"I never realised the Pyramids were so large" - comment by General Erwin Rommel, 1941.
On the night of the 4th May, the rumbling of tanks on the move heralded the first elements of the Africa Korps moving out from their forward positions near Bone. Although under strength thanks to the depredations of the Royal Navy and RAF, Rommel considered it to his advantage to use the confusion in the British command caused by the recent Greek debacle. He hoped that this would have affected the troops morale and allow him to cut through the defenders to his main objective, Tripoli.
His main units were the German 21st Panzer Division and the Italian Ariete Armoured Division. Both were under strength in tanks and heavy equipment, although it had been possible to bring them up to full troop strength. Between them they had some 260 tanks, plus some light tanks really only useful for reconnaissance. He also had two infantry regiments of the German 90th light division. While his tank force was substantial by the standards of North Africa in 1941, he was short of infantry. However Rommel believed that O'Connor's earlier campaign had shown that it was mobile armoured formations that were important in the desert rather than sheer masses of infantry.
Up until now, the Algerian/Tunisian border had been fairly quiet. Both sides had been content to keep their activity down to observing, patrolling and occasional night raids to capture a patrol for questioning. This had suited the French, who were steadily training and increasing their forces. They also had a good idea of what forces Rommel had available, thanks to copious reports from sympathetic officers and officials in Algiers and Algeria - shortage of their own men had forced the Germans to use Algerians in the ports and railways, plus of course the normal problem of soldiers talking. Their basic plan was simple; fall back slowly while inflicting damage on Rommel, and identify his main axis of advance while waiting for XIII Corps to arrive. Rommel had managed to keep exactly how and where he was going to attack secret - indeed, he intended to reinforce whichever attacks was most successful, rather than keep to a predetermined line of attack.
Given the geography of Tunisia, the only good place to attack was in the north. The only good attack route into the south was protected by the Mareth line, a pre-war defensive line built by the French and now reoccupied. Between this and the north the only entry was a few easily-defended mountain passes. Rommel had considered a feint to Tunis, followed by an airborne drop to allow him to rush one of these passes and take the defenders by surprise, but he was informed that no airborne units or transports would be available for some time. He therefore intended to use his armour superiority to break through in the north, and then use the superior mobility of his armoured formations to roll up the French southwards down the coast. While he knew that the French had some ex-Italian armour, he dismissed this in view of the terrible performance of the Italian tanks in the Cyrenaica campaign. Apparently German intelligence did not realise that the tanks the French armoured brigade under LeClerc were using were the modified ex-Ariete tanks, considerably better than most of the early Italian armour.
While Rommel expected to be able to manoeuvre on a tactical level, the terrain meant that the initial assault would be quite straightforward. The German armour would push forward, and when the French responded they would either simply brush the ex-Italian tanks out of the way or, if resistance was stronger, draw them back onto his anti-tank guns. Once the French armour was out of the way, his armour would punch through the French lines and make for Tunis, leaving the motorised troops to mop up. He was sure that the French would collapse once they realised his armour was behind them and heading for Tunis.
5th May
Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia, has returned to his capital of Addis Ababa in triumph. The streets of the city were lined with black and white African troops. After being welcomed with a 21-gun salute, he spoke of his gratitude "to Almighty God that I stand in my palace from which the Fascist forces have fled."
In Washington DC the White House announced: "We can offer no official confirmation that 26 American merchant ships loaded with tanks, anti-aircraft guns, and other war material arrived at the Suez Canal. We can only say that we do not rule out the possibility."
The carrier HMS Illustrious arrives at Gibraltar carrying an airgroup heavy in fighters (she has left her TBR strike squadron behind). She will join the Tiger convoy and carry on to Alexandria to provide some relief to the exhausted FAA fighter squadrons (the operational fighter strength of the two carriers in Cunningham's force is down to 16 planes, even after scouring Egypt for all available replacements)
The Afrika Korps attacks Tunisia at dawn, artillery laying down a barrage on the light forces observing the frontier. The tanks warm up, ready to head for Tabarka as soon as the divisional artillery has suppressed the defenders. The attack was led by the 21st Panzer Division, as Rommel thought the heavier and better-protected German tanks would have a better chance of overrunning the defenders and causing them to panic. While there was indeed a certain amount of this among the Tunisian units, the 1st Free French Brigade was an experienced formation, and was the main unit blocking the rote to Tunis (it had small units of the Tunisian army attached to exploit their local knowledge, but the bulk of the acquired Tunisian force was undergoing training). It slowly pulled back in front of the barrage, and when the first tanks appeared out of the dust they ran into the Brigades anti-tank guns. These were well-positioned and immediately took a toll of the advancing Germans, knocking out six Mk III Panzers before the Germans pulled back. However Rommel had assumed that, at the frontier at least, there would be anti-tank defences, and half an hour later the French were the recipient of an attack by twelve Stukas, which caused serious casualties and broke up the defence line.
