Author Topic: Battle for Enfidaville - 7th Ox & Bucks - Description of it by my Dad. Part 1  (Read 330 times)

Offline Andy J2022

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Re: Battle for Enfidaville - 7th Ox & Bucks - Description of it by my Dad. Part 1
« Reply #9 on: Thursday 04 January 24 16:15 GMT (UK) »
Many thanks James. As Graham says, that account is definitely worth making available to a wider audience.

As a bit of wider context, the 7th Ox & Bucks LI were part of 167th Infantry Bde, and their parent formation was 56th (London) Division. As comes across in the narrative, the whole of 56 Div had no operational experience when they arrived in Tunisia. This is how they were described in The Mediterranean and the Middle East Volume IV The Destruction of the Axis Forces in Africa by Major General I. S. O. Playfair HMSO 1966 (part of the History of the Second World War Series) page 442
Quote
56th (London) Division (Major-General E. G. Miles) had just arrived, or rather its 169th Brigade, because 167th Brigade did not reach the forward area until the 28th. The division had come overland from Kirkuk in Iraq, a journey of 3,200 miles in 32 days. It was without experience in battle because it had not left England until August 1942 when it was sent to Middle East and then to Persia and Iraq Command.
Although by this stage of the war in North Africa the German and Italian overall commanders, von Arnim and Messe, had effectively lost control of their forces, and had little or no air cover, no fuel and dwindling stocks of ammunition with no hope of resupply from Europe, the morale of the Axis forces was good and they put up a stiff resistance. This was something the Allies would experience again throughout the long fight North up through Italy in the next phase of the war.

Offline JamesLoader

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Re: Battle for Enfidaville - 7th Ox & Bucks - Description of it by my Dad. Part 1
« Reply #10 on: Thursday 04 January 24 16:35 GMT (UK) »
Wow - yes thanks for this. In fact my Dad started in the Hertfordshire Reg in 39, aged 18 as a 2nd L. I believe they got shifted up to Northumberland to prepare for invasion. Then, he was seconded to the Ox & Bucks and shipped out on the 'long voyage'.

He was captured in Salerno in Feb 44 and spent until 45 in POW. I believe he was also in Sicily as he ran over a land mine in a jeep and ended up being shipped back to North Africa. Apparently the nurses were stunning but the ambulance drivers aimed at pot holes ! will put those letters on :-).

cheers !
BTW - I found this :
https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/56-division-at-enfidaville-may-1943.88793/ which is an hour by hour fascinating account of activities and beautifully ties into the account he gave.

all best
J.