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GERMANY POLAND C Z E C SOVIET H O S L UNION ATLANTIC OCEAN O VA K I A FRANCE SWITZ. VICHY (neutral) AUSTRIA HUNGARY FRANCE (Axis ally) (German military ROMANIA occupation Nov. 1942) (Axis ally)
PORTUGAL BLACK SEA (neutral) YUGOSLAVIA BULGARIA Madrid Corsica Sofia (Axis ally) Lisbon (Vichy) N Rome SPAIN Istanbul (neutral) Naples ALBANIA Sardinia Ankara W E Balearic Islands (Spain) (Italy) ITALY TURKEY S Strait of Gibraltar GREECE Gibraltar (neutral) SPANISH Algiers MOROCCO Oran Athens Bizerte Sicily Casablanca Tunis MOROCCO Malta Cape Rhodes (Vichy) ALGERIA (Britain) Matapan Crete (Vichy) TUNISIA Cyprus (Vichy) (Britain) MEDITERRANEAN SEA Mareth Tripoli Gazala Suez Benghazi Canal bel Tobruk Je Alexandria kdar Salûm A naica El Alamein North Africa and Sicily LIBYA yre Cairo (Italy) C El Agheila EGYPT (from Casablanca in the West 0 200 miles
to Cairo in the East) 0 200 km WESTERN DESERT PDF PDF
Avellino 0 200 miles
0 200 km Naples Vesuvio
N Pompeii Nocera W E Castellammare Salerno Gulf of Naples S Maori Sorrento Amalfi Battipaglia U.S. COMMANDOS U.S. RANGERS
BRITISH Gulf of Salerno
CLARK Operation Avalanche— Clark’s Invasion at Salerno Paestum U.S. 36th DIVISION Allied Paratroop Beachheads Drops German Response Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/06 9:46 AM Page 892 9/25/06 9:46 Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/069:45AMPage815
AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULTS TYRRHENIAN SEA Brolo AugAug. 15 Messina
. 15
AugAu Straits
g. 14 of ITALY . 13 . 14 Messina Aug. 11 St. Stefano AugAug. 13 Aug. 15
Aug. 8
Aug.A 2 BRADLEY ug Aug. 14 . 2
PATTON Troina Aug. 13 Mt. Etna Nicosia Aug. 11 N
SICILY Aug. 8 W E Enna S MONTGOMERY The Race for Messina Catania British German Retreat 0 10 miles Aug. 15 Aug. 2 American German Line (date) 0 10 km PDF PDF
TYRRHENIAN SEA Messina Palermo ITALY
Trapani Straits of Messina SICILY Marsala KEYES Troina Nicosia Mt. Etna
Caltanisetta Enna Catania
PATTON N Agrigento 0 20 miles BRADLEY W E PATTON 0 20 km
S Licata MONTGOMERY Syracuse Gela Montgomery’s Plan for Sicily— Patton’s Response Montgomery’s Plan Patton’s Advance Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/06 9:45 AM Page 792 9/25/06 9:45 Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp PDF
TYRRHENIAN SEA Messina Palermo ITALY
Trapani Straits of Messina
Marsala Troina Nicosia Mt. Etna
SICILY Enna Caltanisetta Catania
N Agrigento 0 20 miles W E 0 20 km
S Niscemi Licata Syracuse Allied Position on July 14— Gela
Actual Paratroop Drop Positions Scoglitti Demarkation Line Allied Allied Forces Beachheads Actual Paratroop German/Italian Forces Drops Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/06 9:45 AM Page 754 9/25/06 9:45 Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/06 9:45 AM Page 697
THE RISING TIDE 697
0 4 miles Niscemi
0 4 km Piano Lupo ThThe e “Y”
N Gela SICILY
W E
S U.S. 1st Division
Biscari
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
PATTON Plan for 82nd Airborne Vittória Paratroop Drop American Troop Landings
Paratroop Drop Zones U.S. 45th Division Scoglitti
off from the various fields around Kairouan, but he knew the men, knew that thirty-four hundred paratroopers had gone aloft in the skies around him, every one with the same job, the same infor- mation, and every one carried the same piece of paper, the final message passed out to them from Colonel Gavin.
