- 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 November 18 and December 30, 1941.
Contents
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
- 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 The Rifle Brigade
- 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- One Bty, 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- Divisional troops
- 4th South African Armoured Car Regiment
- King's Dragoon Guards
- 11th Hussars
- 102nd Royal Horse Artillery
- 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 4th Armoured Brigade
- 1st South African Division (Major-General George Brink)
- 1st South African Infantry Brigade
- 5th South African Infantry Brigade
- 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 New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 18th Infantry Battalion
- 19th Infantry Battalion
- 20th Infantry Battalion
- 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 21st Infantry Battalion
- 22nd Infantry Battalion
- 23rd Infantry Battalion
- 6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 24th Infantry Battalion
- 25th Infantry Battalion
- 26th Infantry Battalion
- 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
- 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
- 1st battalion (Wellesley's) 6th Rajputana Rifles
- 2nd battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
- 2nd battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
- Divisional troops
- The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse) (Reconnaissance)
- 1 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 25 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 31 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
- 5th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 1st Army Tank Brigade
- 8th Royal Tank Regiment - Valentine Infantry Tank (LT COL F K BROOKE)
- 42nd Royal Tank Regiment( LT COL A C WILLISON) later ( LT COL A R MARTIN)
- 44th Royal Tank Regiment - Matilda Mk II Infantry Tank (LT COL HCJ 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
- 2/13 Australian Infantry Battalion
- Carpathian Machine Gun Battalion
- Carpathian Field Regiment
- 32nd Army Tank Brigade (Brigadier A.C. Willison)
Oasis Force
- Brigadier Denys Reid
- 29th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 6th South African Armoured Car Regiment
Army Reserve
- 2nd South African Division (Major-General Isaac de Villiers)
- 3rd South African Infantry Brigade
- 4th South African Infantry Brigade
- 6th South African Infantry Brigade
German and Italian forces
- Supreme Commander North Africa: General Ettore Bastico
Italian Mobile Army (XX) Corps
- Lieutenant-General Gastone Gambara
- 132 Armoured Division Ariete (General Mario Balotta)
- 132nd Armoured Regiment
- VII Tank Battalion
- VIII Tank Battalion
- IX Tank Battalion
- 32nd Light Armoured Regiment
- 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (Motorised)
- 132nd Artillery Regiment
- 132nd Armoured Regiment
- 101 Motorised Division Trieste
- 65th Infantry Regiment
- 66th Infantry Regiment
- 9th Bersaglieri Regiment
- 21st Artillery Regiment
- RECAM (Reconnaissance Unit of the Mobile Army Corps)
Panzer Group Afrika
- General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel
German Afrika Korps
- Generalleutnant Ludwig Crüwell
- 15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow until 6 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst)
- 8th Panzer Regiment
- 115th Infantry Regiment
- 33rd Artillery Regiment
- 21st Panzer Division (Generalmajor Johann von Ravenstein until 29 November (prisoner of war), then Generalmajor Karl Böttcher)
- 5th Panzer Regiment
- 104th Infantry Regiment
- 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)
- 155th Infantry Regiment
- 361st Infantry Regiment
- 55th North African Infantry Division 'Savona' (General Fedele de Giorgis)
- 15th Infantry Regiment
- 16th Infantry Regiment
- 12th Artillery Regiment
Italian XXI Corps
- Lieutenant-General Enea Navarrini
- 17 North African Infantry Division Pavia
- 27th Infantry Regiment
- 28th Infantry Regiment
- 26th Artillery Regiment
- 25 North African Infantry Division Bologna
- 39th Infantry Regiment
- 40th Infantry Regiment
- 205th Artillery Regiment
- 27 North African Infantry Division Brescia
- 19th Infantry Regiment
- 20th Infantry Regiment
- 55th Artillery Regiment
- 102 Motorised Division Trento
- 61st Infantry Regiment
- 62nd Infantry Regiment
- 46th Artillery Regiment
Notes
References
- Heddlesten, James. "Libya September 1941 OoB". Comando Supremo: Italy at War website. http://www.comandosupremo.com/Libya1941.html.
- Moreman, Timothy Robert; Anderson, Duncan (2007). Desert Rats: British 8th Army in North Africa 1941-43. Osprey. pp. p. 61. ISBN 1846031443. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yfpozlstWuIC&pg=PA61&lpg=PA61&dq=Operation+Crusader+order+of+battle&source=web&ots=zy1KjAK1Hq&sig=ntbbzGx28-B5Rb1QFtiMM0arj8Q&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PPA61,M1.
- Paterson, Ian A. "History of the British 7th Armoured Division: Divisional Organisation". http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/org.htm.
- "Eighth Army OOB. 18th November 1941". Orders of Battle.com. http://www.ordersofbattle.com/UnitData.aspx?UniX=6220&Tab=Oob. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- The North African Campaign 1940-43. B H Liddell Hart
External links
The Major Ground Commands and Commanders on The CRUSADER Project
Categories:- Western Desert Campaign
- World War II orders of battle
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
