Nickole D.

Talusig

BSHMTO-1

What do you think is the exact event that transpired during the Battle of Tirad Pass? Support
your answer with primary sources (e.g. individual persons, original documents, etc.) or
secondary sources (articles, books, manuscripts, etc.)

Lloyd R. Fredenall, an incompetent military leader, had the misfortune of facing Erwin Rommel, one of
the true military geniuses of WWII, at the Battle of Kasserine. Following Kasserin's death, British officers
and men denounced the Americans, referring to them as "our Italians," suggesting that they were poor
soldiers who, according to the British, were Italians. The German Panzer Division has 91 tanks on
February 1, 1943. (Half of the former force) General Anderson stayed in reserve behind the 180 tanks
and 18 light tanks of the 1st American Panzer Division. Rommel requested that Arnim provide 110 tanks
plus a dozen "Tiger" tanks. Arnim, on the other hand, admired Rommel's celebrity. Arnim didn't
contribute anything. Rommel put together a battle force of 26 tanks and two infantry battalions from
the corps "Africa" with an incomplete composition. The onslaught by the Germans began on February
14th. Two mobile groups of the German 10th Panzer Division sped into the gorge, striking US positions
from the front. The Americans retreated from the battlefield, leaving behind 40 tanks, 60 armored
personnel carriers, and five artillery battalions' cannons. The US battalion "C" initiated a counter-
offensive in the morning. The Americans were caught in the range of German artillery and were fired
upon. The Americans came to a halt. The enemy was defeated by the Germans, who had surrounded
them on two sides. Another 54 tanks, 57 semi-track vehicles, and 29 weapons were lost by the US.
Anderson ordered his remaining forces to flee. The USA lost 150 tanks and over 3,000 detainees in the
three days. Only modest casualties were suffered by the Germans. Telept's airstrip was taken over by
the Germans. Thirty of the Americans' aircraft that were on the takeoff platform were destroyed by the
Americans. General Fredenall of the United States of America broke down in tears. Fredenall returned
the American forces to Tebessa and ordered the food and ammo stockpiles to be destroyed.

Rommel's plan was a mystery to General Arnim. Rommel addressed the Italian General Staff (Comando
Supremo). The Italians agreed to the attack but proposed a strategy. "A horrible and unbelievable
example of shortsightedness," Rommel wrote, because changing the attack's path meant the blow
"would be inflicted much closer to the enemy's positions, dooming us to crash with his powerful
reserves." I was pressed for time. Attacking was essential. The Germans suffered a great deal as a result
of the onslaught. The Americans were in a better position. Rommel concluded that the Allies were
weaker in the Kasserin area, so he concentrated the offensive there, ordering the 10th Panzer Division
to march in that direction. When Rommel arrived on the scene on February 29, General Friedrich von
Braich, commander of the 10th Panzer Division, informed him that he had only brought half of his
soldiers. Rommel used the Nebelwerfer system, which consisted of numerous rocket launchers. As one
of the tankmen noted in his diary, the Americans valiantly fled.

The Germans destroyed 40 enemy tanks on February 21, losing 12 of their own. The Germans
demolished a large quantity of equipment and kidnapped 700 Englishmen. Air reconnaissance data
informed Rommel that reinforcements were nearing the allies. Rommel and Kesselring knew their
soldiers were in a terrible condition on February 22 and ordered them to retire. Fredenall failed to
organize a successful counterattack, and the Germans were able to escape the mountain pass Kasserin
with little casualties. During Rommel's whole campaign, the United States suffered a total loss of 3000
dead and injured, with almost 4,000 persons taken prisoner. The Allies suffered a loss of 200 tanks.
Fewer than a thousand Italian-German soldiers and a few tanks were lost. The scenario would have been
different if General Arnim and Rommel had acted simultaneously, and Comando Supremo had adopted
Rommel's strategy. On February 26, Arnim launched his operation in the north, utilizing tanks that he
had not sent to Rommel. Rommel's plan failed in this operation. Despite the fact that the Germans
seized 2,500 British soldiers, they lost 71 tanks against the British, while the British lost fewer than 20.
Arnim's efforts pushed back the start of Rommel's planned attack against Montgomery. Rommel was
named commander-in-chief of the African forces on February 23. The Combat of Kasserine was the first
significant battle between German and Allied forces. The battle of Kasserin is a fight in which Rommel's
success and the Italian leadership's ignorance triumphed.