Operation Crusader order of battle
This is the order of battle for the ground forces involved in Operation Crusader, a World War II battle between the British Commonwealth and the European Axis Powers of Germany and Italy in North Africa between 18 November – 30 December 1941.
British and Commonwealth Forces
Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command: General Claude Auchinleck
Senior British commanders during Operation Crusader
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General Claude Auchinleck, theatre commander
Lt-General Alan Cunningham, commander Eight Army
Acting Lt-General Neil Ritchie, commander Eighth Army (seen in Europe in 1944)
British Eighth Army
Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham, succeeded on 26 November by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie when Auchinleck removed Cunningham from command of Eighth Army
XXX Corps
Lieutenant-General Willoughby Norrie
- 7th Armoured Division (Major-General William Gott)
- 4th Armoured Brigade
- 7th Armoured Brigade
- 22nd Armoured Brigade
- 7th Support Group
- Divisional troops
- 4th South African Armoured Car Regiment
- King's Dragoon Guards
- 11th Hussars
- 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 1st South African Division (Major-General George Brink)
- 1st South African Infantry Brigade
- 1st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles, South African Infantry Corps
- 1st Battalion, Royal Natal Carabineers, South African Infantry Corps
- 1st Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
- 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
- 5th South African Infantry Brigade
- Regiment Botha, South African Infantry Corps
- South African Irish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
- 3rd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
- 4th Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
- 1st South African Infantry Brigade
- 22nd Guards Brigade
XIII Corps
- Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-Austen
- 2nd New Zealand Division (Major-General Bernard Freyberg VC)
Messervy giving orders, December 1941
- 4th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Frank Messervy)
- 5th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st Battalion, The Buffs
- 3rd Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment
- 4th Battalion (Outram's), 6th Rajputana Rifles
- 7th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
- 4th Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment
- 4th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment
- 11th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
- 2nd Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
- 1st Battalion (Wellesley's), 6th Rajputana Rifles
- Divisional troops
- The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse) (Reconnaissance)
- 1st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 25th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 31st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 5th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st Army Tank Brigade
- 8th Royal Tank Regiment - equipped with Valentine infantry tanks (Lt Col Brooke)
- 42nd Royal Tank Regiment( Lt Col Willison later Lt Col Martin)
- 44th Royal Tank Regiment - Matilda II infantry tanks (Lt Col Yeo)
Tobruk Fortress
Major-General Ronald Scobie
- 70th Infantry Division
- 14th Infantry Brigade
- 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Black Watch
- 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
- 16th Infantry Brigade
- 2nd Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment
- 23rd Infantry Brigade
- 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
- 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment
- 4th Battalion, Border Regiment
- 14th Infantry Brigade
- Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade
- I Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- II Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- III Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- 11 Czechoslovakian Infantry Battalion
- 2/13th Australian Infantry Battalion[lower-alpha 1]
- Carpathian Machine Gun Battalion
- Carpathian Field Regiment
- 32nd Army Tank Brigade (Brigadier A.C. Willison)
- 4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade[1][2][3][4] (Brigadier John Muirhead)
- 69th (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 13th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 1 and 5 Independent Light Anti-Aircraft Batteries, Royal Artillery
- 306 Battery, 27th (London Electrical Engineers) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery
Oasis Force
- Brigadier Denys Reid
- 29th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
- 3rd Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment
- 1st Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
- 6th South African Armoured Car Regiment
Army Reserve
- 2nd South African Division (Major-General Isaac de Villiers)
- 3rd South African Infantry Brigade
- Imperial Light Horse, South African Infantry Corps
- Rand Light Infantry, South African Infantry Corps
- 1st Battalion, Royal Durban Light Infantry, South African Infantry Corps
- 1st Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
- 4th South African Infantry Brigade
- Kaffrarian Rifles, South African Infantry Corps
- Umvoti Mounted Rifles, South African Infantry Corps
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Durban Light Infantry, South African Infantry Corps
- 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
- 6th South African Infantry Brigade
- 1st South African Police Battalion
- 2nd South African Police Battalion
- 2nd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
- 5th Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
- 3rd South African Infantry Brigade
German and Italian forces
Ettore Bastico, Governor-General of Italian Libya and commander-in-chief of all Axis forces in North Africa. (seen in August 1942)
Supreme Commander North Africa: General Ettore Bastico
Italian XX Corps (Corpo d'Armata di Manovra - Mobile Corps)
Lieutenant-General Gastone Gambara
- Corps assets:
- Three batteries of truck-mounted 102mm AA/AT guns[lower-alpha 2]
- 132nd Armoured Division "Ariete" (General Mario Balotta)
