Crazy Train DTO (id:#63642)

(Hill 609 - Tunisia 1943 ID: #1)   [next]   [previous]

Djebel Tahent, Tunisia 1943-04-27 (1 other)

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Overview:

A series of prominent hills that included 609 and 531 were part of a belt of rugged terrain that would need to be traversed by American forces to reach the center of German communications at Mateur. There was no clear path to make this advance. instead, the advance would necessarily have to be made between a series of heights that averaged 500 to 1000 feet above the narrow valleys between them. Hill 609 represented the key German stronghold to control the road to Mateur. This hill was flanked by other smaller fortresses, in the form of hills that had to be taken before 609 could be assaulted directly. At 1900 hours on 26 April the men of 1st and 3rd Battalions, 135th, moved out in single file but failed to get forward far enough before dawn. At noon on 27 April the effort was instead directed to the capture of Kef el Guebli. Company "A" reached its objective, but an immediate German response in the form of heavy mortar, artillery and machine-gun fire erupted.

Defender: German (Fallschirmjäger Regiment Barenthin)  

Errata (source)