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 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
- 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
- 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 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
- 5th Indian Infantry Brigade
- 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
- 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
- 132nd 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
- 132nd Artillery Regiment
- 132nd Armoured Regiment
- 101st 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 (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
- 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 Infantry Division Savona (General Fedele de Giorgis)
- 15th Infantry Regiment
- 16th Infantry Regiment
- 12th Artillery Regiment
Italian XXI Corps
- Lieutenant-General Enea Navarini
- 17th Infantry Division Pavia
- 27th Infantry Regiment
- 28th Regiment Pavia
- 26th Artillery Regiment
- 25th Infantry Division Bologna
- 39th Infantry Regiment
- 40th Infantry Regiment
- 205th Artillery Regiment
- 27th Infantry Division Brescia
- 19th Infantry Regiment
- 20th Infantry Regiment
- 55th Artillery Regiment
- 102nd 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.
- Moreman, Timothy Robert; Anderson, Duncan (2007). Desert Rats: British 8th Army in North Africa 1941-43. Osprey. p. 61. ISBN 1-84603-144-3.
- Paterson, Ian A. "History of the British 7th Armoured Division: Divisional Organisation". Archived from the original on 2007-06-21.
- "Eighth Army OOB. 18th November 1941". Orders of Battle.com. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- The North African Campaign 1940-43. B H Liddell Hart
External links
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