On 10th June Italy declared war. On the same day the 1st Battalion arrived at Sidi Barrani and within a few days "D" Company had the satisfaction of playing a leading part in the first brush with the enemy —the attack and capture of Fort Capuzzo with all its garrison, an operation which was entirely successful, with small casualties.
Desert Mobile Columns
During the subsequent reconnaissance in force by the Italians and our withdrawal east of Sidi Barrani, the Desert Mobile Columns came into being. These generally comprised one motor company with a troop or battery of 25-pounders, R.H.A. Their role of harassing, delaying and observing was ideally suited to Riflemen. From these operations up to the late summer of 1942, except for the Battle of Sidi Rezegh, motor companies were continually operating in Desert Mobile Columns or under the command of armoured regiments. The Battalion operation was unusual at this time and the experience gained in this type of warfare by company commanders was of the greatest value.
The Desert Rats
The Desert Rat (actually a jerboa found in the desert) was adopted as the badge of the 7th Armoured Brigade early in 1940. The name and the badge became a proud distinction in the Eighth Army, and there was no period of the desert war when one or more Greenjacket battalions were not wearing it. The badge, scarlet in colour, was worn by the Brigade and was later adopted by the 7th Armoured Division.
Destruction of the Italian Army — December, 1940
General Wavell's first offensive for Cyrenaica opened on 9th December, 1940. The 1st Battalion operating on the left flank of the Armoured Division was able to ensure the success of operations at Bardia and Tobruk by cutting the enemy's line of retreat to the west. The Battalion assisted in the capture of several thousand Italians with tanks and guns south of Benghazi. It eventually reached the most forward point west of Agedabia, taking a major part in this campaign which resulted in the capture of 125,000 Italian soldiers and the destruction of the Italian army.
Some idea of the distances covered in these operations can be gained by these two instances. One company on a " cutting-off" expedition from Agedabia covered 250 miles of desert in forty-eight hours, mostly at night. The Battalion on its return to Cairo for a hurried rest covered 760 miles in seven days.
Rommel's First Offensive — March, 1941
The disaster, of December, 1940, to the Italians brought immediate reinforcements from Germany and General Rommel was given command. The situation of the Desert Army invited attack. With over 1,000 miles of communication back to Cairo, it was only possible to maintain a small force at Agedabia and all units were in need of rest and refitting. The German-Italian force under Rommel was comparatively near its base at Tripoli, with fairly sure communications over-sea to Italy at the time.
At the end of March Rommel attacked with easy success. The British retreat only stopped on the Egyptian frontier, but Tobruk was held.
The 1st Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel S. C. F. De Salis, was refitting at Cairo when the attack began and was immediately ordered to the front. It reached Barce by forced marches, only to act as rearguard to the retreat, which ended at Sollum.
After two abortive attempts to relieve Tobruk, one in May and one in dune, both armies spent the summer building up their strength. During these months the 1st Battalion was with the Support Group and was kept actively patrolling and harassing the enemy.
In mid-September Rommel made a reconnaissance in force, in which the Battalion inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.
Second British Offensive, November 1941 — Relief of Tobruk
General Sir Claude Auchinleck had succeeded General Wavell as G.O.C.-in-C. in November. His plan was designed to relieve Tobruk, clear Cyrenaica and advance to Tripoli. The offensive started on 18th November. Tobruk was relieved and the enemy fell back all the way to El Agheila.
The 1st Battalion started the campaign with the 7th Armoured Division (Major-General Gott), which was to cross the Libyan frontier in the south, turn north and engage the enemy's three armoured divisions behind his front. The Battalion moved as a column with other arms under command.
Sidi Rezegh - 21st November 1941
The battle was soon joined and on the morning of 21st November, three days after the advance began, orders were received for the Battalion to attack and occupy the area of the landing ground at Sidi Rezegh.
The ensuing battle will rank as one of the great achieve ments in the history of our Regiment.
The Battalion was less one of its four motor companies and had two batteries of 25-pounders under command. A greatly superior force of Germans was dug in on the far side of the landing ground, supported by numerous batteries. There was no alternative to a frontal assault over 2,000 yards of flat, open ground.
The attack, which started at 0830 hrs., was carefully planned by Lieutenant-Colonel De Salis. It was carried out with amazing success against determined opposition and the whole objective was gained after hand-to-hand fighting by 12 noon. This result was achieved by the leadership and initiative displayed by company and platoon commanders and by the high training, discipline and spirit of the men. The enemy, German troops, suffered heavily in killed and wounded. Seven hundred unwounded prisoners with a large amount of weapons and equipment were taken by the Battalion.