- 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment
- I Light Tank Battalion
- II Light Tank Battalion
- 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment
- VII Medium Tank Battalion
- VIII Medium Tank Battalion
- IX Medium Tank Battalion
- 8th Bersaglieri Regiment
- 132nd Artillery Regiment[lower-alpha 3]
- One battalion attached from the 26th Artillery Regiment, 17th Infantry Division "Pavia"[lower-alpha 4]>
- One battalion attached from the 24th Corps Artillery Group[lower-alpha 5]
- 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment
- 101st Motorised Division "Trieste"
- 65th Infantry Regiment
- 66th Infantry Regiment
- 9th Bersaglieri Regiment
- 551st Heavy Weapons Battalion
- 21st Artillery Regiment
- RECAM (Raggruppamento Esplorante del Corpo d'Armata di Manovra - "reconnaissance group of the mobile army corps")
- III Light Tank Battalion (attached from the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment, Ariete division)
- LII Medium Tank Battalion
- "Romolo Gessi" Battalion, Italian Africa Police[lower-alpha 6]
- "Giovani Fascisti" Infantry Group (2 bns)
- Raggruppamento Batterie Volanti ("Portees" - truck mounted - Artillery Group)[lower-alpha 7]
Panzer Group Africa
Panzer Group Africa commanded by General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel
German Afrika Korps (commanded by Generalleutnant Ludwig Crüwell)
- 15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow until 6 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst)
- 8th Panzer Regiment (2 bns)
- 1st Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Machine Gun Battalion
- 3rd Engineers Battalion
- 33rd Recon Battalion
- 33rd Anti-tank Battalion
- 33rd Artillery Regiment
- 21st Panzer Division (Generalmajor Johann von Ravenstein until 29 November (prisoner of war), then Generalmajor Karl Böttcher)
- 5th Panzer Regiment (2 bns)
- 104th Infantry Regiment (2 bns)
- 15th Motorcycle Battalion
- 3rd Recon Battalion
- 200th Engineers Battalion
- 39th Anti-Tank Battalion
- 605th Anti-Tank Battalion
- 155th Artillery Regiment
- Special Purpose Division Afrika (Renamed 90th Light Africa Division from 28 November 1941) (Generalmajor Max Sümmermann until 10 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Richard Veith)
- 2nd Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment
- 155th Infantry Regiment (3 bns)
- 3rd Battalion, 255th Infantry Regiment
- 3rd Battalion, 347th Infantry Regiment
- 361st Infantry Regiment (2 bns)
- 900th Engineers Battalion
- 580th Recon Battalion
- Elements from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion
- 2nd Battalion, 115th Motor Artillery Regiment
- 2nd Motor Artillery Regiment (Italian)
- 55th Infantry Division "Savona" (General Fedele de Giorgis)
- 15th Infantry Regiment
- 16th Infantry Regiment
- "Genova Cavalleria" Machine Gun Battalion
- 155th Machine Gun Battalion
- Elements, from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion (German)
- 12th Artillery Regiment[lower-alpha 8]
Italian XXI Corps
Italian XXI Corps commanded by Lieutenant-General Enea Navarini
- Corps assets:
- 3rd Motor Artillery Regiment[lower-alpha 9]
- 16th Corps Artillery Group[lower-alpha 10]
- 8th Army Artillery Group[lower-alpha 11]
- 24th Army Artillery Group[lower-alpha 12]
- 340th Frontier Guards Artillery Group[lower-alpha 13]
- 340th Frontier Guards Engineers Battalion
- 17th Infantry Division "Pavia"
- 27th Infantry Regiment
- 28th Regiment Pavia
- V Light Tank Battalion
- "Lancieri d'Aosta" Machine Gun Battalion
- 17th Heavy Weapons Battalion
- 26th Artillery Regiment[lower-alpha 14]
- 25th Infantry Division "Bologna"
- 39th Infantry Regiment
- 40th Infantry Regiment
- 25th Heavy Weapons Battalion
- 205th Artillery Regiment[lower-alpha 15]
- 27th Infantry Division "Brescia"
- 19th Infantry Regiment
- 20th Infantry Regiment
- 27th Machine Gun Battalion
- 1st Motor Artillery Regiment[lower-alpha 16]
- 102nd Motorised Division "Trento"
- 7th Bersaglieri Regiment
- 61st Infantry Regiment
- 62nd Infantry Regiment
- 551st Anti-Tank Battalion
- 46th Artillery Regiment[lower-alpha 17]
Notes
- the "2" prefix indicated the unit was part of Second Australian Imperial Force and separate from similar named militia unit in Australia
- Naval Blackshirts crews
- Two 75L28 battalions
- One 75L28 battalion
- One Cannone da 105/28 battalion
- Two motorcycle and one armoured cars companies
- Two battalions with Cannone da 65/17 modello 13, one battery with Obice da 100/17 and one battery with 20mm Breda 35 light AA/AT
- Two 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions
- One Obice da 100/17 and two 75L27 battalions
- Three Cannone da 105/28 battalions
- One Cannone da 149/28, one 149L40 and one 152L37 battalions
- Four Cannone da 149/35 A battalions
- Four 75L28 battalions
- One 75L28 and one Obice da 100/17 battalions
- Two 75L28 and one Obice da 100/17 battalions
- Two 75L28 battalions
- Two 75L28 and one Obice da 100/17 battalions
- Farndale, pp. 165–8.
- Playfair, p. 158.
- Routledge, pp. 130–3, Table XX, p. 141
- "Order of Battle at Rats of Tobruk Tribute site". Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
References
- Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, ISBN 1-85753-080-2.
- Heddlesten, James (17 February 2010). "Libya September 1941 OoB". Comando Supremo: Italy at War website.
- Moreman, Tim (2007). Desert Rats: British 8th Army in North Africa 1941-43. Battle Orders No. 28. Consultant editor Dr Duncan Anderson. Osprey. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-84603-144-1.
- Paterson, Ian A. "History of the British 7th Armoured Division: Divisional Organisation". Archived from the original on 21 June 2007.
- Maj-Gen I.S.O. Playfair (1956), The Mediterranean and Middle East Vol II: The Germans come to the aid of their Ally (1941), History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series, London: HMSO – via Hyperwar Foundation
- Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, ISBN 1-85753-099-3
- "Eighth Army OOB. 18th November 1941". Orders of Battle.com. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
- Liddell Hart, B H. The North African Campaign 1940–43.
External links
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