Bir Hakeim Africa Korps against Foreign Legion

[Michael Emrys]

a slight correction about italian attack of May 27, italians lost 32 M tanks and the captured officer, Lt. Col. Prestisimone, was commander of IX Tank Battalion and not of 132nd Tank Regiment.

this italian attack was largely a mistake and ended in a sort of suicide (about 50% of losses)

Didn't this attack come about through a navigational error? The way I've read it, Ariete was supposed to skirt Bir Hacheim to the south and then guard Afrika Korps left flank as it struck north. Instead, due to the aforementioned navigational error, it got lost in the night and ran afoul of the French position.

[JeffreyF]

iirc Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts details that in the previous engagement against 3rd Indian Motor Brigade one of the battalion commanders had lost the only vehicle with proper navigation gear. Later that column ran straight into the defenses at Bir Hacheim. I'm at work so I'll have to look it up later.

[David W]

To get to Bir Hakim you still have to go through a minefield.

So those "Devil's gardens" are still intact are they?

How are the Libyan Government/military regime about Europeans who want to visit old battlefieds? I had always assumed it to be a no, no.

[Michael Emrys]

To get to Bir Hakim you still have to go through a minefield.

So those "Devil's gardens" are still intact are they?

I think most of the ones along the Gazala Line have been lifted. The local Arabs kept stumbling upon them and blowing themselves or their livestock up, so back in the '70s the government of Libya paid some European professionals to come in and lift them. I couldn't tell you why any would have been left around Bir Hacheim though.

How are the Libyan Government/military regime about Europeans who want to visit old battlefieds? I had always assumed it to be a no, no.

Why? Virtually everybody, with the possible exception of N. Korea, likes tourist dollars.

[Victor]

The 1st BFL (Bataillon de la France Libre) was formed in Syria from the following units with a glorious history :

David, wouldn't that be the 1st Free French Brigade?

The history of the Foreign Legion by Georges Blond holds an interesting description of the battle and it also goes a little into the subject of German nationals at Bel Abbes during WWII.

[Montys Foxhounds]

Very few mines in Libya have been lifted, it is still possible to drive down the tracks these have been cleared obviously. 1,000,s of mines have been cleared, but for every 1000 lifted, there remains 10,000. The same goes for Alamein and Mersa.

The Egyptians, Libyan and Tunisians have no intrest in WW2 at all, for them it is in the past, it is tomorrow that counts. Consequently nobody goes out there.

I have been working with all 3 countries for 20 years, you can go where ever you want to, however, it must be with an organised group. Libya ia an adventure of a lifetime and well worth the cost.
If you have an Israel visa in your passport, you will not get into Libya.

Going to Libya really is, like "stepping back in time".

Regards.

[David Lehmann]

The 1st BFL (Bataillon de la France Libre) was formed in Syria from the following units with a glorious history :

David, wouldn't that be the 1st Free French Brigade?

The history of the Foreign Legion by Georges Blond holds an interesting description of the battle and it also goes a little into the subject of German nationals at Bel Abbes during WWII.

Hello,

Of course Victor you are right, brigade not battalion, that was a glitch from me.

Regards,

David

[Lupo Solitario]

Jeffrey and Grease

you're substantially right, we're speaking about a navigation error. In the first hours of the morning of 27/5 the 132nd Tank Regiment had swept away the 3rd Indian Brigade, after that the commander of 132nd left wing - Lt. Col. Prestisimone - made the strange decision to make his wing turn left of 90° splashing directly into the well trenched french defences in a Balaklava-style charge...of about 60 M tanks of IX battalion and of the 1st company of X battalion, 32 were destroyed.

Comments:
-that morning 132nd had lost contact with its support units. Tanks attacked frontally without any infantry or artillery help
-italians had a lot of troubles with radios and compasses. In particular Prestisimone's compass broke during the battle against indians
-last but not least, Prestisimone was a commander brave but totally green on mobile and desert warfare...he came from frontier guard and til january he commanded mountain fortification on alps...