So complete a victory deserved a better sequel. The Battalion held its position as ordered until the next day under increasing shelling. They waited in vain for armoured support, which arrived too late. At 1.30 p.m. on the 22nd, covered by a heavy barrage, an enemy force of eighty tanks and lorried infantry swept round the flank and attacked from the rear. The anti-tank rifles were useless against the tanks and the few 2-pounders they had were insufficient. The Battalion was overrun and a second wave of armoured carriers and motor-cyclists completed the job, although one or two small isolated parties continued to fight on until dusk. Then, too late, some of our tanks appeared and from the melee which ensued 5 officers and 50 other ranks with 17 vehicles managed to escape; a few more got away later. The Commanding Officer was among the prisoners.
Thus, the bulk of this fine Battalion was lost. Luckily "B" Company were on detachment at this time and were available, together with the remnants from Sidi Rezegh, to start re-forming the Battalion at once.
Rifleman Beeley was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for gallantry in this action.
This battle was the crisis of the offensive which then went ahead as planned, resulting in the relief of Tobruk and the continuation of the advance to El Agheila — a little farther than our forces had reached at the beginning of the year.
America Enters The War
Stupendous events heralded the end of the year 1941. The German armies had reached the gates of Moscow. Hitler had proclaimed that his eastern war was over. Suddenly, without any declaration of war, the Japanese made their treacherous attack on the American Fleet in Pearl Harbour. England at once joined America in war on Japan. Hitler and Mussolini, elated by the Japanese success, promptly declared Germany and Italy at war with the United States. Critical and anxious tines lay ahead for the Allies, but ultimate victory lay beyond.
Retreat to the Gazala Line — January 1942
The Desert Army's advanced troops were only a few days at Agheila when, on 21st January, Rommel again attacked. This time the withdrawal halted on the Gazala Line.
The 2nd Battalion (Lieutenant-Colonel O. N. D. Sismey) only arrived in Egypt early in January. It was part of the 1st Armoured Division, whose units were being dispatched to the front as they became ready. The Battalion marched at once, and accomplished the 1,000 miles successfully with personnel inexperienced in desert navigation and driving—a severe test. It arrived at El Algheila and took over the forward observation on the morning of the German attack, and it acted as rearguard during the retreat to Gazala.
The 1st Battalion, now commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel G. de Bruyne, was ready for service by the middle of March, when it rejoined the 7th Armoured Division in reserve.
The 9th Battalion, now commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel C. E. M. Grenville Grey, was also ready and moved up to the front early in May.
By this time motor battalions had been equipped with sixteen 6-pounder anti-tank guns, and each company had a section of medium machine guns and a section of 3-inch mortars.
Battle Of Gazala - Retreat To Egypt 26th May to 30th June 1942
General Ritchie, who was now Commander of the Eighth Army, decided to stand on the defensive and to await attack on the Gazala — Bir Hachim Line, which had been provided with localities for all-round defence, known as "boxes," at intervals behind the line of observation. This position was held by four divisions. The 1st and 7th Armoured Divisions were in reserve. Rommel attacked on 26th May and after several days' severe fighting turned the British left flank and penetrated the centre.
A general retreat ensued, and General Auchinleck took personal command. Tobruk fell on 20th June, and the Army reached Alamein on 3rd July. Here Rommel halted to gain strength for a final attack and the conquest of Egypt. The Eighth Army position was on a forty-five-mile front sixty miles from Alexandria.
All three battalions of the Regiment were engaged in the Gazala fighting and the subsequent retreat.
The 1st and 2nd Battalions fought throughout this battle. Lieutenant-Colonel de Bruyne, who was taken prisoner, was succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel C. d'A. P. Consett in command of the 1st Battalion. Lieutenant-Colonel W. Heathcoat-Amory succeeded Sismey in command of the 2nd Battalion.
The 9th Battalion held the Retima Box in the Gazala battle and was able to withdraw after heavy fighting before being surrounded. It acted as rearguard on the extreme southern flank during the retreat to Alamein. On 6th July "A" Company carried out a daring and successful raid on Fuka aerodrome.
All three battalions had suffered numerous casualties in these operations and were withdrawn for a brief spell to refit. The 1st Battalion now joined the 4th Light Armoured Brigade of the 1st Armoured Division, and the 2nd Battalion was in the 7th Motor Brigade, 7th Armoured Division.
Disbandment of the 9th Battalion
The 9th Battalion was disbanded in July 1942, to provide reinforcements for the 1st and 2nd Battalions.