The setback, while unwelcome, did not cause the experienced troops to panic. They knew that their mission was to delay rather than stop a heavy attacks, and slowly pulled back, hoping to lure the Germans onto their guns again. In the meantime, the commander of the 1st Free French Division, General de Bethouart had put the rest of his force on alert as well as informing the British that the expected invasion of Tunisia had started. The 4th Indian Division and a brigade of the 2nd armoured were ordered to proceed from Tripoli into Tunisia and aid the Free French (leaving one brigade behind to guard Tripoli). Further back towards Egypt, the 6th Australian Division was also put on alert. General O'Connor would go by air to Tripoli later that day, where he intended to set up his command post. His initial intention was to concentrate the bulk of his armour here ready to move on the Axis forces as soon as they had put themselves in a vulnerable position.
While the fighting in Greece had reduced the number of planes available to the RAF in the desert, they were still able to respond to the request for air support from the French. While no dive bombers were available, the tail of the German formation was a tempting target and a raid at noon from fourteen Wellingtons escorted by Hurricanes caused the loss of a number of the divisions support vehicles as well as causing considerable disruption.
Despite the defenders efforts, the panzers advanced steadily towards the first target, the town of Tabarka. Once the heavier German tanks had cleared the initial border defences, the Ariete division moved forward to widen the breach as they advanced in parallel to the south of 21st Panzer, heading for Djebel Ariod. He intended to be in control of and past Tabarka by sunset, and the slow but steady withdrawal of the French allowed him to do this, at the cost of a steady trickle of losses from his lead units. It was clear to Rommel that now the frontier had been breached the French had little immediately behind it.
The Italian advance to Djebel Ariod was not quite so easy. It seemed that the bulk of the French border force and its artillery had retreated in this direction, and as a result they had to stop and clear numerous small blocks to their advance. Nevertheless by nightfall they were well on the way to their target.
General de Bethouart was not displeased by how the battle had gone so far. The Germans had got further faster than he had anticipated, and the quality of their tanks was allowing them to smash through defences that would have held up an Italian formation, but his reserves were getting into position and 4th Indian and 2nd Armoured were motoring up the coast ready to support him. While the Luftwaffe was indeed a nuisance, the Allied air force was able to stop them dominating the skies, although overall the Luftwaffe held the balance of power. His control of the interior lines of communication in Tunisia was helping, the relatively good rail and road links allowing him to move his reserves ready to block the German advance. Although at the moment he was happy to allow the German tanks to keep moving deeper into Tunisia
The build-up of the French force was hardly unexpected to Rommel, indeed his plan required them to concentrate so he could flank and destroy them, leaving the way to Tunis open. The Luftwaffe and his radio interception service was giving him a reasonable idea of what was happening, and so far his only worry was that the French armour would not allow him to pocket and destroy it.
6th May
An urgent supply convoy sails from Gibraltar, escorted by Force H and also the carrier Illustrious, which will continue on with the merchant ships to Alexandria. This convoy will be run straight through the Mediterranean despite the misgivings of the Chiefs of Staffs. The situation has improved since the last time a fast convoy was run through, and the armaments and especially the tanks are needed urgently, even more so now Rommel's long-awaited offensive has started. With three fleet carriers and 80 fighters to protect the convoy, it is hoped that this will succeed. The major opposition is thought to be air and possibly E-boat attacks when they are close to Sicily. The dangerous Sicilian narrows are now easier to negotiate due to the Allies holding Tunisia; one of the main problems, the minefields which made negotiating the narrows so dangerous, are now cleared close to the Tunisian coast, and it is far more dangerous for the Italians to try and renew them. A section of minesweepers have been based in Tunis to keep the convoy route clear.
After four days of non-stop British air raids, the Iraqi troops are forced to leave the high ground around Habbaniya and retreat to Baghdad on the night of Tuesday 6 May. Meanwhile the British 21st Indian Brigade arrives at Basrah.
