# Operation Crusader orders of battle

This is the order of battle for the ground forces involved in Operation Crusader, a World War II battle between the British Commonwealth and the European Axis Powers of Germany and Italy in North Africa between 18 November – 30 December 1941.

## British and Commonwealth Forces

Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command: General Claude Auchinleck

### British Eighth Army

Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham, succeeded on 26 November by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie when Auchinleck removed Cunningham from command of Eighth Army

#### XXX Corps

Lieutenant-General Willoughby Norrie
* 7th Armoured Division (Major-General William Gott)
** 4th Armoured Brigade
*** 8th Hussars
*** 3rd Royal Tank Regiment
*** 5th Royal Tank Regiment
*** 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards
*** 2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
** 7th Armoured Brigade
*** 7th Hussars
*** 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
*** 6th Royal Tank Regiment
** 22nd Armoured Brigade
*** 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
*** 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
*** 4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
** 7th Support Group
*** 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
*** 4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
*** 1st Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps
*** 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade
*** 60th (North Midland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
*** One Battery, 51st (Westmorland and Cumberland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
** Divisional troops
*** 4th South African Armoured Car Regiment
*** King's Dragoon Guards
*** 11th Hussars
*** 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
* 1st South African Division (Major-General George Brink)
** 1st South African Infantry Brigade
*** 1st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles, South African Infantry Corps
*** 1st Battalion, Royal Natal Carabineers, South African Infantry Corps
*** 1st Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
*** 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
** 5th South African Infantry Brigade
*** Regiment Botha, South African Infantry Corps
*** South African Irish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
*** 3rd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
*** 4th Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
* 22nd Guards Brigade
** 9th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Tower Hamlets Rifles)
** 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards

#### XIII Corps

    Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-Austen
* 2nd New Zealand Division (Major-General Bernard Freyberg VC)
** 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
*** 18th Infantry Battalion
*** 19th Infantry Battalion
*** 20th Infantry Battalion
** 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
*** 21st Infantry Battalion
*** 22nd Infantry Battalion
*** 23rd Infantry Battalion
** 6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
*** 24th Infantry Battalion
*** 25th Infantry Battalion
*** 26th Infantry Battalion
** Divisional troops
*** 27th (Machine Gun) Infantry Battalion
*** 28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion
*** 4th Field Regiment
*** 5th Field Regiment
*** 6th Field Regiment
*** 7th Anti-Tank Regiment
*** 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
*** Divisional Cavalry Regiment
* 4th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Frank Messervy)
** 5th Indian Infantry Brigade
*** 1st Battalion, The Buffs
*** 3rd Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment
*** 4th Battalion (Outram's), 6th Rajputana Rifles
** 7th Indian Infantry Brigade
*** 1st Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
*** 4th Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment
*** 4th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment
** 11th Indian Infantry Brigade
*** 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
*** 2nd Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
*** 1st Battalion (Wellesley's), 6th Rajputana Rifles
** Divisional troops
*** The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse) (Reconnaissance)
*** 1st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
*** 25th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
*** 31st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
* 1st Army Tank Brigade
** 8th Royal Tank Regiment - equipped with Valentine infantry tanks (Lt Col Brooke)
** 42nd Royal Tank Regiment( Lt Col Willison later Lt Col Martin)
** 44th Royal Tank Regiment - Matilda II infantry tanks (Lt Col Yeo)

#### Tobruk Fortress

Major-General Ronald Scobie
* 70th Infantry Division
** 14th Infantry Brigade
*** 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
*** 2nd Battalion, Black Watch
*** 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
** 16th Infantry Brigade
*** 2nd Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment
*** 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment
*** 2nd Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment
** 23rd Infantry Brigade
*** 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
*** 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment
*** 4th Battalion, Border Regiment
* Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade
** I Carpathian Rifle Battalion
** II Carpathian Rifle Battalion
** III Carpathian Rifle Battalion
** 11 Czechoslovakian Infantry Battalion
** 2/13th Australian Infantry Battalion
** Carpathian Machine Gun Battalion
** Carpathian Field Regiment
* 32nd Army Tank Brigade (Brigadier A.C. Willison)
** 1st Royal Tank Regiment
** 4th Royal Tank Regiment
** 'D' Squadron 7th Royal Tank Regiment
* 4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (Brigadier John Muirhead)
** 69th (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
** 13th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
** 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
** 1 and 5 Independent Light Anti-Aircraft Batteries, Royal Artillery
** 306 Battery, 27th (London Electrical Engineers) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery

#### Oasis Force

    Brigadier Denys Reid
* 29th Indian Infantry Brigade
** 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
** 3rd Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment
** 1st Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
* 6th South African Armoured Car Regiment

