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A_B -> AAR - Bani Gulamah, Egypt. (2/6/2002 2:29:00 AM)
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AAR - Battle at the ‘Neck’, near Bani Gulamah, Egypt. December 18th, 1942
Terrain;
The battle took place on a 100 x 240 map representing a section of the Nile River Delta. This section of the Nile has a large bend in it, which extends several Kilometers to the South West., beyond the normal path taken by the Nile. At this point, the river comes within a two kilometers of the Escarpment. It is a chokepoint through which runs the Cairo to Alexandria Rail line as well as the MSR (main supply route) for the British Eighth Army and the US 1st Armored Division.
The terrain is very unusual for this region of the world. The flood plain, which surrounds the river for several kilometers in both directions, is entirely agricultural – in fact, some of the most intensely farmed land in the world. The fields closest to the river are flooded at this time of year. The fields are interspersed with deep irrigation ditches, raised dikes, and some occasional patches of palm trees. I would find the entire scene quite exotic and romantic, were I here as a tourist. The railroad and hardball road parallel the river, but run straight, whereas the river meanders back and forth. The railroad and hardball road are raised above the floodplain, and are hard for tanks (and impossible for wheeled vehicles) to cross, except at intersections.
The Escarpment, as it is known, borders the river on its western side. The escarpment is entirely flat, and entirely devoid of plants or any living thing. The ground is hard. It is difficult for infantry to find cover or dig in. In short, it is perfect tank country.
The area between the floodplain and the escarpment is known in Arabic as ‘the area of life’ (the exact translation escapes me at present). This is where the more permanent residences are – the homes of the wealthy, the Mosques, shops, etc. Only the poor laborers live on the floodplain itself. This thin strip of land is punctuated by small settlements, orchards, and deep ravines, or Wadi’s as they are know locally. This is perfect infantry country, and hell for armored forces.
My orders were to conduct a fighting withdrawal northwards, to link up with my parent unit - Combat Command A, of the 1st Armored Division. At this point in early December ’42, we still thought we might beat the Germans, and push them back into Libya. We had a lot to learn.
Following is the Op Order I received from Colonel Holt, 03:30 December 18th, 1942
OPORD 102
Situation:
Friendly: CCA while successful in its seizure and defense of the airfield at An Kalfir Nor has been forced to fall back due to the overall greater success of German forces in the general area.
Enemy: GE kampfgruppes have been very successful in conducting mobile attacks against Allied combat units and supply lines. Their attacks have kept Allied forces off balance and unable to form a cohesive defense. CCA is in danger of being cutoff by German forces applying the classic Kiel & Kessel (hammer and kettle) tactics between the Nile on the east augmented by German blocking positions and mobile striking forces in the west. Blocking positions are primarily infantry augmented by PAK and STUGs and backed up by artillery. Mobile units are primarily tank heavy or pure battalion (+) sized units. Of particular note is the introduction of heavy tanks referred to as Tigers. Luftwaffe units are primarily used in conjunction with mobile units. TF A_B is faced by a Panzergrenader battalion reinforced with assault guns, ATGs and divisional artillery. It is not likely that they have had time to prepare fortifications or obstacles.
Intent: I intend to withdraw extended units, consolidating forces. This will allow us to operate in sufficient strength to prevent German raids on isolated units and force them into a decisive battle.
TF A_B was still in good shape at this point. We had taken some casualties at An Kalfir Nor airfield, but were at 85% strength. Most of the casualties were with the Recon and Tank units. We felt confident we could fight through the Germans and rejoin CCA.
The order of movement was for B. Company to move on the escarpment, where a dirt road ran parallel to the cliff edge. A. Company would move along the area between the escarpment and the floodplain. C. Company, who had taken the most casualties so far, was in reserve. I decided not to travel on the main road hardball road on the floodplain, as it looked to be a death trap.
The plan was to move fast on the two parallel routes, and bypass any resistance. A. Company started to take fire and casualties immediately. Not heavy, but continuous, the type of harassing fire that slows you down long enough for something really bad to happen. The last thing I wanted was to get delayed long enough for some Panzer forces or Stuka’s to respond to my battalion’s movements. At this point, very early into the movement, I ordered A. Company up onto the escarpment. The plan was now to move as quickly as possible on the high ground. If we ran into a heavy panzer force, we would then fight our way down onto the floodplain, or retreat if necessary.
The movement went well for several Kilometers. We ran into some German Recon and infantry forces, just above the village of ‘Ezbet Sharik,’ who were destroyed or bypassed. A kilometer beyond Ezbaet, we ran into a heavier force of dug in SS infantry, and a platoon of Marder II’s. B. Companies scout platoon took heavy casualties here, but the Marders were suppressed by artillery and destroyed by the Stuart light tanks or infantry assault.