Soldiers of the 505th Combat Team Tonight you embark upon a combat mission for which our people and the free people of the world have been waiting for two years. You will spearhead the landing of an
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Plan of Attack for Sicily Palermo Messina “Operation Husky” ITALY Route of Paratroop Aircraft & Gliders Straits of Mt. Etna Messina Allied Troop Landings SICILY N Catania 0 40 miles Agrigento W E 0 40 km
S Licata Syracuse Gela
PATTON
TUNISIA MEDITERRANEAN SEA MONTGOMERY
MALTA PDF Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/06 9:45 AM Page 605
Position for Final Attack in Tunisia MEDITERRANEAN SEA Allied German
Bizerte
BRADLEY U.S. 2nd Corps TuTunis n i s Souk el Khemis VON ARNIM ANDERSON British 1st1st Army
Le Kef Enfidaville
JUIN MONTGOMERY French British 8th Army 19th Corps Sousse
Kairouan
Fondouk
Sbeïtla Kasserine Faid
N Sidi Bou Zid
W E 0 200 miles S 0 200 km Sfax
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MEDITERRANEAN SEA Bizerte
Bone VON ARNIM TunisTu n i s
Souk el Khemis ANDERSON
Le Kef Enfidaville
Sousse
Thala Kairouan
Tébessa Sbeïtla Faid MESSE Kasserine Sidi Bou Zid Feriana
PATTON Sfax
I A R E I A N G I S L N Gafsa A U T W E
S
Gabes
0 200 miles Mareth 0 200 km
Médenine
Patton and Montgomery Offensives (Spring 1943) MONTGOMERY Allied Advance German Retreat
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The Battle of N 0 100 miles Médenine W E 0 100 km British S German
Gabes
ROMMEL
Mareth
Toujane MONTGOMERY
Médenine
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Souk el Khemis
Le Kef
Kairouan FREDENHALL Thala
Fondouk
Tébessa Sbeïtla
Kasserine Faid ROMMEL
Sidi Bou Zid Feriana
I A R E A G S I L I Gafsa N A
U T
Gabes
Final German Position N at Kasserine
W E American/ German 0 200 miles
Allied 0 200 km S
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Souk el Khemis
Le Kef
Kairouan FREDENHALL Thala Fondouk
Tébessa Sbeïtla
Kasserine ROMMEL Faid
Sidi Bou Zid Feriana
I A R E A G S I L I Gafsa N A
U T
Gabes
Rommel’s Actual Attack N
W E American 0 200 miles
German 0 200 km S
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Souk el Khemis
Le Kef
Kairouan Thala FREDENHALL VON ARNIM Fondouk
Tébessa Sbeïtla
Kasserine ROMMEL Faid
Sidi Bou Zid Feriana
I A R E A G S I L I Gafsa N A
U T
Gabes
Rommel’s Plan to Attack Tébessa N
W E American 0 200 miles
German 0 200 km S
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Souk el Khemis
Le Kef
Kairouan Thala
Fondouk FREDENHALL
Tébessa Sbeïtla
Faid
N Kasserine Sidi Bou Zid
W E Feriana
S
ROMMEL I A R E A G S I L I Gafsa N A
U T
Gabes
American Retreat from Sbeïtla
American 0 200 miles
German 0 200 km
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Souk el Khemis
Le Kef
VON ARNIM
Kairouan Thala
Fondouk FREDENHALL
Tébessa
Sbeïtla Faid Kasserine
