The Battle of Mersa Matruh was fought from 26 June to 29 June 1942. It would be the last major victory of the Afrika Korps under Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, following Operation Venezia and the capture of Tobruk on 21 June of the same year. The battle started when the German 90th Light Division overran the British Durham Light Infantry before pursuing and trapping the British-officered 29th Indian Infantry Brigade at Fuka.
Rommel had planned to encircle and destroy Lieutenant-General William Holmes’ 10th Corps defending Mersa Matruh, but the bulk of the British Commonwealth forces were able to escape under the cover of darkness on the night of 28-29 June.
Nevertheless, the remaining Mersa Matruh defences were breached on the morning of 29 June and 6,500 British Commonwealth troops (including soldiers from the Durham Light Infantry that fought earlier on) were captured, as well as 1,600 Indian soldiers that had retreated to Fuka. In the advance to Mersa Matruh and Fuka, another 2,000 Commonwealth troops fell into Axis hands[1][2], including 1,000 New Zealand stranded near Minqar Qaim.
Planning[]
After Major-General Hendrik Klopper’s surrender at Tobruk on 21 June, both sides found themselves exhausted and worn out from the tough fighting. Nevertheless, on 23 June 1942, Rommel resumed the Axis advance. Rommel planned to attack first the British strongpoint located south of Mersa Matruh, where Lieutenant-General William Gott’s XIIIth Corps, comprising the 1st British Armored Division and the 2nd New Zealand Division were positioned. He then planned to pass through the 15th Panzer Division and Italian Trieste Motorized and Ariete Armoured Divisions to cut off and encircle Mersa Matruh.
Rommel’s formations had commandeered captured British vehicles for their advance because many Axis vehicles had been worn out or lost in the fighting for Tobruk. He had on paper, the 15th Panzer, 21st Panzer and 90th Light Divisions, supported by the Italian Brescia, Trento, Trieste, Ariete and Littorio Divisions. In reality, the Germans had only 44 tanks left in service for the forthcoming battle while the Italians had only 14 operational tanks. To make matters worse, the three German divisions were much reduced in numbers and had only an infantry strength of about 2,500 men. But the Italian divisions would remedy the situation, with 6,000 combat troops available for Rommel's renewed advance. The British Commonwealth forces on the other hand, had eight full-strength infantry brigades in position, with the British 1st British Armored Division mustering 160 tanks.
Battle[]
Encirclement[]
On 26 June, the Brescia and Trento Divisions reached the outskirts of Mersa Matruh. The next morning, the 90th Light Division attacked the 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry dug-in about 27 kilometers (seventeen miles) south of Mersa Matruh and captured, after fierce fighting, the strongpoint along with 300 British troops.[3]
The 2nd New Zealand Division was in process of taking up positions at Minqar Qaim, 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Mersa Matruh, when a report was received that a large German armored force was approaching. The Italians reportedly played an important part in the advance with the Brescia and Trento shelling Mersa Matruh and the Bersaglieri Corps and isolating the Gurkha companies that had escaped the Tobruk fighting or were trying to reinforce the Indian 10th Division.
A British soldier, Les Davies recalled the softening-up bombardment:
| “ | You will have read about the boxes formed in the desert, the loss of Tobruk and the fast moving battles we have had. Well the last one of all, Mersa Matruh, was the worst, I will never forget it. We were in a box and Jerry shelled from all sides and continued day and night and we had to break out at the finish or be taken prisoner. | ” |
In the meantime, General der Panzertruppe Ulrich Kleeman, took the 90th Light Division around the southern flank of the 10th British Corps, and cut the coastal road about 30 kilometers east from Mersa Matruh. That night, General Gott decided in view of the deteriorated condition of the New Zealand Division, which had been heavily shelled, to withdraw to El Alamein.
The whole of General Holmes’ 10th Corps, encircled at Mersa Matruh, could have withdrawn at this time of the fighting, but it was still expected that the British 1st Armoured Division, New Zealand infantry and Gurkhas would reinforce the fortress, and it was not until 0430 hours on 28 June that news was received that the 13th Corps was in fact retreating to new positions, and their southern flank was now exposed. With 13th Corps retiring to El Alamein, Rommel sent his 21st Panzer Division in pursuit, overrunning the 29th Indian Brigade at Fuka.
in an action outside Mersa Matruh, the British 7th Armoured Division obtained an important success, destroying several tanks from the Italian Littorio Armoured Division.