[DrG]

Although the navigation problems can be a reason (but I don't think so), other explanations for Lt. Col. Prestisimone's action have been guessed:
- he decided to silence the artillery firing on his left
- he decided to take control of the good trail from from Giarabub to Bir Hakeim.
It should be noted, anyway, that already on 20 May 1942 Gen. Rommel had ordered: "The enemy present in Bir Hakeim must be attacked and defeated."; the order informed of the presence of the 1st French Brigade, but only of "some small minefields" and not of a fully fortified position. The IX/132 hadn't been ordered to attack Bir Hakeim, but it is quite possible, given the previous directive by Rommel and the important position held by the French, that Lt. Col. Prestisimone decided to attack by his own initiative, losing 31 M.13/40 tanks (about 10 by AT artillery), one Semovente (da 75?) and 124 men (the commander was captured too; then he was awarded the Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare for this action).

As I told, I think it is quite difficult that it was a mere problem with the compass that cause the change of route of 90° to the west: in the morning (the attackers reached the minefields at 8:15 am) it could have been easy to calculate the route using simply the sun. There could have been errors of some degrees, even not irrilevant errors, but a mistake of 90° would be truly incredible: this means that, instead of keeping the sun more or less on his front/right (the right route was to N-E), the commander choose to keep it at his back! You don't need a compass to avoid such a huge mistake.

[Michael Emrys]

Interesting points, DrG. Thank you for raising them.

[GMBlake]

1st I wish to thank everyone who has provided details so far. From the links in this thread & the information that collectivly the writers have provided, I have managed to put together a fair day by day of a chunk of the action around BirHachiem


The maps that I have that show detail of action around BirHachiem,
& is small enough in area to also show BirElHarmat, don't show much real detail,
& are only good for the areas 20-30miles around BirHachiem.

The larger scale maps that I have typically don't even show Bir Hachiem,

So I'm having a hard time figuring out where the 2 roads south go. (In my smaller scale map)
1 from Bir Hachiem, the other from BirElGubi (approx 20 miles S of ElAdem)
Sometimes the road leading south from BirHachiem is drawn leading SE, sometimes SW.

I think they go to Giarabub, also know as Jarabub? & Jaghbub?

I'm just trying to consolidate the details that I have,
but having trouble placing things like wadies that show up on one map
(with few village referance point & don't even show BirHachiem) & not on another.

Any other topographical reference material?
(I can find pictures that I infer are near the BirHachiem position, but No clue as to where it actually was shot.)
IE. What was the ground there actually like?
& the ground that they had to cover on their breakout, what was it like.

I'll admit I looked in vain an hour or so for the area around BirHachiem with a website that did orbital photos.
but the interface was so clunky that it was difficult to zoom in & position
with the accuracy to do more than find trails in the desert that lead to villages with no names.
I can figure out ElAdem from an orbital photo, I get lost in the desert pretty fast looking south from there.

Also.
Anyone know where there is a map of the BirHachiem fortifications that is bigger than 250x230

Anyone have a favorite Map site?

[David W]

The track that exits Bir Hacheim, and heads South East, goes through Babes Serir & El Eteila, on it's way to Giarabub.
The track that exits Bir Hacheim, and heads South West, is not so easy. It has many other tracks bisecting it. It is one of the few tracks to bisect Wadi El Hammim. I lose track of it in the Kalansho Sand Sea, approx 220Km South, South West of Bir Hacheim.

There are no significant Wadis any where near Bir Hacheim.

Hope this little snippet is of use.

Dave.

[Imad]

The DAK's 90th Light Division was composed of many ex legionnaires. It would have been an interesting situation to see those guys fight against their former Kameraden at Bir Hakim.
Imad

[Olujnik]

I am intrested in any caind of bir hakeim map and Tobruk map
where can be found directive 22 about creating Afrika corps