N Feriana Sidi Bou Zid W E
S
I A R E I A G I S L N Gafsa A ROMMEL U T
Gabes
German Attack at Sidi Bou Zid
American 0 200 miles
German 0 200 km
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MEDITERRANEAN SEA Bizerte
Bone TunisTu n i s
VON ARNIM Souk el Khemis ANDERSON Le Kef Enfidaville
JUIN Sousse Kairouan Thala
Tébessa FREDENHALL Sbeïtla
Kasserine Faid Sidi Bou Zid Feriana Sfax
I A R E I A N G I S Gafsa L N A U T W E
ROMMEL S
Gabes
Mareth
0 200 miles Médenine 0 200 km
Rommel’s Plan to Attack the Americans MONTGOMERY Allied Position German Position
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MEDITERRANEAN SEA Bizerte
Bone TunisTu n i s
VON ARNIM ANDERSON Souk el Khemis KESSELRING
Le Kef Enfidaville EISENHOWER
JUIN Sousse
Thala
FREDENHALL Tébessa Sbeïtla Faid Kasserine Sidi Bou Zid
Sfax
I A R E I A N G I S Gafsa L N A U T W E
S
Gabes
ROMMEL Mareth
Médenine
Positions in Tunisia MONTGOMERY (christmas 1942) Allied Territory
German Territory 0 200 miles 0 200 km
PDF PDF
N Tu n i s 0 40 miles W E 0 40 km
S Allied Line, Dec. 25
ALGERIA MEDITERRANEAN SEA Gabes Mareth
Feb. 16 Tr i p o l i TUNISIA Homs Benghazi
Jan. 23
Sirte
Mersa el Dec. 21 Bregha Rommel Retreats Toward Tunisia LIBYA Nov. 20 Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/06 9:45 AM Page 342 9/25/06 9:45 Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp PDF
N MEDITERRANEAN SEA Rommel’s Retreat across Libya
W to Mersa el Bregha E
S
Benghazi Tobruk
Nov. 12 Mersa Matruh
LIBYA Mersa el Nov. 4 El Alamein Bregha
Nov. 20
EGYPT
0 20 miles
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MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Oran
La Sénia N Airfield Misserhin W E
S
0 4 miles Sebkra d’Oran 0 4 km The Final Fight for Oran American Forces French Forces Tafaraoui Airfield PDF PDF
0 10 miles U.S. RANGERS Operation Torch— & ARMOR 0 10 km Center Task Force Landings at Oran, Algeria Beach “Z” MEDITERRANEAN SEA
BRITISH SHIPS U.S. INFANTRY U.S. COMMANDOS
U.S. ARMOR Beach “Y” Oran
La Sénia Airfield Beach “X”
Misserhin
Sebkra d’Oran Lourmel N Tafaraoui U.S. PARATROOPERS Airfield W E U.S. PARATROOPERS S Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/06 9:45 AM Page 216 9/25/06 9:45 Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/06 9:45 AM Page 165
THE RISING TIDE 165
El Daba
N El Dab‘a The Battle of MEDITERRANEAN El Alamein— W ROMMEL SEA E Montgomery’s
S ad Breakthrough Ro ast El Alamein Co German Line Tel el Aqqaqir Hill 28 British Line
MONTGOMERY
ge AlamRidge Halfa RuwRuweisateisat RidgeRid
EGYPT
0 2 miles
Q A T T A R A D E P R E 0 2 km S S I O N
Montgomery had not held still for long, the re- newed thrust pounding straight into the tanks and heavy guns that Rommel had hoped would drive the British back. No matter how much British armor was destroyed, there was more to replace it.