Death of Lieutenant-General W. F. E. Gott, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C.
At this time the Regiment and the Army suffered a great loss in the death of General Gott, who was killed in an aeroplane shot down by a German fighter. General Gott started the war in command of the 1st Battalion, and had commanded a brigade, a division and the XIII Corps in the Desert War. A few days before his death he had been appointed to command the Eighth Army.
Battle of Alam Haifa, 31st August to 7th September 1942
On 13th August General Montgomery took command of the Eighth Army, which included six divisions and certain armoured and infantry brigades, faced by five equivalent German divisions and nine Italian divisions.
Rommel launched his final attack on the night of 30th/31st August. His main thrust was directed, as had been foreseen, round the British left flank towards the Alam Halfa Ridge, some fifteen miles in rear of the centre. This was combined with a frontal attack on the whole Alamein position. The enemy turning attack penetrated the minefields, but after three days of intensive fighting with heavy loss all attacks were foiled and the withdrawal commenced. General Montgomery counter-attacked on 3rd September. Severe fighting continued until the 7th, when the British front was re-established and the battle then stopped. The ground was littered with enemy vehicles.
The 1st and 2nd Battalions, with the 4th Light Armoured Brigade and the 7th Motor Brigade of the 7th Armoured Division, were fighting on the southern flank of this battle from the first to the last of it, delaying the enemy advance and finally harassing his retreat.
The 11th Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel R. A. T. Eve, now arrived in Egypt and joined the 7th Armoured Division.
Battle Of Alamein — 23rd October to 4th November 1942
During the lull after the Battle of Alam Haifa the enemy had strengthened and deepened his defences. In the north sector he had three belts of defended localities and minefields. In the south the defences were not so highly organized, but were sited to canalize any penetration we might make. In general, the minefields alone extended to some 5,000 to 9,000 yards in depth.
The enemy positions were held by two German and seven Italian divisions, together with a German parachute brigade. In reserve were two German panzer and two Italian armoured divisions and the famous German 90th Light Division.
General Montgomery had under his command in the Eighth Army seven Empire infantry divisions, three armoured divisions and some independent brigades. The Eighth Army possessed a slight superiority in artillery and in numbers but not quality of tanks. The Desert Air Force attained supremacy in the air.
The Army Commander's plan was to make two attacks, one in the north and one in the south.
On 23rd October the Eighth Army was launched to the attack. Ten days heavy fighting ensued and by 4th November the enemy were in full retreat and the battle had been decisively won. Thirty thousand prisoners fell into our hands and only heavy rain on 6th and 7th November, by slowing down the pursuit, saved the enemy from complete annihilation.
Alamein, described later by the military correspondent of The Times as a masterpiece of British generalship, ranks as one of the decisive battles of the world; it was certainly the decisive battle of the war in Africa. The church bells were rung in England for the first time since 1940 (except for the false alarm of invasion of 7th September of that year).
The Regiment At Alamein
Three battalions of the Regiment fought at Alamein.
The start of the battle saw the 1st Battalion (4th Light Armoured Brigade) commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel C. d' A. P. Consett, D.S.O., M.C., leading the attack in the south. After four days heavy fighting between the first and second minefields and heavy casualties, this attack was abandoned and the Brigade moved up to complete the break-through in the north. The Battalion led the Brigade through the gap in the final advance.
The 2nd Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel W. Heathcoat-Amory, was in the northern attack. Its first action in the battle was a night attack on 26th October against a strong enemy anti-tank gun position. The objective was taken and 100 prisoners and 6 anti-tank guns were captured.
The second operation was also a night attack against the enemy anti-tank gun screen along the El Ramahn track at the feature known as Tel el Aqqaqir. This attack on 2nd November was also successful. The following morning the Battalion repulsed a tank counter-attack and the following day held the ground it had won. This was the point chosen for the break-out by the Eighth Army on the following night.
During this battle the Battalion suffered fairly heavy casualties, especially in officers, but they followed up the pursuit, eventually taking the place of the 1st Battalion in the 4th Light Armoured Brigade (later designated the 4th Armoured Brigade), in which they were destined to remain until the end of the war.
The 11th Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel R. A. T. Eve, fought with the 49th Armoured Brigade of the 10th Armoured Division in the first few days of the battle on the left flank of the northern attack. After heavy fighting on the Meteiriya Ridge their parent armoured brigade suffered such heavy casualties that the whole brigade was withdrawn and eventually moved to Syria for refitting.
Alamein To Tunis - The Pursuit after Alamein
On 4th November Rommel began the retreat which was to end in the destruction of his army in Tunisia. General Montgomery set his whole force in motion in pursuit.
