Battle of Sidi Bou Zid - Background

Background

The battle of Sidi Bou Zid was part of the Tunisia Campaign, a series of battles fought between Axis forces and Allied forces for control of Tunisia. The Axis forces consisted primarily of German and Italian units. The Allied forces consisted primarily of American, British, and Free French units.

The Allied effort to capture Tunis in late 1942 following Operation Torch had failed and since the year end a stalemate had settled on the theatre as both sides paused to re-build their strength. Hans-Jürgen von Arnim commanded the Axis forces defending Tunisia. By this time, his command was strengthened to become the Fifth Panzer Army (5.Panzer-Armee). Von Arnim chose to maintain the initiative gained when the Allies had been driven back the previous year by making spoiling attacks to keep his intentions hidden.

In January 1943, the German-Italian Panzer Army (Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee) under command of Erwin Rommel (also known as Desert Fox) had retreated to the Mareth Line, originally a French line of defensive fortifications near the coastal town of Medenine in southern Tunisia. They thus linked up with von Arnim. In the Sidi Bouzid area there were elements from both armies, notably 21st Panzer Division transferred from German-Italian Panzer Army's Afrika Korps and 10th Panzer Division from the Fifth Army.

Most of Tunisia was in German hands but since November 1942, the Eastern Dorsale of the Atlas Mountains had been under the control of the Allies. The Eastern Dorsale was held by elements of the inexperienced U.S. II Corps under Lloyd Fredendall and the poorly equipped French XIX Corps under Alphonse Juin. Fredendall neither visited the front nor considered input from commanders farther forward. He was settled in Tebessa 80 miles (130 km) away. In the absence of clear intelligence as to Axis intentions, Fredendall had dispersed his forces to cover all eventualities. However, this left his units generally isolated and unable to support each other if threatened with a concentrated attack. At Sidi Bouzid he had bypassed his divisional commanders and ordered the defensive dispositions himself, without having seen the terrain in person. Sidi Bouzid was defended by infantry of US 34th Infantry Division's 168th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) commanded by Colonel Thomas Drake and the armour of US 1st Armored Division's Combat Command A (CCA). Fredendall had caused most of this force to be placed in defensive "islands" on high ground which risked them being successively isolated and defeated in detail.

Rommel was very conscious of the threat posed by Allied forces on the Eastern Dorsale if they were to make an eastward thrust towards the coast some 60 miles (97 km) to the east and isolate the two Axis armies and cut German-Italian Panzer Army's line of supply from Tunis.

On 30 January von Arnim had sent 21st Panzer to attack the Faid Pass, held by French XIX Corps. Called to assist, Fredendall had reacted slowly and von Arnim's troops had overcome fierce French resistance and achieved their objectives while inflicting heavy casualties.