Operation Crusader orders 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

British Eighth Army

Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham, succeeded on 26 November by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie

XXX Corps

Lieutenant-General Willoughby Norrie

7th Armoured Division (Major-General William Gott)
- 4th Armoured Brigade
  - 8th Hussars
  - 3rd Royal Tank Regiment
  - 5th Royal Tank Regiment
  - 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards
  - 2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
- 7th Armoured Brigade
- 22nd Armoured Brigade
- 7th Support Group
  - 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
  - 4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
  - 1st Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps
  - 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade
  - 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
  - One Battery, 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 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
22nd Guards Brigade
- 9th Battalion, Rifle Brigade
- 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards

XIII Corps

Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-Austen

2nd New Zealand Division (Major-General Bernard Freyberg)
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
1st Army Tank Brigade
- 8th Royal Tank Regiment - Valentine Infantry Tank (Lt Col Brooke)
- 42nd Royal Tank Regiment( Lt Col Willison later Lt Col Martin)
- 44th Royal Tank Regiment - Matilda Mk II Infantry Tank (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
Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade
- I Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- II Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- III Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- 11 Czechoslovakian Infantry Battalion
- 2/13 Australian Infantry Battalion
- Carpathian Machine Gun Battalion
- Carpathian Field Regiment
32nd Army Tank Brigade (Brigadier A.C. Willison)
- 1st Royal Tank Regiment
- 4th Royal Tank Regiment
- 'D' Squadron 7th Royal Tank Regiment
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

German and Italian forces

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^[5]
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^[6]
- One battalion attached from the 26th Artillery Regiment, Pavia division^[7]
- One battalion attached from the 24th Corps Artillery Group^[8]
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^[9]
- "Giovani Fascisti" Infantry Group (2 bns)
- Raggruppamento Batterie Volanti ("Portees" - truck mounted - Artillery Group)^[10]

Panzer Group Africa

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^[11]

Italian XXI Corps

Lieutenant-General Enea Navarini

Corps assets:
- 3rd Motor Artillery Regiment^[12]
- 16th Corps Artillery Group^[13]
- 8th Army Artillery Group^[14]
- 24th Army Artillery Group^[15]
- 340th Frontier Guards Artillery Group^[16]
- 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^[17]
25th Infantry Division Bologna
- 39th Infantry Regiment
- 40th Infantry Regiment
- 25th Heavy Weapons Battalion
- 205th Artillery Regiment^[18]
27th Infantry Division Brescia
- 19th Infantry Regiment
- 20th Infantry Regiment
- 27th Machine Gun Battalion
- 1st Motor Artillery Regiment^[19]
102nd Motorised Division Trento
- 7th Bersaglieri Regiment
- 61st Infantry Regiment
- 62nd Infantry Regiment
- 551st Anti-Tank Battalion
- 46th Artillery Regiment^[20]

Notes

^ 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.
^ Naval Blackshirts crews
^ Two 75L28 battalions
^ One 75L28 battalion
^ One 105L28 battalion
^ Two motorcycle and one armoured cars companies
^ Two battalions with 65L17, one battery wiyj 100L17 and one battery with 20L65 light AA/AT)
^ Two 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions
^ One 100L17 and two 75L27 battalions
^ Three 105L28 battalions
^ One 149L28, one 149L40 and one 152L37 battalions
^ Four 149L35 battalions
^ Four 75L28 battalions
^ One 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions
^ Two 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions
^ Two 75L28 battalions
^ Two 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions

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. "Libya September 1941 OoB". Comando Supremo: Italy at War website.
Moreman, Timothy Robert; Anderson, Duncan (2007). Desert Rats: British 8th Army in North Africa 1941-43. 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, History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East, Vol II: The Germans come to the aid of their Ally (1941), London: HMSO, 1956/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-66-1.
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.
The North African Campaign 1940-43. B H Liddell Hart

External links

[1] Farndale, pp. 165–8.

[2] Playfair, p. 158.

[3] Routledge, pp. 130–3, Table XX, p. 141

[4] "Order of Battle at Rats of Tobruk Tribute site". Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.

[5] Naval Blackshirts crews

[6] Two 75L28 battalions

[7] One 75L28 battalion

[8] One 105L28 battalion

[9] Two motorcycle and one armoured cars companies

[10] Two battalions with 65L17, one battery wiyj 100L17 and one battery with 20L65 light AA/AT)

[11] Two 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions

[12] One 100L17 and two 75L27 battalions

[13] Three 105L28 battalions

[14] One 149L28, one 149L40 and one 152L37 battalions

[15] Four 149L35 battalions

[16] Four 75L28 battalions

[17] One 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions

[18] Two 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions

[19] Two 75L28 battalions

[20] Two 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions

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