The Battle of Tunisia, 1943 | Enfidaville Line | Easy Red 2

Описание: Enfidaville Line
4/20/43

The Enfidaville Line was the final major defensive position held by Axis forces in Tunisia during the closing phase of the North African Campaign in April–May 1943. After withdrawing from successive defensive belts around the Mareth Line and Wadi Akarit, German and Italian units—primarily the remnants of the German 1st Army and elements of the Italian XX Corps—fell back toward the high ground around Enfidaville, a coastal town roughly halfway between Sousse and Tunis. The terrain there was a mix of rugged hills, steep ridges, and narrow approaches that gave the defenders strong natural advantages. General Giovanni Messe organized his forces to delay the Allied advance as long as possible, hoping to buy time for the Axis bridgehead around Tunis and Bizerte.

The British Eighth Army, exhausted after successive battles across southern Tunisia, made several attempts in late April and early May to break through the Enfidaville Line. Progress was slow and costly, especially on prominent features such as Djebel Garci and Djebel Terhouna, where determined Axis defenders held out against heavy artillery and infantry assaults. Ultimately, the Enfidaville position was not broken by a single decisive attack—its value diminished once the British First Army and U.S. II Corps captured Tunis and Bizerte in early May. With their northern flank collapsing and no hope of evacuation, Axis units in the Enfidaville sector surrendered along with the rest of Army Group Africa on 13 May 1943, marking the end of organized Axis resistance in North Africa.