ EL
;D and DJ 3IitE : "., north and crest of the pass, and DJ forri the sides
of a bowl around the corridor cut by the OUM ILTED . Two main roads, separated
by the OUED IL~TEB, cut through this bowl and meet in the pass . Ono road loads
northwest to TI ::.L: and the other approximately west to TEBhSS :. . Since there
had boon several days , rain prior to tho 20th of February, the OUED 1LTEB was
unfordablu and cosyaunication batsme=n they TIL:LA road and the T:;BBSS:i road was
impracticable at any point other than at the fort: of these two roads within
the pass . Since then rain had filled the K;'.SSER-NE bowl with spud, only fulltracked
vehicles tirerc sable to operate across country.