The Battle of Sidi Bou Zid was a World War II battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign, fought between the 10th and the 21st Panzer Divisions of Hans-Jurgen von Arnim's German Fifth Army and the American 1st Armored Division of General Lloyd Fredendall's U.S. II Corps in northeast Tunisia near Tunis. The Tunisia Campaign was a series of World War II battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the World War II, between forces of the German/Italian Axis, and allied forces consisting primarily of U.S., British and small numbers of Vichy French. ... is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... A detail from Sidi Bou Said Sidi Bou Said (Arabic: سيدي بو سعيد) is a town in northern Tunisia (it is located only 20 km from the capital of Tunisia, Tunis). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Hans-Jürgen von Arnim (4 April 1889 - 11 September 1962), was a German colonel-general of cavalry, serving during World War II. He was born in Ernsdorf, Germany in 1889, the son of General Sixt von Arnim. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... General Lloyd Fredendall (1883-1963) was an American General during World War II. He is best known for his command of the Central Task Force landings during Operation Torch, and his command of the US II Corps. ... The Tunisia Campaign was a series of World War II battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the World War II, between forces of the German/Italian Axis, and allied forces consisting primarily of U.S., British and small numbers of Vichy French. ... Combatants Germany Italy United States United Kingdom Free France Commanders Erwin Rommel Lloyd Fredendall Strength 22,000 30,000 Casualties 2,000 10,000 (including 6,700 Americans) The Battle of Kasserine Pass took place in World War II during the Tunisia Campaign. ... Operation Capri was a German counter-attack at Medenine, Tunisia, intended to disrupt and delay the 8th Armys own attack on the Mareth Line. ... Operation Pugilist was a battle in Egypt during World War II. Categories: | ... The Battle of El Guettar was a World War II battle that took place during the larger Battle of Tunisia, fought between the Deutsches Afrika Korps under Juergen von Arnim and the Americans under George Patton in south-central Tunisia. ... During World War II, Operation Vulcan was the final ground attack against German forces in Tunis, Cap Bon and Bizerte, the last Axis toeholds in north Africa. ... Combatants  United Kingdom United States Germany Italy Commanders General Harold Alexander Jürgen von Arnim Giovanni Messe During World War II, Operation Flax was an Allied air operation designed to cut the air supply lines between Italy and the Axis troops in Tunis, in April, 1943 This interdiction operation led... During World War II, Operation Retribution was a series of air and naval attacks designed to prevent the German evacuation of North Africa through Tunis. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Tunisia Campaign was a series of World War II battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the World War II, between forces of the German/Italian Axis, and allied forces consisting primarily of U.S., British and small numbers of Vichy French. ... The 10th Panzer Division was created in 1939, and served in the Army Group North reserve during the invasion of Poland (1939). ... The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the Battles of El Alamenein (1942) and Normandy (1944) during World War II. Created as 5th Light Division or 5th Light Afrika Division in Africa in early 1941, from an ad hoc collection of smaller... General Von Arnim Hans-Jürgen von Arnim (4 April 1889 - 11 September 1962), was a German colonel-general of cavalry, serving during World War II. He was born in Ernsdorf, Germany in 1889, the son of General Sixt von Arnim. ... The German Fifth Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... The 1st Armored Division —nicknamed “Old Ironsides”— is an armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Wiesbaden, Germany. ... General Lloyd Fredendall (1883-1963) was an American General during World War II. He is best known for his command of the Central Task Force landings during Operation Torch, and his command of the US II Corps. ... The US II Corps was the first American formation of any size to see combat in Europe or Africa during World War II. History It came to prominence in the Battle of Kasserine Pass when Field Marshal Erwin Rommel defeated the formation. ...

Background

The battle of Sidi Bou Zid was part of the Tunisia Campaign, a series of battles between forces of the German/Italian Axis, and allied forces consisting primarily of U.S., British and Free French Forces. The Tunisia Campaign was a series of World War II battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the World War II, between forces of the German/Italian Axis, and allied forces consisting primarily of U.S., British and small numbers of Vichy French. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Since November 1942, the area surrounding Sidi Bou Zid had been under the control of the Allied forces.^[1]

In January 1943, the German-Italian Panzer Army under command of Erwin Rommel (also known as Desert Fox) had retreated to the Mareth Line, originally a French line of defensive fortifications near the coastal town of Medenine in southern Tunisia^[2]. They thus joined forces with the Axis forces defending Tunisia, by now reinforced to become the German Fifth Army under Hans-Jürgen von Arnim. At this point most of Tunisia was now in German hands. Panzer Group Afrika Panzer Army Afrika German-Italian Panzer Army Panzer Group Afrika (German Panzergruppe Afrika)1 was established in September 1941 to control the German mechanized forces in North Africa during World War II. Erwin Rommel was placed in command, handing command of the Afrika Korps over to Ludwig... Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was one of the most distinguished German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname “The Desert Fox” (Wüstenfuchs,  ) for the skillful military campaigns he... The Mareth Line was a system of fortifications built by the French near the coastal town of Medenine in southern Tunisia prior to World War II. It was designed to defend against attacks from the Italians in Libya, but following the fall of France it fell into Axis hands. ... Medenine is the major town in southeastern Tunisia, south of the Oasis town of Gabes and the Island of Jerba, on the main route to Libya. ... The German Fifth Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... Hans-Jürgen von Arnim (4 April 1889 - 11 September 1962), was a German colonel-general of cavalry, serving during World War II. He was born in Ernsdorf, Germany in 1889, the son of General Sixt von Arnim. ...

