THE BATTLE OF KASSERINE PASS
FEBRUARY 1943 INTRODUCTION
The Battle of Kasserine Pass was a battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign of World War II in February 1943. It was a series of battles fought around Kasserine Pass, a 2 mile wide gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Axis Mountains in west central Tunisia. I choose this battle because it has several significant historical events. It was the first large-scale meeting of American and German Forces in World War II, and second, it was the longest retreat by the U.S. Army, to that date.
My Uncle Murrel Hobt was a member of the 168th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Davison and took part in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa and subsequent engagements in Tunisia during the Allied build-up. Notably at Sened Station, Fiad Pass, Sbeltia and Fondouk Gap, In April the Division assaulted Hill 609 capturing it on May 1st 1943, and the drove through Choulqui Pass to Tebourba and Ferryville. The Division then trained for the…show more content… This came days after General Montgomery’s breakout in the east following his defeat of German and Italian forces in the second battle of El Alamein forcing a Axis withdrawal of 1400 miles to the west through Liberia. About half of Rommel’s forces had been lost including 450 Tanks and 1000 guns.
Field Marshall Rommel had performed wonders in two years of desert warfare, earning him the respect and admiration of friends and enemies alike. In spite of all these difficulties Rommel won a number of victories and came within an ace of capturing the Suez Canal, key to Middle East and Britain’s lifeline to India and East Asia. Rommel led from the front, a man who was a masterful tactician and strategist, with an offensive spirit that exploited enemy weaknesses. Rommel became larger than life, a man christened with the sobriquet “Desert