US Army at El Alamein

[OldBill]

In reading one of the threads (US Marines in Europe) my memory was jogged by a reply there. Many years ago, while I was stationed up in Cleveland Ohio I met an old soldier (who ran a hobby shop/book store, which was why I was in there) who was a WWII veteran. He claimed to have been present at one of the El Alamein battles. I am guessing this was 2nd Alamein, as he spoke of the weapons they had, which included bazookas. His was only a small detachment, more of an observers force than anything else. Does anyone have any other info about this?

[Trackhead M2]

In reading one of the threads (US Marines in Europe) my memory was jogged by a reply there. Many years ago, while I was stationed up in Cleveland Ohio I met an old soldier (who ran a hobby shop/book store, which was why I was in there) who was a WWII veteran. He claimed to have been present at one of the El Alamein battles. I am guessing this was 2nd Alamein, as he spoke of the weapons they had, which included bazookas. His was only a small detachment, more of an observers force than anything else. Does anyone have any other info about this?

Dear OB,
It sounds like the scenario from Sahara with Humphrey Bogart. In the book Dress Rehearsal ,it is shown that there were US Army Rangers at Dieppe. In Brazen Chariots, there were Americans showing the British the finer points of using Stuart "Honey" tanks. It is matter of one of our colleagues coming up with the specifics of who was there and with what.
Strike Swiftly,
TH-M2

[binder001]

There WAS a small detachment of US tank crews attached to the British Eighth Army at the time of Alamein. This is mentioned in Hunnicutt's book "Sherman, A History of the American Medium Tank". The photo shows the troops with a Grant (no, not a Lee as shown in "Sahara"). THese men were to get desert combat experience and then return to US units to pass along their experience (so the "Sahara" scenario is partially correct) As mentioned, after Pearl Harbor (and even before) there were small groups of US soldiers in the rear areas to help with the unpacking and preparation of the US equipment and to train the British on it. There was astory about Col. G.B. Jarrett (given credit for founding the Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen) working with the British to adapt German 75mm projectiles to fit US 75mm casings - this was done in the Mideast Ordnance Shops (in Cairo, I think).

As far as the bazooka - I didn't think those got issued until the US troops went into North Africa.

[Trackhead M2]

As far as the bazooka - I didn't think those got issued until the US troops went into North Africa.

Dear b001,
I have a Collier's history of the Second World War published in 1944 where they show pictures of US Troops in Sicily and refer to the hitherto secret weapon "the Bazooka".
Strike Swiftly,
TH-M2

[Carl Schwamberger]

'Colliers', right on top of it.

Training had started with the Bazooka by mid 1942, limited by the number of launch tubes and ammo made. dissemination of the weapons and trained men varied by situation. Many of the ranks in Pattons I Armored Corps first saw the Bazooka at sea enroute to the Torch Operation. IIRC the 29th Inf Div had some embarked with them on the way to the UK about the same time. Bradley in his autobiography mentions seeing this weapon demonstrated sometime in mid to latter 1942.

If some of the US Army soldiers in Egypt had one or more of these it was probablly as a training or demonstration allowance to show the Commonwealth.

I think the Germans captured them first in December 1942 in the battles along the Medjeb River.

[binder001]

OK, Gordon Rottman's new book on the bazooka (Osprey weapons series) states that the first batch of M1 rocket launchers were divided up - with several thousand provided to the British and to the Russians. The weapons were delivered to the British who weren't terribly impressed with the idea of infantry trying to stalk tanks in the desert where there was no cover so the launchers stayed in depots in the rear. Apparently no one appreciated the need for a close in weapon for the times when the panzers got into the infantry boxes.

The Germans got their first actual examples of the bazooka from the Russians. The US Army did send some to North Africa, they were sent in crates on board the troopships for Opn "Torch", but no training, no manuals and no familiarization had been done.

The Rottman book is really good reading on the subject of the US 2.36" and 3.5" rocket launchers.