#### Army Reserve

* 2nd South African Division (Major-General Isaac de Villiers)
** 3rd South African Infantry Brigade
*** Imperial Light Horse, South African Infantry Corps
*** Rand Light Infantry, South African Infantry Corps
*** 1st Battalion, Royal Durban Light Infantry, South African Infantry Corps
*** 1st Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
** 4th South African Infantry Brigade
*** Kaffrarian Rifles, South African Infantry Corps
*** Umvoti Mounted Rifles, South African Infantry Corps
*** 2nd Battalion, Royal Durban Light Infantry, South African Infantry Corps
*** 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
** 6th South African Infantry Brigade
*** 1st South African Police Battalion
*** 2nd South African Police Battalion
*** 2nd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
*** 5th Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps

## German and Italian forces

Supreme Commander North Africa: General Ettore Bastico

### Italian XX Corps (Corpo d'Armata di Manovra - Mobile Corps)

Lieutenant-General Gastone Gambara
* Corps assets:
** Three batteries of truck-mounted 102 mm AA/AT guns
* 132nd Armoured Division "Ariete" (General Mario Balotta)
** 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment
*** I Light Tank Battalion
*** II Light Tank Battalion
** 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment
*** VII Medium Tank Battalion
*** VIII Medium Tank Battalion
*** IX Medium Tank Battalion
** 8th Bersaglieri Regiment
** 132nd Artillery Regiment
** One battalion attached from the 26th Artillery Regiment, 17th Infantry Division "Pavia">
** One battalion attached from the 24th Corps Artillery Group
* 101st Motorised Division "Trieste"
** 65th Infantry Regiment
** 66th Infantry Regiment
** 9th Bersaglieri Regiment
** 551st Heavy Weapons Battalion
** 21st Artillery Regiment
* RECAM (Raggruppamento Esplorante del Corpo d'Armata di Manovra [reconnaissance group of the mobile army corps])
** III Light Tank Battalion (attached from the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment, Ariete division)
** LII Medium Tank Battalion
** "Romolo Gessi" Battalion, Italian Africa Police
** "Giovani Fascisti" Infantry Group (2 bns)
** Raggruppamento Batterie Volanti ("Portees" - truck mounted - Artillery Group)

### Panzer Group Africa

Panzer Group Africa commanded by General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel
German Afrika Korps (commanded by Generalleutnant Ludwig Crüwell)
* 15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow until 6 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst)
** 8th Panzer Regiment (2 bns)
** 1st Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment
** 2nd Machine Gun Battalion
** 3rd Engineers Battalion
** 33rd Recon Battalion
** 33rd Anti-tank Battalion
** 33rd Artillery Regiment
* 21st Panzer Division (Generalmajor Johann von Ravenstein until 29 November (prisoner of war), then Generalmajor Karl Böttcher)
** 5th Panzer Regiment (2 bns)
** 104th Infantry Regiment (2 bns)
** 15th Motorcycle Battalion
** 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion
** 200th Engineers Battalion
** 39th Anti-Tank Battalion
** 605th Anti-Tank Battalion
** 155th Artillery Regiment
* Special Purpose Division Afrika (Renamed 90th Light Africa Division from 28 November 1941) (Generalmajor Max Sümmermann until 10 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Richard Veith)
** 2nd Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment
** 155th Infantry Regiment (3 bns)
** 3rd Battalion, 255th Infantry Regiment
** 3rd Battalion, 347th Infantry Regiment
** 361st Infantry Regiment (2 bns)
** 900th Engineers Battalion
** 580th Recon Battalion
** Elements from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion
** 2nd Battalion, 115th Motor Artillery Regiment
** 2nd Motor Artillery Regiment (Italian)
* 55th Infantry Division "Savona" (General Fedele de Giorgis)
** 15th Infantry Regiment
** 16th Infantry Regiment
** "Genova Cavalleria" Machine Gun Battalion
** 155th Machine Gun Battalion
** Elements, from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion (German)
** 12th Artillery Regiment

#### Italian XXI Corps

Italian XXI Corps commanded by Lieutenant-General Enea Navarini
* Corps assets:
** 3rd Motor Artillery Regiment
** 16th Corps Artillery Group
** 8th Army Artillery Group
** 24th Army Artillery Group
** 340th Frontier Guards Artillery Group
** 340th Frontier Guards Engineers Battalion
* 17th Infantry Division "Pavia"
** 27th Infantry Regiment
** 28th Regiment Pavia
** V Light Tank Battalion
** "Lancieri d'Aosta" Machine Gun Battalion
** 17th Heavy Weapons Battalion
** 26th Artillery Regiment
* 25th Infantry Division "Bologna"
** 39th Infantry Regiment
** 40th Infantry Regiment
** 25th Heavy Weapons Battalion
** 205th Artillery Regiment
* 27th Infantry Division "Brescia"
** 19th Infantry Regiment
** 20th Infantry Regiment
** 27th Machine Gun Battalion
** 1st Motor Artillery Regiment
* 102nd Motorised Division "Trento"
** 7th Bersaglieri Regiment
** 61st Infantry Regiment
** 62nd Infantry Regiment
** 551st Anti-Tank Battalion
** 46th Artillery Regiment