The Battle of Kasserine Pass was fought February 19-25, 1943, during World War II (1939-1945).

Armies & Commanders:

In November 1943, Allied troops landed in Algeria and Morocco as part of Operation Torch. These landings, coupled with Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomerys victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein, placed German and Italian troops in Tunisia and Libya in a precarious position.

In an effort to prevent forces under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel from being cut off, German and Italian reinforcements were quickly shifted from Sicily to Tunisia. One of the few easily defended areas of the North African coast, Tunisia had the added benefit of being close to Axis bases in the north which made it difficult to for the Allies to intercept shipping. Continuing his drive west, Montgomery captured Tripoli on January 23, 1943, while Rommel retired behind the defenses of the Mareth Line (Map).

To the east, American and British troops advanced through the Atlas Mountains after dealing with the Vichy French authorities. It was the hope of the German commanders that the Allies could be held in the mountains and prevented from reaching the coast and severing Rommels supply lines. While Axis forces were successful in halting the enemy advance in northern Tunisia, this plan was disrupted to the south by the Allied capture of Faïd east of the mountains.

Situated in the foothills, Faïd provided the Allies with an excellent platform for attacking towards the coast and cutting Rommels supply lines. In an effort to push the Allies back into the mountains, the 21st Panzer Division of General Hans-Jürgen von Arnims Fifth Panzer Army struck the towns French defenders on January 30.

Though French artillery proved effective against the German infantry, the French position quickly became untenable (Map).

With the French falling back, elements of the US 1st Armored Division were committed to the fight. Initially halting the Germans and driving them back, the Americans took heavy losses when their tanks were lured into an