Lot 658

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Description:

AMERICANS HALT THE GERMANS AFTER KASSERINE
Important pair of telegrams sent from British 1st Army Headquarters to British and American units involved in repulsing Field Marshal ERWIN ROMMEL's forces north of Kasserine, transmitted the day after the near destruction of several American and French regiments and battalions defending the crucial Kasserine Pass. These historic messages, each 1p. legal folio, Feb. 20, 1943, are written in military 'shorthand' but are relatively easy to decipher. They illustrate in some part the desperate effort being made to hold back Rommel's advance following his successes of the previous day. In small part: '...TO 18 ARMY GROUP...US 2 CORPS 5 CORPS 19 CORPS 8 ARMY...12 AIR FORCE 12 BOMBER COMMAND...SECRET...ENEMY CONTINUED TO ADV NORTH AND NW FROM KASSERINE PASS DURING NIGHT 20/21 FEB...AT LEAST 40 TANKS WITH INFANTRY ATTACKED CCB [1st Armored Division] POSITIONS...FIGHTING CONTINUED THROUGHOUT DAY...CCB DEFEATED ATTACKS ENEMY WITHDRW AND DURING EVENING CCB PUSHED FORWARD TO NORTHERN SLOPES...WHERE PREPARED ANTI-TANK POSITIONS ENCOUNTERED. ENEMY LOST SIX TANKS...WHILE FIRM BASE BEING PREPARED...25 ARMD BDE HELD ENEMY ATTACK BY 40 TANKS AND INFANTRY NORTH OF KASSERINE PASS DURING MORNING...26 ARMD BDE SUBSEQUENTLY DREW ENEMY TANKS TO PREPARED POSITION AND DESTROYED FOUR TANKS. FIHGTING CONTINUES...ENEMY INFANTRY ATTACK ON JUNCTION...REPULSED...THREE OWN TANKS LOST ONE ENEMY TANK HIT. FOURTEEN ENEMY TANKS ENGAGED BY NINE CHURCHILLS...FOUR ENEMY TANKS DISABLED ONE CHURCHILL DESTROYED...ENEMY ATTACK ON J RIDGE REPULSED...BISLEY AIRCRAFT ATTACKED MTON THE LEFT...' The message then notes that bad weather had halted aerial reconnaissance so results could not be determined. More good content. These messages are wrinkled a bit with stray dockets, pencil marks, and some thinned paper in one place, both bearing heavy mounting remnants on verso. Obtained from the Chief Clerk of the British 1st Army. By February 23, the Germans were through. Overextended and with supplies dwindling, pinned down by the Allied artillery in the pass in front of Thala and now facing U.S. counterattacks along the Hatab River, Rommel realized his attack had been stopped. With little prospect of further success, Rommel judged that it would be wiser to break off to concentrate in South Tunisia and strike a blow at the Eighth Army there.

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April 5, 2022 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000