WEST OF HILL 28, SOUTHWEST OF EL ALAMEIN—NOVEMBER 3, 1942 Rommel had driven along the coast road, had found a small hill, a perch that allowed him to see across toward the British position, the lines that had once been his, where now the enemy contin- ued to gather its vastly superior strength. Von
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N El Dab‘a MEDITERRANEAN El Alamein— W SEA E Position on October 26, 1942 S ad Ro ast Tel el Aqqaqir Co German Line Hill 28 El British Line Alamein ROMMEL MONTGOMERY
ge AlamRidge Halfa RuwRuweisateisat RidgeRid
EGYPT
Q A T T A R A D E P R E 0 2 miles S S I O N 0 2 km
The second call came from Hitler, several hours after the first news from Keitel. Hitler had asked the same question Keitel had: Are you well enough to return to command? Rommel was sur- prised that Hitler himself seemed genuinely con- cerned, that should Rommel feel unfit, there would be no order. But the urgency was clear, and Rommel would never have refused. He was going back to Africa. The first sign of Montgomery’s attack had come from the British artillery, wave upon wave of shelling that poured over the German and Italian positions, followed by massive night and early-morning bombing from unstoppable swarms of British bombers. The combined assaults had
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ITALY PORTUGAL Corsica ATLANTIC Rome OCEAN SPAIN Sardinia
Strait of Gibraltar Balearic Islands PATTON Gibraltar FREDENHALL RYDER SPANISH MOROCCO Algiers Bizerte Sicily Oran Casablanca TuTunis n i s
Malta ALGERIA MOROCCO TUNISIA
Gabes
Tripoli N Operation Torch— Allied Landings in W E 0 200 miles 0 200 km LIBYA North Africa S PDF Shaa_0739326694_1p_all_r1.qxp 9/25/06 9:45 AM Page 96
96 JEFF SHAARA
N El Dab‘a MEDITERRANEAN Rommel’s Defeat at W SEA E Alam Halfa Ridge
S German Minefields TelTel Elel Aqqaqir El Alamein German Advance British Minefields British Positions
ROMMEL ge AlamRidge Halfa RuwRuweisateisat RidgeRid
MONTGOMERY
EGYPT
QATTARA DEPRE 0 2 miles SSION 0 2 km
SOUTH OF ALAM HALFA RIDGE— AUGUST 31, 1942 “There is no fuel, sir! We are halted!” The man’s voice cut through him like a hot ra- zor, and Rommel fought the instinct to shout. “General von Vaerst, you will exercise restraint in my presence.” Von Vaerst now commanded the Afrika Korps, and Rommel saw the anguish on the man’s face, the same twisting pain that was cutting through Rommel’s gut. They stood in the open, the ar- mored cars gathered in an uneven row beside them, silent, the drivers conserving their gasoline. Von Vaerst stared down toward his feet, said,
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Though Rommel had driven within sixty-five miles of Alexandria, the first great Egyptian prize, he was forced to order his exhausted army to pause. The British responded by launching a counterattack that accomplished little more than adding to the casualty and prisoner lists on both sides. Neither side was, for now, in any position to do much damage to the other. In any army, failure leads to change, and the British commander in chief, Sir Claude Auchin- leck, now removed the British Eighth Army’s field commander, General Neil Ritchie. But, as the man in overall command of the theater, Auchin- leck himself was just as responsible for the fate of his army. On August 4, with activity along
Mersa N Matruh W MEDITERRANEAN SEA E
S Fuka El Dab‘a
ROMMEL
Tel el El Alamein Aqqaqir EGYPT RuwRuweisateisat RidgeRidge Halfa Alalamm Halfa Ridge
AUCHINLECK The British Withdrawal to El Alamein
German Advance D E P R E S S I O N T A R A British Retreat Q A T British Line 0 4 miles 0 4 km
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Rommel’s Breakthrough At Gazala (“The Cauldron”)
N
Gazala W E Benghazi Tobruk ROMMEL S
Gazala SıSıdı¯¯¯dı ¯ Barranı ¯ ¯ Salûm Tobruk
“The Cauldron” RITCHIE
ROMMEL RITCHIE LIBYA
Bir Hakeim EGYPT
0 10 miles
German British British 0 10 km Advance Positions Minefields PDF