Preface §Table of    Contents §List of    Illustrations §Foreword

Part 1 §Plans §Preliminary    Moves §Operations

Part 2 §7 Ind Inf    Orders §U.S. Army    Version §4 Ind Arty    Orders

Part 3 §Operations    (continued) §Losses §Comments    and Lessons

Appendix A §German    88-mm. Gun Appendix B §Axis    Emplacements

Preface Material

RESTRICTED Military Intelligence Service War Department Washington, April 15, 1942 Information Bulletin No. 11 MIS 461 NOTICE 1. Information Bulletins, which have replaced Tentative Lessons Bulletins, have a dual purpose: (1) to provide all officers with reasonably confirmed information from official and other reliable sources, and (2) to serve as material for lectures to troops. 2. Non-divisional units are being supplied with copies on a basis similar to the approved distribution for divisional commands, as follows: INF DIV    CAV DIV    ARMD DIV Div Hq  8 Rcn Troop  1 Sig Co  1 Engr Bn  1 Med Bn  1 QM Bn  1 Hq Inf Regt, 1 ea   3 Inf Bn, 1 ea  9 Hq Div Arty  1 FA Bn, 1 ea  4   30 Div Hq  4 Ord Co  1 Sig Troop  1 Rcn Sq  1 Engr Sq  1 Med Sq  1 QM Sq  1 Hq Cav Brig, 2 ea   4 Cav Regt, 4 ea 16 Hq Div Arty  1 FA Bn, 1 ea  3   34 Div Hq 11 Rcn Bn  1 Engr Bn  1 Med Bn  1 Maint Bn  1 Supply Bn  1 Div Train Hq  1 Armd Regt, 4 ea   8 FA Bn, 1 ea  3 Inf Regt  4   32 Distribution to air units is being made by the A-2 of Army Air Forces. 3. Each command should circulate available copies among its officers. Reproduction within the military service is permitted provided (1) the source is stated, (2) the classification is not changed, and (3) the information is safeguarded. Attention is invited to paragraph 10a, AR 380-5, which is quoted in part as follows: "A document ... will be classified and ... marked restricted when information contained therein is for official use only, or when its disclosure should be denied the general public." 4. Suggestions for future bulletins are invited. Any correspondence relating to Information Bulletins may be addressed directly to the Dissemination Branch, Military Intelligence Service, War Department, Washington, D.C. RESTRICTED

 
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS           Page   FOREWORD       1. PLANS  1   2. PRELIMINARY MOVES  3   3. OPERATIONS  6   4. LOSSES 34   5. COMMENTS AND LESSONS 35   APPENDIX A. THE GERMAN 88-MM. MULTIPURPOSE GUN       RESTRICTED

 
 

RESTRICTED   LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS           Page   Cover Design.   Figure  1. Disposition of British Forces on the Evening of November 18, 1941 Facing  1   Figure  2. Organization of the 4th Indian Division on November 18, 1941 2   Figure  3. Movement to the Assembly Area of the 7th Indian Infantry 4   Figure  4. Typical Movement of an Armored Unit on the Libyan Plateau Facing  5   Figure  5. British Command Post in the North African Desert Facing  7   Figure  6. Map for Warning Orders 8   Figure  7. British 25~pounder Firing in the Desert Facing 11   Figure  8. Bren-gun Carriers and Crews Facing 17   Figure  9. British Troops Disposed for Attack on the Omars 22   Figure 10. Axis Defenses as Estimated by British Intelligence before the Battle 24-25   Figure 11. Path through a Desert Mine Field Facing 35   Figure 12. German Bounding Mine, or "'Silent Soldier" 40   Figure 13. Two Views of the German 88-mm, Multipurpose Gun Facing  1 APPENDIX A   APPENDIX B. Axis Emplacements and Fortifications in the Omars RESTRICTED

 
 

RESTRICTED   FOREWORD The Battle of the Omars was an incident in the general British drive into Cyrenaica that began November 17/18, 1941, and terminated at El Agheila in mid-January 1942. This battle involved the use of all arms by a force comparable to that of a U.S. reinforced regiment. The excellent opportunities offered to the observers and the complete nature of their reports make possible for the first time a detailed study of the techniques of the various arms in desert warfare. The U. S. designations which most closely approximate the strength of British units are used in this bulletin. Actual strength is given in the diagram in figure 2, and may be compared with the strength denoted by the approximate U. S. designation. The following principal changes have been made: British               U.S. Infantry brigade changed to Infantry regiment Field battery changed to Field artillery battalion Field troop changed to Field artillery battery Armored squadron changed to Armored company This bulletin is based on reports of American official observers and later interviews with them, and on British orders used in the battle. The appendix on the German 88-mm. multipurpose gun is based on a captured German document and other information from G-2 sources. RESTRICTED

Back

Advertisement

Web LoneSentry.com