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Zrínyi Miklós Nemzetvédelmi Egyetem, Hadtudományi Doktori Iskola

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Zrínyi Miklós Nemzetvédelmi Egyetem, Hadtudományi Doktori Iskola Zrínyi Miklós Nemzetvédelmi Egyetem, Hadtudományi Doktori Iskola Klemensits Péter A páncélos fegyvernem Észak-Afrikában (1940-1943), a brit hadvezetés tapasztalatai alapján PhD értekezés Tudományos témavezet ő: (Dr. Vargyai Gyula egyetemi tanár) Budapest, 2011. 1 Tartalomjegyzék Bevezetés 5. 1. Fejezet: A páncéloser ők és az észak-afrikai hadszíntér 10. 1.1. A harckocsik alkalmazásának f őbb elméleti és gyakorlati kérdései Angliában a két világháború között 10. 1.2. Az észak-afrikai hadszíntér 13. 1.3. Összefoglalva 15. 2. Fejezet: Olasz támadás, brit ellenoffenzíva. Hadm űveletek Észak-Afrikában 1940 június-1941 február 16. 2.1. A hadvisel ő felek és a kezdeti összecsapások. 16. 2.2. A Compass hadm űvelet 22. 2.2.1. A brit offenzíva tervei 22. 2.2.2. Kezdeti fázis 27. 2.2.3. Bardia elfoglalása 29. 2.2.4. A cél: Tobruk 32. 2.2.5. A beda fommi gy őzelem 37. 2.3. Összegezve 43. 3. Fejezet. A német csapatok érkezése és a brit ellenállási kísérletek 1941 február-1941 június 45. 3.1. A német és olasz páncéloshadosztályok 45. 3.2. Rommel érkezése és a brit védelmi elképzelések 47. 3.3. Tobruk ostroma 52. 3.4. Brit ellentámadási törekvések 55. 3.4.1 A stratégiai háttér 55. 3.4.2. A haditervek 57. 3.4.3. A Battleaxe hadm űvelet 63. 3.5. Összefoglalva 67. 4. Fejezet. A nyolcadik hadsereg gy őzelme: A Crusader hadm űvelet és el őzményei 1941 július-1942 január 69. 4.1. Új hadvezetés, régi stratégia 69. 4.2. Az er őviszonyok és a haditerv 72. 4.3.A páncélosok összecsapása 82. 4.4. A brit er ők gy őzelme 86. 2 4.5. Összefoglalva 91. 5. Fejezet. Rommel visszavág: A Gazalához vezet ő út és az els ő el-alameini ütközet. 1942 január 1942- július 94. 5.1. Rommel ellentámadása és a 8. hadsereg helyzete 94. 5.2 Hadászati és hadm űveleti tervek 1942 tavaszán 99. 5.3 A gazalai ütközet 107. 5.3.1 A tengelyer ők támadása és az Aberdeen hadm űvelet 107. 5.3.2 Knightsbridge és következményei 112. 5.4 Az els ő el-alameini csata 118. 5.5. Összefoglalva 126. 6. Fejezet. Hadm űveletek El-Alameint ől Tuniszig: A 8. hadsereg gy őzelme Észak- Afrikában. 129. 6.1. Az alam halfai ütközet 129. 6.1.1 Montgomery stratégiája 129. 6.1.2 Montgomery els ő gy őzelme 133. 6.2 A Lightfoot hadm űvelet 136. 6.2.1 A tervezési periódus 137. 6.2.2. A sorsdönt ő ütközet 142. 6.3.A Supercharge hadm űvelet és következményei 148. 6.3.1. Az áttörés 148. 6.3.2.A Tuniszig vezet ő út 150. 6.4. Összefoglalva 160. 7. Fejezet: Következtetések és új tudományos eredmények 162. A tapasztalatok összegzése 162. Új tudományos eredmények 166. Irodalom jegyzék 167. Hivatkozott irodalom 167. Hivatkozott irodalom, amely hozzáférhet ő az interneten 170. További felhasznált irodalom 172. Felhasznált irodalom, amely elérhet ő az interneten 174. Publikációs jegyzék 177. 3 Mellékletek 178. 1. sz. melléklet: A német és olasz páncélozott harcjárm űvek m űszaki adatai 178. 2. sz. melléklet: A brit és amerikai gyártmányú páncélozott harcjárm űvek műszaki jellemz ői 179. 