The battle

At 4 A.M. on February 14 the German tanks, under the leadership of Lieutenant General Heinz Ziegler, the deputy to Arnim, surrounded two U.S. infantry battalions through Faïd and Maizila passes, sites that General Dwight D. Eisenhower himself had inspected three hours earlier.^[3] The American task force was led by Lloyd Fredendall, a much criticized commander who neither visited the front nor considered input from commanders farther forward. He was settled in Tebessa 80 miles away from the battlefield.^[4] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 466 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (544 × 700 pixel, file size: 126 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Tunisia Campaign. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 466 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (544 × 700 pixel, file size: 126 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Tunisia Campaign. ... is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols A battalion is a military unit usually consisting of between two and six companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower, born David Dwight Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American General and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ... General Lloyd Fredendall (1883-1963) was an American General during World War II. He is best known for his command of the Central Task Force landings during Operation Torch, and his command of the US II Corps. ... Tebessa is a wilaya of Algeria. ...

The Germans drove off an American armored counterattack using more than 80 Panzer IV, Panzer III and Tiger I tanks. The attack started with an advance of tanks belonging to the 10th Panzer Division under the cover of a sandstorm. The 1st Armored Division troops tried to delay the German advance by firing a 105 mm. M101 howitzer semi-fixed ammunition installed in a M4 Sherman tank. This tactical move was in vain as they were shelled by German 8.8 cm KwK 43 anti-tank guns.^[4][5] In parallel, the 21st Panzer Division started hitting the 168th Infantry’s 3rd Battalion positions on Djebel Ksiara (hill). Under heavy shelling, Colonel Thomas Drake leading 1,900 men of his 3rd Battalion requested permission to retreat. This request was denied by Fredendall who ordered them to hold their positions and wait for reinforcements until the help arrived. This never happened.^[4] Panzer IV is the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the late 1930s by Nazi Germany and used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen IV (abbreviated PzKpfw IV) and the tank also had the ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 161. ... The Panzerkampfwagen III (PzKpfw III), more commonly referred to as the Panzer III, was a tank developed in the 1930s by Nazi Germany and used extensively in World War II. It was designed to fight other armoured fighting vehicles, serving alongside the infantry-support Panzer IV. It soon became obsolete... Tiger I ( ) is the common name of a German heavy tank of World War II. The initial official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H (abbreviated PzKpfw VI Ausf. ... The 10th Panzer Division was created in 1939, and served in the Army Group North reserve during the invasion of Poland (1939). ... Look up sandstorm in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The 105mm Howitzer M2A1(M101) was the standard medium field howitzer for the U.S. in World War two, seeing action in both European and Pacific theatres. ... WWII foreign variants and use: Lend-Lease Sherman tanks Post-WWII foreign variants and use: Postwar Sherman tanks The Medium Tank M4 was the primary tank produced by the United States for its own use and the use of its Allies during World War II. Production of the M4 Medium... Tiger II preserved at La Gleize, Belgium PaK 43/41 at CFB Borden The KwK 43 L/71 was an 8. ... Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the Battles of El Alamenein (1942) and Normandy (1944) during World War II. Created as 5th Light Division or 5th Light Afrika Division in Africa in early 1941, from an ad hoc collection of smaller... Thomas Jefferson Drake (April 18, 1797 – April 20, 1875) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

In fact, under the weak command of Lloyd Fredendall, U.S. infantry were scattered between two distant hills Djebel Lessouda and Djebel Ksiara where mutual support was very difficult.^[4]

The Germans handled the battle with ease and with heavy losses before U.S. withdrawal on February 17. After being rescued by General Patton's son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel John K. Waters, who was held as POW at OFLAG XIII-B camp, many U.S. infantry will join others on February 19 to fight the Battle of the Kasserine Pass. ^[6] February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... George Smith Patton Jr. ... Lieutenant Colonel John K Waters, was an American soldier captured in Tunisia at Dejebel Lassouda when the Nazis attacked Sidi bou Zid during WWII, He was one of many officers interned at Hammelburg but he was also the son-in-law of Gen George Patton. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... OFLAG XIII-B was a WWII POW camp in Hammelburg. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Germany Italy United States United Kingdom Free France Commanders Erwin Rommel Lloyd Fredendall Strength 22,000 30,000 Casualties 2,000 10,000 (including 6,700 Americans) The Battle of Kasserine Pass took place in World War II during the Tunisia Campaign. ...

External links

• Tank battle at Sidi Bou Zid - School of Journalism / Indiana University (Bloomington)

Indiana University is the principal campus of the Indiana University system. ...

References

• Charles R. Anderson. Online Bookshelves WWII Campaigns: Tunisia 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. US Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 72-12. 

Footnotes