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 â 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 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
- 8th Hussars
- 3rd Royal Tank Regiment
- 5th Royal Tank Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards
- 2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
- 7th Armoured Brigade
- 7th Hussars
- 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
- 6th Royal Tank Regiment
- 22nd Armoured Brigade
- 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
- 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
- 4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
- 7th Support Group
- 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
- 4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
- 1st Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps
- 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade
- 60th (North Midland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- One Battery, 51st (Westmorland and Cumberland) 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 (Tower Hamlets Rifles)
- 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards
XIII Corps
Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-Austen
- 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 - 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
- Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade
- I Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- II Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- III Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- 11 Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion
- 2/13th 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 (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
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
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 Reconnaissance 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
Italian XXI Corps
Italian XXI Corps commanded by Lieutenant-General Enea Navarini
Notes
Footnotes
Bibliography
- Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939âÂÂ1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, .
- Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914âÂÂ55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994,
Further reading
External links