In Tunisia the Afrika Korps continues to advance towards Tunis. The French forces have been slowly falling back according to the pre-arranged delaying plan while XIII Corps moves in from Cyrenaica.
The 21st Panzer has taken Tabana, which was not heavily defended, and units of the 21st and the Ariete Division are close to Djebel Abiod. Rommel had hoped that the French might have been induced to stand closer to the border and allow him to destroy more of their force, but the French are using the limiting geography of the area to slowly fall back along the constricting road system. By the late afternoon his armoured formations are close to Djebel Aboud, and taking fire from French artillery and anti-tank elements around the town. So far Rommel's losses in armour have been light; some 15 medium tanks to anti-tank fire and irrecoverable breakdowns, while Ariete have lost about 20 - mainly to mechanical issues, as they do not have the frontline workshop support the Panzer division enjoys.
The French armoured brigade is concentrating West of Tunis; assuming he takes Djebel Aboud, there are a number of routes Rommel's armour could take to get to Tunis, and LeClerc wants more information before he commits his force. The first elements of the 4th Indian Division and the 2nd Armoured are expected to reach Tunis by nightfall. Meanwhile O'Connor has started the 7th Armoured Division moving forward to Tripoli before their forward move into Tunisia. A Brigade of the 6th Australian Division will move after them once they have cleared the roads.
In the sky above Tunisia the RAF and the Luftwaffe continue to contend for air superiority. The Luftwaffe has superior numbers (the RAF is still depleted after Greece), but is insufficient to stop the RAF mounting reconnaissance missions and intervening on the battlefield. While the air attacks are causing a problem for the French Tunisian forces, the veteran 1st Free French Division is treating them as an annoyance at the moment.
7th May
The town of Djebel Aboud falls to Rommel in the morning as the French defence crumbles under the assault of the tanks of 21st Panzer - the French have only small numbers of anti-tank guns capable of stopping the newer tanks at other than close range. Rommel then sends two forces forward. Units of 21st Panzer move east along the road to Djefna, while the Ariete follows the southerly route that eventually leads to Medjez el Bab and Tebourba. The 4th Indian is concentrating its first Brigade at Chouigur, just in front of Tebourba, and its second will follow the road down to Medjez el Bab, which they expect to reach before the Ariete division. A brigade of the 2nd Armoured is now at Djedeida. With the arrival of the British forces, the French Brigade has moved forward to Djefna where it is digging in. Their armoured brigade is now at Mateur, ready to move once the main axis of Rommel's advance has been identified. The French have been ordered to delay the advance for as long as possible to allow the new reinforcements to dig in and prepare defences.
8th May
Rommel is still pressing his forces forward as fast as possible. He wants to engage the French at odds before the British can arrive in serious numbers to help them. The British are doing exactly that, the premade plans and the good (by North African standards) road and rail net in Tunisia is allowing them to advance rapidly from their forward bases - O'Connor has already made it clear what will happen to any commander who is tardy about getting into position in Tunisia.
Rommel's advance force has run into the French Brigade now protecting Djefna, and after losing a number of tanks to the well dug in French, has halted until more armour and the supporting artillery can arrive. The French use the time to continue to dig in in front of the town. The Ariete are on their way to Medjez al Bab, which they hope to reach tomorrow. They have also put out a covering force along the Chouigui road. Rommel is not happy with their speed of advance, which he considers too cautious and may allow the British to reinforce; in fact the first units of 4th Indian are already at the town and busily imitating moles while awaiting the rest of the brigade. They also have 30 tanks of the 2nd Armoured to help them when the Italian armour arrives
9th May
The Polish Brigade sails on a coastal convoy for Tunis. The brigade had originally been reserved in case it was needed in Crete, but Wavell and O'Connor consider Rommel's attack the more urgent problem. In any case, the biggest problem facing Crete is supplies and some types of weapons rather than more men.
In Tunisia, Rommel's forces continue to advance, but more slowly. Having failed to panic the defenders in their initial assault, Rommel needs to bring up more of his force in order to make his first major attack. He expects this to be at Djefna; he wants 21st Panzer to push the French defenders back to at least the town of Mateur, which will give him the option of taking (or at least threatening to take) the port of Bizerte.
The lead elements of the Ariete division have still not reached Medez el Bab, suffering from frequent French ambushes - not terribly costly, but each one costs them time. The occasional interference from the RAF is also unwelcome.