Breakout[]
During the night of 28/29 June, an attempt was made to break through the Axis siege lines. General Kleeman had by this time been heavily reinforced by the Bersaglieri Corps (7th, 8th[4], 9th and 12th Bersaglieri Regiments), and escaping troops from the 10th and 50th Indian Divisions came under heavy fire from the Littorio Armored Division and supporting Bersaglieri battalions near Wadi Nagamish. Nevertheless, large numbers of British Commonwealth troops were able to escape in the confused night fighting.
Les Davies recalls the British breakout:"The next day we reformed and got ready, it was Sunday. Shells were coming over by the dozen and Jerry was closing in on us, so as soon as it was dark we made our mad dash to freedom and at a dear cost. Hell was let loose, he knew we were coming out. We broke the way through. Trucks were burning, men were killed and wounded and screaming for help, we could not stop as tracer bullets were flying through us and tanks were knocking hell out our trucks."
Defences Breached[]
Under the cover of darkness, Italian combat engineers and armoured cars open routes in the British minefields, and at dawn supporting infantry from the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments arrive in trucks. At 0930 hours, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment (under Colonel Ugo Scirocco) breaks through the surrounding walls, and 6,500 British Commonwealth troops (including the Durham Light Infantry captured) fall into Axis hands.[5]About the same time, the 21st Panzer Division overruns the Fuka garrison, capturing another 1,600 British Commonwealth troops.
Prisoners of War[]
Some 10,000 British Commonwealth soldiers were captured during the advance to Mersa Matruh and Fuka, with 6,500 taken at Matruh and 1,600 taken at Fuka.[6][7]Another 2,000 stranded New Zealanders and Gurkhas were forced to surrender in the Axis advance to their assembly points and mop-up up operations near Minqa Qaim and elsewhere. Large supply dumps were captured along with 40 repairable tanks.[8]
References[]
- ↑ "It took an entire Italian corps and several weeks to round the Gurkhas up, some having got as far as Sollum on the frontier." The Second World War: A Military History, Gordon Corrigan, p. 214, Atlantic Books Ltd, 2010
- ↑ ""Among them were the entire 2/7th Gurkhas who had fought nonstop for two days until, isolated from the rest, their ammunition simply ran out ... It was a sorry tale, too, for 2/3rd and 2/8th, who had an almighty dash to reinforce positions in the western desert as Rommel advanced from Tobruk along the coast towards Egypt, heading for Alexandria ... There were many casualties and prisoners taken, although around 280 managed to escape and find their way to El Alamein, 100 miles (160 kilometres) away... " The Gurkhas, John Parker, Hachette, 2013
- ↑ "The next day, 90th Light continued its advance to the east, skirting Mersa Matruh. It came under heavy artillery fire but was still able to attack and virtually destroy an isolated battalion of 151st Infantry Brigade. The 9th Durham Light Infantry fought hard but was overwhelmed." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Bar, p. 28, Random House, 2010
- ↑ "At Mersa Matruh the Ariete Division participated in the capture of the town and more than 6000 prisoners." Encyclopedia of Elite Forces in the Second World War, Michael E. Haskew, p. 124, Pen & Sword Military, 2007
- ↑ "Am nächsten Tag (29. Juni) gelang dann den deutschen Verbänden von Osten und Süden, gefolgt von den Bersaglieri des italienischen XXI." Der Globale Krieg: die Ausweitung zum Weltkrieg und der Wechsel der Initiative 1941-1943, Volume 6, p. 641, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1990
- ↑ " Marsa Matruh fiel am 29. Juni. Immerhin 8000 Gefangene gerieten in die Hände der Achse." Halbmond und Hakenkreuz: das Dritte Reich, die Araber und Palästin, Klaus-Michael Mallmann, Martin Cüppers, p. 126, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 2006
- ↑ "von Fuka britische Kolonnen ab und brachte nochmals 1 600 Gefangene ein; die Gesamtzahl der in der Schlacht von Marsa Matruh gemachten Gefangenen betrug rund 8000." Der Globale Krieg: die Ausweitung zum Weltkrieg und der Wechsel der Initiative 1941-1943, Volume 6, p. 641, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1990
- ↑ "Über 6 000 Gefangene wurden gemacht, große Versorgungslager und Kriegsmaterial für eine Division erbeutet." Der Globale Krieg: die Ausweitung zum Weltkrieg und der Wechsel der Initiative 1941-1943, Volume 6, p. 641, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1990