3. sz. melléklet: Harckocsik és páncélelhárítás 181. Vázlatok 4 Bevezetés Amikor a második világháború páncélosütközeteir ől esik szó, a német villámháború sikerei Franciaország és Nagy-Britannia ellen, illetve a Szovjetunió területén megvívott hatalmas er őket felvonultató harckocsihadseregek összecsapásai mindannyiunk számára ismer ősen csengenek. De ha Erwin Rommel tábornagy nevét említjük, már Észak-Afrikának is eszünkbe kell jutnia, hiszen a nyugat-európai Blietzkrieget követ ően a német tábornagy legnagyobb gy őzelmeit ezen a több szempontból is speciális hadszíntéren érte el a brit nemzetközösségi csapatokkal szemben. A két világháború közötti id őszakban a páncélosok alkalmazását taglaló elméletek egy része már a sivatagi környezetet ideális terepnek képzelte el a gépesített és páncélozott alakulatok bevetését illet ően, de ezen elméletek teoretikus felvetéseknél többet sokáig nem jelentettek. 1940 nyarától azonban, amikor Észak-Afrikában is kezdetét vették a hadm űveletek, a hadvisel ő felek Németország, Olaszország és Nagy-Britannia számára is világossá vált, hogy a hadszíntér jellegéb ől adódóan a páncéloser ők alkalmazása jóval nagyobb megpróbáltatásokat rejt magában mint azt korábban feltételezték. Ugyanakkor viszont Olaszország 1941-es megrendít ő vereségéb ől az is egyértelm űvé vált, hogy ezen a hadszíntéren csupán a gépesített és páncélos csapatok vehetik fel sikerrel a küzdelmet az ellenséggel, a mobilitást nélkülöz ő er ők pedig csak csekély szerephez juthatnak. A történetírás napjainkra már szinte kimeríthetetlen mennyiség ű szakirodalmat produkált a második világháborús hadm űveletekr ől, de ennek csupán töredéke foglalkozik az észak- afrikai eseményekkel. Természetesen Németországban, Olaszországban és a Brit Nemzetközösség országaiban a kutatók komoly figyelmet szenteltek a fentiekben vázolt történéseknek és számos els ődleges forrásokon alapuló kit űnő munka látott már napvilágot. Magyarországon a téma részletes tudományos igény ű értékelése még várat magára és hazánkban a modern külföldi szakirodalom korlátozott megjelenése is nehezíti az új ismeretek térhódítását. Napjaink szárazföldi hadm űveleteiben úgy vélem a harckocsik még mindig alapvet ő szerepet töltenek be, ezért alkalmazásuk kérdésével érdemes foglalkozni. Bár a technikai fejl ődésnek köszönhet ően a második világháborúban alkalmazott harckocsik és a mai harcjárm űvek jelent ősen eltérnek egymástól, a hadtörténelmi példákban rejl ő tanulságok úgy hiszem ma is hasznosíthatóak. A második világháborús hadszínterek közül pedig biztonsággal állítható, hogy Észak-Afrikában a páncélos csapatok összecsapása határozta meg a küzdelem kimenetelét, így ezeknek az eseményeknek a vizsgálata ma sem id őszer űtlen. Mint már jeleztem Nagy-Britanniában és Németországban jelent ős mennyiség ű irodalom 5 született az évek során az észak-afrikai páncélos ütközetekr ől, mindazonáltal tisztázásra váró kérdések továbbra is akadnak ebben a témakörben. Kutatásaim során szembet űnő volt, hogy amíg a német és olasz er őfeszítésekr ől mára a kutatóknak sikerült nagyjából egységes képet alkotniuk, addig a briteknél hiányzik egy kiegyensúlyozott elfogultságot mell őző értékelés az 1940-1943 közötti brit hadm űveletekr ől és a hadvezetés szerepér ől. Az évek során Angliában a hadtörténészek két táborra szakadtak: az egyik szerint Claude John Eyre Auchinleck tábornokot méltánytalanul mell őzték az