After this action, C. Company took the lead. We were approaching the break in the Escarpment cliffs, at the village of ‘Ezbet Abu Higaz,’ where a main secondary road led away west from the river. Moving down this road and linking up with CCA was our primary mission objective. Here, the distinction between the high desert and the floodplain isn’t so clear. It is an area that the men have now nick named the Cauldron. It is an accurate description, as there is a circular area about one kilometer in diameter of flat land between the flood plain and the higher desert.
The plan was to avoid the villages closer to the flood plain, and cross the Cauldron at a diagonal (north-west). If was hoped that we could pick up our movement on the Secondary road without suffering too many casualties. I also assumed that if the Germans set up a strong defense in the area that the crossroads - where this secondary road met the dirt road paralleling the escarpment - would be a good place to do it. There was a village here, along with a deep ravine. By cutting across the Cauldron, we avoided the worst of the built up area. As before, avoiding movement out to the West, into the open desert, was important, because if the battalion ran into a German armored force there, we’d be decimated. By staying close to the built up area, we had a place to retreat to, should the situation become intolerable.
Approaching the Cauldron, C. and A. Company moved forward and dismounted their infantry. The platoons of light tanks held back several hundred meters, until the ground was scouted. It was at this point that things started to go bad. The Germans had a battery of 75mm AT guns on the West side of the Cauldron. They waited till the infantry was dismounted before engaging the APC’s. I don’t know if this was their plain, to trap the infantry in the open, or they were waiting for the more important tanks to move forward before exposing their positions. Regardless, the results were devastating. The Germans were able to make repeated first round hits on C and A companies APC’s. The infantry were unable to spot the German guns.
C and A companies dismounted infantry continued to move forward, in order to spot the enemy AT guns, as well as avoid the anticipated artillery barrage on the disabled vehicles. While the aggressiveness of the dismounted infantry is to be admired, it was at this point that I should have had the foresight to withdraw, either to move around the enemy, or to scout out their locations better. Hindsight is 20/20.
C company moved along the top of the ridge, towards the suspected 75mm AT gun locations. A. company moved down into the Cauldron. At this point, A company became engaged with an platoon of SS infantry, and were pinned down. The Btn. Engineer platoon moved up, to assist A companies dismounted infantry. Vehicle casualties continued, although some suppression of the German 75mm seemed to be taking place, due to artillery barrages on likely German locations.
A. Company, with the help of the Engineers, cleared out the German infantry platoon, but immediately ran into an entrenched StugIII, forcing them to ground. At this point, A. companies remaining vehicles, as well as B. Company, had already been given orders to follow A. company’s dismounts down into the Cauldron. I take full responsibility for this mistake – a mistake that cost the lives of many men.
C company continued forward, eventually spotting and destroying the German AT battery, with artillery and tank support. It was at this point that I ordered the withdrawal of A. and B. companies from the Cauldron. We had no effective weapon to destroy the dug in StugIII from a distance, and it was too open to sneak up an infantry team. C. company continued along the crest of the Cauldron, and was able to find a path to our objective area (exit hex). A and B companies followed, but all of the forces continued to take casualties, both from the entrenched StugIII’s and from several batteries of 50mm AT guns entrenched in the center of the Cauldron. These guns weren’t spotted until the withdrawal was complete, and by this time I was informed that our supporting artillery was out of ammunition (logistical support was very poor throughout the 1st Egyptian Campaign).
Upon arrival at the objective area, C. company discovered a German Artillery force dug in, protected by 37mm AA guns. C. company proceeded to attack and destroy these forces (along with an ammunition store) without support. This is the only bright spot of the engagement.
Sit Rep.
TF A_B is now down to about 35% strength. The infantry force is largely intact, due to replacing losses with vehicle crews (whom no longer have a vehicle). We are down to one platoon of tanks, SP Arty, and Cavalry. Almost all of the APC’s are destroyed. In essence, TF A_B is now an under strength leg infantry battalion, with some light armor detachments.
On the positive side, moral is very high. We got into a possibly disastrous situation, and managed to extract ourselves. This was due to the training and élan of the troops, and not to my leadership, which I’ve already explained was inept. I was going to offer my resignation over the affair, but considering that entire battalions of US soldiers have been surrendering in similar situations in the past week, and the need for experienced combat leaders to try to turn the situation in Egypt around, I thought such an action would appear melodramatic rather than honorable.
In conclusion, TF A_B is prepared for follow on missions, within the scope of our limited mobility. ‘Drive-On’
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