By now, a brigade of the 4th Indian is in place in the town and busy on defensive works. While Luftwaffe reconnaissance has informed Rommel of this (it was, after all, hardly unexpected that the town would be defended), he is unaware that it is now held by experienced troops with a limited armoured capability.
General de Bethouart considers the force defending Djefna to be a delaying option, and expects to fight the main battle in front of Mateur, where the bulk of his forces are preparing, backed up by the French armoured brigade. The British 2nd Armoured is now at Tebourba in brigade strength, and a light force supported by infantry has been sent along the road past Chouigui to warn them if the Italians decide to push along this route.
Part of the 6th Australian Division has moved forward to Tripoli, but is being held there until O'Connor can see where best to use them. Elements of 7th Armoured are still moving into Tunisia, but slowly, moving mainly at night. They will start to concentrate on the eastern side of the Kasserine pass tonight, but he expects it to take a few more days for an adequate force to be assembled there.
South of Iceland U-110(Captained by Lt-Cdr Lemp of the 'Athenia' sinking) attacked Liverpool outbound convoy OB318 protected by ships of Capt A. J. Baker-Crewsswell's escort group. Blown to the surface by depth charges from corvette HMS Aubretia, the crew abandoned ship, but the submarine failed to sink. A boarding party from the destroyer HMS Bulldog manages to get aboard, and in a matter of hours they transfer to safety the submarine's entire Enigma package - coding machine, code books, rotor settings and charts. It will prove to be a major breakthrough in the breaking of the Naval Enigma. Although the U-boat is taken under tow, it will later sink on the way back to Iceland.
Admiral Cunningham is concerned about the losses his fighter pilots have taken recently in supporting the Army. The carrier air groups were never intended for this sort of heavy commitment, and replacements are urgently needed both to fill up his squadrons and if possible to allow the pilots a rest. This is looking increasingly difficult as it looks like yet another naval effort will have to be made very soon off Crete. He hopes to get some relief when HMS Illustrious arrives with the Tiger convoy; given the current operations in the Med, her air group currently consists of 12 TBR, 18DB and 40F (although some planes are having to be carried on deck). While the various options are being debated with his staff, an interesting suggestion is made by his Air advisor. He has been chatting with some of the recently arrived RAAF pilots and found out that, in order to help move aircraft around in the Far East, the Australian Sparrowhawks had retained their arrestor hooks, and the RAAF pilots given basic training in landing and flying off a carrier. He wonders if this squadron could be used to supplement the FAA pilots, and indeed if one of the RAF squadrons could do the same? As a de-navalised plane, the addition of a hook to RAF Sparrowhawks would be a straightforward job for the base workshops at Alexandria.
The Tiger convoy has passed the most dangerous part of its route, the Sicilian narrows. It has been helped by bad weather throughout its route - the heavy CAP's from the carriers have not been needed as the weather prevented the convoy being found by the Italian Air Force. The convoy is now in swept waters and heading for Alexandria, along with the Illustrious. Force H also bombards Bone before retiring to Gibraltar, which does nothing to help Rommel's logistics or advance into Tunisia.
10th May
21st Panzer assault the French defences in front of Djefna. While the French hold firm for some hours, the pressure of the German panzers forces them back into the town. That afternoon, a heavy air raid is made on the town, causing much civilian damage and lighter damage to the French force, which retires in some confusion down the road to Mateur. The 21st pushes on through the town but then pauses overnight to reorganise; they have lost eight tanks in taking the town, and Rommel is starting to become more confident as to the inability of the French to stop him before Tunis.
The Ariete division lead units finally arrive at road junction north of Medez el Beb - or they would have, except they discover that 4th Indian is dug in blocking the way. The British artillery and AT guns are an unwelcome surprise for the Italians, who lose six tanks and a number of vehicles in the initial ambush. The division is also the recipient of the first attacks by RAAF Beaufighters. Carrying 4x250lb bombs, as well as 4x20mm cannon and 4x0.5" guns, the heavy fighter causes chaos and considerable damage to the support elements on the road between Djebel Abiod and the front.
Stung by a heavy retaliatory raid by some hundreds of RAF bombers against Hamburg which has caused a considerable amount of damage to the city and the shipyards, the Luftwaffe makes a final large night raid against London using over 500 bombers. The raid causes huge damage, killing or injuring over 3,000 people, mainly due to the large number of incendiaries used. The defences and the night fighters shoot down over 40 aircraft, and with those lost and written off due to damage, the loss rate is some 15%, unsustainable by the Luftwaffe. From now on raids will be by small forces of bombers.
