Groupement blinde sud-tunisien - help needed!

[panzerfaust200]

A friend of mine is doing some research on another "odd" WW2 formation.

this time its French!

"Groupement blinde sud-tunisien" also sometimes known as - Groupe Blinde Francais (GBF).

Formed in Feb 1943 from armoured/mobile elements of the French 19th Corps.
The unit took part in several actions - Gafsa (17 march), Tebessa, Le Kef,
Siliana, Pont-du-Fahs and Zaghouan and helped the 8th Army,
coming from the south, to cut the Cape Bon peninsula.

Thanks to help from Mark Bevis I have the following -
Groupe HQ: 3x S-35, radio lorries
5th RCA: up to 20x Valentine
9th RCA: 6x M3 75mm GMC
12th RCA: 20x S-35
1 US LIght Tank Coy: 17x M3A1 Stuart

Sometimes on the net you find the unit equipped with M10 tank destroyers - this is certainly wrong however .

Can anyone add info to this and possibly give me some ideas as to whom they fought at the above battles (10th & 15th or 21st PD, Italian units)?

All info and input appreciated.

[Harry Yeide]

Looking at it from the American side, on 22 April 1943, Company A, 70th Tank Battalion, was sent to rejoin the French four miles southwest of Bou Arada and became part of the Oran Division’s Groupement Blindé Francais, commanded by Colonel Le Coulteux de Caumont. The armored group, formed on 13 April, additionally consisted of three French tank squadrons (companies) equipped with 1940-vintage Somua S-35 tanks and British Valentines. The OB info is from Jonathon Forsey, “For the Honour of France,” Flames of War website, http://www.battlefront.co.nz/Article.asp?ArticleID=568, as of May 2007; “La 1ère DFL, ‘noyau dur’ des Forces françaises libres.” France-Libre.net website, http://www.france-libre.net/forces_fran ... unisie.htm, as of May 2007.