| Original caption: “With Anderson’s Men in Tunisia: Down the boulder-strewn slopes of a little river-bed, now as dry as an ancient bone, Bren-gun carriers of the Grenadier Guards push on as fast as the terrain permits in the wake of the retreating Germans. A few days before, towards the end of February 1943, it was Rommel’s men who were doing the advancing; up the Kasserine Pass they surged, almost to Thala. Then their onset was stayed by United States troops, a British armored brigade, the Hampshires, Coldstreams and Grenadiers.” Original wartime caption: “Bren carriers passing down one of the numerous Waddies encountered during the Recce.” Vickers-Armstrongs Universal Carriers of the 26th Armored Brigade conduct reconnaissance during the Battle of Kasserine Pass with infantry of the Grenadier Guards. United Kingdom Royal Army General Sir Kenneth A. N. Anderson (December 1891 – 29 April 1959) General Officer Commanding 1st Army from Operation Torch in November until the fall of Tunis, had to command Allied forces across thousands of square miles of North Africa. American units received conflicting orders from him and Major General Lloyd Ralston Fredendall (December 28, 1883 – October 4, 1963) commanding the American II Corps. Fredendall had left many of his units exposed by leaving them too far apart to mutually support each other. This led to the destruction of many American forces in Afrika Korps’s initial assault on February 19, 1943. With little battle experience, Americans either surrendered or melted away. The next day the Nazi Germans pushed through Kasserine, but a mixed force held them until reinforcements arrived. Combat Command B (CCB) of 1st Armored Division joined forces on February 20 with elements of the 1st Infantry Division. They formed a powerful defense on the southern and western edges of the Bahiret Foussana valley with a combined arms team of infantry, tanks in defilade, and antitank guns in mutually supporting positions. Dozens of artillery pieces provided direct support, guided by forward observers in well-concealed observations points who preregistered fires along likely avenues of approach. Meanwhile, the British 26th Armored Brigade established a defensive line 9 miles north of the American position, blocking the road to Thala. With the position south of Sbiba holding firm, the Nazi Germans would commit their main effort the next morning to the north and west, through Kasserine Pass. When the attack came on the morning of February 21, the Allies were ready. Panzer Grenadier Regiment Afrika led the attack, driving back 1st Armored Division’s forward elements and securing Hill 812, only to find itself trapped there. Unable to penetrate the main defensive line or to retreat through the hail of artillery in the open ground to their rear, the grenadiers went to ground. A supporting attack by the 1st Battalion, 8.Panzer-Regiment and the assault guns of Division Centauro ground to a halt in the face of the American antitank defenses and devastating artillery fire. To the north, the British force south of Thala bent, but did not break. After holding up a Kampfgruppe of 10.Panzer-Division about 9 miles south of Thala late in the afternoon, a desperate melee ensued. Confusion mounted as the Germans penetrated British lines, but after 3 hours the Germans withdrew. The timely arrival of the United States Army 9th Infantry Division’s artillery strengthened the position sufficiently to enable the Allies to hold on February 22. Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel (November 15, 1891 – October 14, 1944) ordered his forces to pass over to the defensive. Both Anderson and Fredendall were eventually sacked for their performance as generals in the North African campaign. However, publicly, they were promoted and modestly acclaimed as heroes. 57,000 Universal Carriers were produced from 1934 – 1960. They served in every theatre of war for the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Forces. 20,000 were built in the United States with Ford V-8 engines. United Kingdom Royal Army Sergeant Charles Bowman (???? – ????) landed at Algiers on November 8, 1942, with the 78th Infantry Division. He photographed United Kingdom Royal Army operations in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, the Balkans and Austria. He photographed Lieutenant General Harold Alexander (December 10, 1891 – June 16, 1969) and Lieutenant General Bernard L. Montgomery (November 17, 1887 – March 24, 1976), among others. This image appeared in the April 16, 1943, issue of War Illustrated, Volume 6, Number 153. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0722.jpg |
| Image Size | 746.57 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2258 x 2214 |
| Photographer | Charles Bowman |
| Photographer Title | Number Two United Kingdom Royal Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 24, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | Kasserine |
| State or Province | Kasserine |
| Country | Tunisia |
| Archive | Imperial War Museum |
| Record Number | NA 882 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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