11th May
On the night of the 10th/11th May, a raiding force of light armoured cars and lorries led by a Captain Stirling moves through the desert from one of the small passes in the mountains in central Tunisia, heading for the Luftwaffe airfield south of Bone. The men cause considerable damage as the blow up everything they can lay their hands on and machine gun everything else with great enthusiasm. The Luftwaffe loses a total of 23 Me109's and Ju87's, which have been supporting Rommel.
The Polish Brigade disembarks at Tunis; their job will be to defend the city in case the Afrika Korps break through the French defensive line. Not all the convoy that left Alexandria has ended up at Tunis. Part of it was detached and entered Tripoli at night, where some of the craft it comprised were hidden and camouflaged.
The Ariete division tries a frontal assault on the defence works north of Medjez el Beb, hoping they are as fragile as they look hurriedly constructed. While they are indeed recent, the 4th Indian is a very experienced division, and the works are supported by anti-tank guns and the Brigade artillery. The Ariete's tanks are halted on the defence line, then the British counterattack led by a detachment of Matilda tanks. While the British are impressed with the bravery and resolve which with the Italians fight, they are driven back from the British defences with the loss of 17 tanks.
The 21st Panzer consolidates east of Djefna, building up for an assault on what they see as the main French defensive position in front of Mateur. Rommel's intent is to press the defences, then hook an armoured force around to take the defenders in the rear. The Luftwaffe has reported Italian tanks in the area, obviously ones now under French command, but Rommel is confident that if they venture forward they will simply allow him to destroy them as well.
12th May
The Ariete division make another attempt to penetrate the 4th Indians defences, this time with an infantry attack. Against the well-prepared Indians it makes a few small penetrations before being driven back. The 4th Indian has lost about 400 men to the attack, the Ariete considerably more, without gaining any useful ground. The British have lost six of their Matildas to breakdowns - the tank is not the most reliable in North Africa
The 21st Panzer starts its attack against the French defences. These go slowly (as the intent is not specifically to penetrate them unless an unexpected opportunity presents itself), but once the defenders are occupied a significant part of Rommel's armour sets out to the southeast to get behind the defensive works. This has been anticipated by LeClerc, and the French armoured brigade at Mateur moves out to force an engagement.
The ex-Italian tanks do better than anyone had anticipated, causing considerable losses to Rommel's mobile force, but while the tank-tank combat is somewhat in favour of the Germans, they manage to draw the advance elements of the Armoured Brigade onto their 88mm guns, destroying eleven tanks in 15 minutes. The French then pull back, and the German armour also stops and pulls back a little in order to consolidate and recover damaged tanks.
The French have lost more than the Germans; 50 of their 80 tanks have either been destroyed, damaged or have broken down and cannot be recovered. The Germans have lost only 25 (although some ten more will not be operational again for 1-2 days)
After the destruction caused by the British night raid on the airfield, the Luftwaffe commander in the area rounds up 200 locals (including French), and accuses them of spying and aiding the British. To show what will happen to any further treachery (as he puts it), all 200 hostages are shot. Once this becomes know, the political effects will be serious.
The much anticipated Tiger convoy arrives unscathed, bearing a considerable quantity of weapons - 295 tanks and 40 Sparrowhawks for the Allied desert army. The tanks include 135 Matildas, 139 of the new 2-pdr-gunned Valentine tanks and 21 light tanks, as well as the first 24 6-pdr AT tanks to reach the Middle East. It also brings badly needed drop tanks for the RAF fighters, which will allow them to cover Crete from North Africa if needed. This is more than enough to re-equip a complete armoured division.
As a sign of defiance against the latest Luftwaffe raid, a march past goes through central London of representatives of the crews of the ships engaged in the recent Atlantic operation which finally destroyed the German fleet.
That night, a force of tanks, armoured cars and support vehicles moves out through the Kasserine pass, first into Algeria at Tebessa, the heading north. A light force of Tunisian French had infiltrated and attacked the small force left to cover the pass into Tunisia, completely surprising them, and the armoured column met little resistance.