el-alameini csaták idején, érdemeit sohasem ismerték el méltóan ( Corelli Barnett, John Connell, Roger Parkinson, Philip Warner) 1. A másik irányzat, amely nagy mértékben támaszkodik Bernard Montgomery emlékirataira, Auchinleck-kel szemben, Montgomery érdemeit emeli ki (Nigel Hamilton, Brian Montgomery, Lord Chalfont) 2. Habár Michael Carver napjainkban pedig Niall Barr kutatásai 3 (az id őközben el őkerült új bizonyítékoknak köszönhet ően pl: Ritchie tábornok papírjai, Auchinleck helyzetértékelései) a korábbinál jóval pontosabb képet festenek egy bizonyos id őszak eseményeir ől, de a korszak (1940-1943) brit hadvezetésének átfogó elemzése a mai napig hiányzik. A tendencia azt mutatja, hogy manapság már a brit kutatók is nagyobb hangsúlyt fektetnek a fegyvernemek és alakulatok történetének feltárására, és a tábornokok érdemeinek hangoztatása fokozatosan átadja helyét egy objektívabb árnyaltabb megközelítésnek. 4 Noha Archibald Percival Wavell tábornok m űködésér ől a kutatók nagyjából egybevágó véleményt képviselnek, a legújabb könyvészeti ismeretek prezentálását fontosnak tartom, különösen a páncéloser ők részvételét vizsgálva a Brevity és Battleaxe hadműveletekben. 5 Amikor a brit hadvezetés tevékenységét kívánjuk értékelni és az egyes személyek hadm űveletekben betöltött szerepét meghatározni, a páncéloser ők alkalmazásának kérdésével folyamatosan találkozhatunk. Mivel Észak-Afrikában a páncélos fegyvernem játszotta a 1 Barnett,Corelli: The Desert Generals, Ballantine books, New York, 1972. (a továbbiakban: Barnett) Connell, John: Auchinleck: A Critical Biography, London, 1959. Parkinson Roger: The Auk: Auchinleck, Victor at Alamein, London, 1977. Warner, Philip: Auchinleck the Lonely Soldier, Sphere books, London, 1972. (a továbbiakban: Warner) 2 Hamilton, Nigel: Monty: The Making of a General 1887-1942, London 1981. (a továbbiakban: Hamilton) Montgomery, Brian: A Field-Marshall in the Family, London 1973 Chalfont, Lord: Montgomery of Alamein, London 1976. 3 Carver, Michael: Dilemmas of the Desert War a New Look at the Libyan Campaign 1940-1942.,Indianapolis 1987, Barr, Niall: Pendulum of war The Three Battles of El Alamein ,The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc. Woodstock & New York 2005 (a továbbiakban: Carver 1987 és Barr) 4 Barr: xlii o. 5 Fort, Adrian: Archibald Wavell The Life and Times of an Imperial Servant Jonathan Cape, London, 2009. (a továbbiakban: Fort ) Jentz, Thomas: Tank Combat in North Africa The Opening Rounds Operations Sonnenblume, Brevity, Skorpion and Battleaxe. February 1941-June 1941 Schiffer Military History, Atglen PA. 1998. (a továbbiakban: Jentz) 6 főszerepet, helyes vagy nem megfelel ő alkalmazásuk eldöntötte a hadm űveletek végkifejletét. Így tehát ha a brit hadm űveletek sikerének vagy kudarcának az okait szeretnénk megvizsgálni, figyelembe kell vennünk a katonai vezetés elvárásait a páncélosokkal szemben és a hadm űveleti tervek elemzését ől kezdve a végrehajtás fázisáig át kell tekinteni a hadvezetés szerepét. Értekezésemben a fontosabb brit hadm űveleti tervek kialakulását valamint azok végrehajtását szeretném megvizsgálni az 1940-1943 közötti periódusban a páncéloser ők szerepére lebontva, amely az érthet őség kedvéért szükségessé teszi
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