The 1st Battalion headed the pursuit along the sea coast. No unit in the Army knew this role so well. Every place and name was familiar to it — Fuka, Sidi Barrani, Buq-Buq, Halfaya, Gazala, Derna, Barce, Benghazi, Agedabia and Agheila. Wherever the enemy stood he was attacked and the pursuit continued.
The enemy's next serious stand after El Agheila was 200 miles farther west, at Buerat. The British attack here took place on 15th January.
Soon after crossing the border into Tripolitania, at the end of December, the Battalion pulled out for a short rest. Lieutenant-Colonel J. L. Corbett-Winder took over command and the Battalion joined the 7th Motor Brigade in place of the 2nd Battalion, which was transferred to the 4th Armoured Brigade.
The 4th Light Armoured Brigade included, besides the 2nd Battalion two armoured-car regiments and a Horse Artillery regiment. This fine brigade was soon on the move towards Tripoli.
The Fall Of Tripoli - 23rd January 1943
During this advance the 2nd Battalion, with the rest of their Brigade, operated in a sweep of about 170 miles through the hills to the south of Tripoli. After a highly successful brush with German tanks near the village of Beni Ulid, the Battalion and an armoured car regiment were the first British units to sight Tripoli. This forced march was across most difficult country and the speed with which it was made led to the fall of the town.
Battle Of Mareth - 20th to 29th March 1943
The pursuit from Tripoli to Mareth, some 200 miles, was through hill country difficult for motor battalions with their numerous vehicles. At Mareth Rommel had occupied a strong defensive position on the line fortified by the French many years before. It was defended by numerous minefields. General Montgomery's plan was to attack the centre of the position while the New Zealanders, later joined by the 1st Armoured Division, made a wide encircling movement to the south of El Hamma. This was completely successful, the enemy retreated and the pursuit went on.
The 1st Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel L. Corbett-Winder, marched 1,000 miles in seven days from Tmimi and arrived in time to rejoin the 7th Motor Brigade in the 1st Armoured Division just before the march to El Hamma, 26th to 29th March.
The 2nd Battalion in this battle, and for four days before it, was continually engaged under the 7th Armoured Division.
The enemy fought another defensive battle at Wadi Akarit, after which he continued his retreat to a position in the neighbourhood of Bou Thadi, sixty miles south of Tunis.
1st Battalion Joins The 1st Army
On 17th April the 1st Armoured Division, including our 1st Battalion) marched from Bou Thadi to join the First Army. The First Army and the Americans had landed in Algeria in November, 1942, under the command of the American General Eisenhower, and had advanced on Tunisia from the West. After a march of some 150 miles the 1st Armoured Division moved up into the battle at El Aroussa on 21st April.
Final Operations, Argoub-el-Megas, Fall of Tunis, April to May 1943
From 21st April until the final surrender of the enemy on 10th May the 1st Battalion was continuously in contact with the enemy. Reconnaissance and patrols, night and day, culminated in a full-scale night attack on 29th April on the heights of Argoub-el-Megas, when the Battalion gained all objectives with considerable losses in "A" Company.
The enemy fell back fighting. Tunis was occupied on 3rd May and the last phase took place in the Cap Bon Peninsula a week later, where the 1st Battalion witnessed the unconditional surrender of 40,000 German and Italian troops. Rommel escaped to Italy in an aeroplane.
Thus the Battalion, which opened the war in North Africa at Fort Capuzzo in June, 1940, was still in the forefront of the battle three years later at the finish of the last campaign.
The 2nd Battalion finished the campaign with the 4th Light 2nd Bn. Armoured Brigade in the Eighth Army.
At the end of June His Majesty The King visited both Battalions.
Summary
The two Greenjacket regiments may well be proud of their record in the three-year Desert War, from Egypt to Tunis. Of our Regiment, four battalions served as motor battalions in this theatre, the 1st Battalion all through, the 2nd Battalion for the last nine months, the 9th Battalion for three months and the 11th Battalion for four months.
In all the Mediterranean campaigns the Regiment had lost 73 officers and 440 other ranks killed in action or died. The wounded probably numbered over 2,000.
After Tunis
After the occupation of Tunis a reorganization of the Army took place and the motor battalions were redistributed. The 1st Battalion, now commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel W. D. Keown-Boyd, joined the 1st Armoured Brigade and moved with them to Algiers to rest and refit in readiness for operations in Europe. The 2nd Battalion remained in the 4th Light Armoured Brigade, which was renamed the 4th Armoured Brigade.