That afternoon a convoy, heavily escorted by the Royal Navy, left Tripoli headed north towards Tunis. Cunningham has two fleet carriers and two battleships in support, hoping that the carrier planes and the RAF will prevent observation of the transports and landing craft by the Luftwaffe
13th May
Both sides in Tunisia take the opportunity to reorganise. The big decision is whether to pull back from Djefna and pull Rommel even further forward. There are two arguments against this; first that 7th Armoured thrust north may not succeed, and second that a withdrawal under fire is going to cause the French losses, particularly in material. In the end it is decided that Rommel is far enough forward anyway, and that engaging him and occupying his attention at Djefna will do what is required. Since the Polish Brigade is now in Tunis, the French can reinforce at Djefna with the men they were holding back in front of Tunis. However they cannot replace the tanks they lost, so part of the 2nd Armoured force at Tebourba is brought north (some 60 tanks) to reinforce the French armour. Since Ariete don't look like breaking through at Medjez el Beb in the next day or so, it is considered a low-risk option.
With the departure of 7th Armoured, a brigade of the 6th Australian Division is moved further north into Tunisia close to the town of Sfax. This will allow it to be used either as a reserve in case anything goes wrong in the north, or to exploit the 7th Armoured advance.
The 21st Panzer continue to press their attack at dawn, and by now they have pushed the French back into Djefna itself. Losses are about even on both sides; the French don't have tanks, but they are well supported by artillery which is slowing the German infantry. Even so, there are some worrying moments when the German armour almost breaks the defensive line, and the brigade reports that unless the situation changes they will have to withdraw during the night.
As the situation at Djefna is looking good (from a German perspective), the 21st again sends its armour around to flank the defences - this time they are only using the Mk III Panzer as the 75mm-armed Mk IV's are needed to support the infantry attack. After what they see as the destruction of the French armour on the previous day, they anticipate an easier time of it. Unfortunately they run straight into the lead elements of 2nd Armoured, who were (perhaps optimistically) thinking along the same flanking lines as themselves. The result is a confused tank battle, with the British cruiser tanks showing they are not a match for the panzers. Although they had been warned about the German tactic of drawing the armour onto their AT guns, the 2nd still gets caught in a similar trap.
The net result is another stand-off as both sides withdraw to refuel and reorganise. The British have lost some 40 of their 60 tanks (mainly to the German 88mm and to breakdowns), while the 21st has only lost eighteen tanks (although another eight will need to be fixed, they have been successfully recovered by the German forward maintenance units)
Having not got very far with an attack into Medjez el Beb from the north, the Ariete has been probing further south, and today tries another attack, this time along the road leading in from the southwest. This is not as heavily defended, but even so the presence of the heavily-armoured Matildas stops them from getting to the town. The defenders lose another ten Matilda tanks while the Ariete lose eighteen of their M13/60 tanks. The British brigade is now having problems holding the advance, and asks that reinforcements from the brigade held in reserve be sent forward that night - they are worried about the southern road into the town as well, which again is only lightly held.
Later in the day, Rommel receives reports of some sort of force moving north along the Algerian border. At first he discounts this, assuming it is another of the light raiding forces like the one that hit Bone airfield recently, but a later Luftwaffe report indicates a large force which includes tanks. This, if true, is far more worrying. Rommel only has a very small reserve in Bone, and he begins to wonder if it can hold whatever this attack is. The Luftwaffe is ordered to attack it and slow it down, and to get more information as to the nature of the attack. Reluctant to consider a retreat at this point, he considers the option of a final strong attack to break through the French lines. If he can take Tunis, he can get his supply sent there rather that to Algeria. He also orders the Ariete to make a decisive attack tomorrow to break through onto the Tebourba road.
The 7th Armoured are happily motoring north during the day, led by some Tunisian French officers familiar with the territory, as well as a number of Algerian French who were 'captured' having 'accidentally' strayed into Tunisia. They expect to be in sight of Bone at nightfall. Meanwhile the convoy heading north along the Tunisian coast is closing on Tunis; heavily escorted, and with constant fighter cover, it has yet to be spotted by the Luftwaffe (who are currently occupied with trying to observe and attack the force in Algeria and in assisting Rommel). The RAF is successfully stopping them achieving air superiority in Tunisia itself.
The news of the massacre of hostages at the airfield near Bone reaches the French in Algeria. The reaction is, to put it mildly, angry. The Germans have insisted that the Algerian authorities supply troops to protect their bases against more 'terrorist attacks' as they put it. The Vichy governor finds that the first two units told to prepare to move to Bone and do so are in open mutiny and refusing to move. The feelings in much of the rest of the army in Algeria are similar, if perhaps not quite so militant as yet