I am writing on the Battle of Derna and seeking some information.
I am trying to find information on the actions of the 7th Armoured Division between 15-13 January. Once the Australian 19th Brigade arrives on the scene on 23 January, I can align the Italian and Allied accounts fairly well. Before then I have mainly the Italian accounts and very little on what the Allies were doing. The challenge has been finding UK/CW accounts that address the nine days prior to the 23rd.
From the UK official, the 7th Armoured Brigade was dispatched towards Derna while the 4th Armoured Brigade was sent towards Mechili on 21 Jan (Playfair I:351). This appears to be too late as the Italian accounts state that they had contact with British forces starting on the 14th. While it is clear that these contacts were mostly reece/exploratory probes by British armoured forces, they appear to have escalated in strength over the coming days. What I am trying to find out are which units and when did they start moving towards Derna?
Arena states that on the 17th that elements of the 7th Hussars crossed the Wadi Bagr and attacked the blockhouse at KM marker 17, an attack that was beaten off. The 7th Hussars, AFAIK, was part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, not the 7th. Given that both armoured brigades likely moved through Martuba before going their different directions, this is plausible. The 17th is also the day the Italian sources state that the enemy pressure increased and their (UK) artillery was in action on the 18th.
Any information on these actions would be appreciated.
Graze!
I am trying to find information on the actions of the 7th Armoured Division between 15-13 January. Once the Australian 19th Brigade arrives on the scene on 23 January, I can align the Italian and Allied accounts fairly well. Before then I have mainly the Italian accounts and very little on what the Allies were doing. The challenge has been finding UK/CW accounts that address the nine days prior to the 23rd.
From the UK official, the 7th Armoured Brigade was dispatched towards Derna while the 4th Armoured Brigade was sent towards Mechili on 21 Jan (Playfair I:351). This appears to be too late as the Italian accounts state that they had contact with British forces starting on the 14th. While it is clear that these contacts were mostly reece/exploratory probes by British armoured forces, they appear to have escalated in strength over the coming days. What I am trying to find out are which units and when did they start moving towards Derna?
Arena states that on the 17th that elements of the 7th Hussars crossed the Wadi Bagr and attacked the blockhouse at KM marker 17, an attack that was beaten off. The 7th Hussars, AFAIK, was part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, not the 7th. Given that both armoured brigades likely moved through Martuba before going their different directions, this is plausible. The 17th is also the day the Italian sources state that the enemy pressure increased and their (UK) artillery was in action on the 18th.
Any information on these actions would be appreciated.
Graze!