Today in 1943, in the dry, barren hills of Tunisia

The German and Italian troops of Panzer Armee Afrika deployed Tiger tanks against the Allies for the first time at Bau Arada.

Tiger tanks proved an unwelcome surprise to the Allies.

Attacking U.S. forces in the east and British forces in the south had hoped to end the war in North Africa by meeting in Tunisia and forcing a German surrender en masse. However, Irwin Rommel, commanding the Axis armies in Africa, and the OKH and OKW commanders back in Berlin had other ideas.

But, even the Tigers were not impervious.

When the first Tigers arrived in Tunisia and entered combat against the Allied armor, they had little with which to counter the German behemoths with their high velocity 88 mm main guns and virtually impervious frontal armor.  But, eventually, the sheer strength of the Allied forces, especially the protective air cover, overwhelmed even those untis equipped with Tiger tanks and, to those who were paying attention, presaged the upcoming slaughter of teh French bocage and teh Falaise pocket in 1944.

[January 18, 1944]