page_title: 70th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)
section_title: Operation Crusader
hierarchical_section_title: 70th Infantry Division (United Kingdom) / Operational history / Operation Crusader
caption_attribution_description: English: The Second World War- Personalities Lieutenant General R M Scobie CB, CBE, MC, General Officer Commanding Allied Land Forces Greece, at his desk at his headquarters in Athens.
context_page_description: The 70th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. What would become the 70th Division originated with the 7th Infantry Division, which was formed in 1938 to serve in the British Mandate of Palestine during the Arab Revolt. This division then transferred to Egypt on the outbreak of the Second World War and soon became the 6th Infantry Division, which went on to take part in the Battle of Crete and the Syria–Lebanon Campaign. On 10 October 1941, the 6th Division was re-created as the 70th Infantry Division, in an attempt to deceive Axis intelligence concerning the strength of British forces in the Middle East.
  The Royal Navy transported the division to Tobruk from 19 September to 25 October, in a politically controversial move to relieve the mainly Australian garrison which had been defending the port for almost seven months, since the beginning of the Siege of Tobruk. Under daily aerial and artillery attacks, the division defended the port and conducted nightly offensive patrols against German and Italian positions. On 18 November, the British Eighth Army launched Operation Crusader.
context_section_description: Auchinleck planned for XXX Corps (under Lieutenant-General Willoughby Norrie), containing the British armour, to advance around the undefended southern Axis flank, south of Sidi Omar, before moving towards Tobruk and engaging the German and Italian armoured units in battle. Once the Axis armour was defeated, the British force would attack towards Tobruk aiming to capture Sidi Rezegh, while the garrison broke out aiming to capture Ed Duda, cutting the enemy lines of communication. On 18 November, the Eighth Army began the offensive. Rommel, believing the attack was an attempt to hinder his own plans to assault Tobruk, did little to counter the British offensive. This led to the capture of Sidi Rezegh and the suggestion that the 70th Division should begin its attack on 21 November, before the Axis armour had been defeated. The plan to break out of Tobruk had been well rehearsed; the 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment, 2nd Black Watch, 2nd King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) and 2nd Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) would lead the attack with tanks of the 32nd Army Tank Brigade in close support.
  Under cover of dark the men moved forward, creating gaps in the barbed wire and minefields in front of their positions and bridging Tobruk's anti-tank ditch. At 06:30, on 21 November, the division began its attack on the positions of the Bologna Division and the German 90th Light Division (although the latter had not been expected). The Axis positions were well dug-in, behind mines and barbed wire, supported by machine guns and artillery. The first position, codenamed "Butch", was captured by 09:00, shortly followed by "Jill", but two attempts to capture "Tugun" were repulsed by the Italian defenders. The mix of Italian and German troops holding "Tiger" offered up the most resistance of the day. The supporting Matilda tanks ran into undetected minefields and were engaged periodically by Axis anti-tank guns. The Black Watch, under flanking fire from other Axis strong points and being fired upon directly by the defenders of "Tiger", led a bayonet charge to the sound of bagpipes and captured the position, in conjunction with elements of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1 RTR) and the 4th Royal Tank Regiment (4 RTR). The Black Watch suffered 75 per cent casualties, being reduced to 165 men.
  Despite the losses, the Black Watch launched another attack to capture "Jack". Major Meythaler, the commanding officer of the German sector under attack, was positioned there and reported nine more British tanks lost to mines. Minutes after his report, at 10:30, the Black Watch overran the strong point. 1 RTR proceeded to overwhelm "Wolf", but were repulsed by anti-tank fire when they attempted to attack "Freddie". During the afternoon, a further attack was launched that captured half of "Tugun", but further progress was impeded by Italian artillery fire. The planned final thrust, to seize Ed Duda, was called off, due to the changing situation to the south. By the end of the day, a salient 4,000 yards (3,700 m) deep and wide had been created, 550 German and 527 Italian soldiers had been captured, and 59 tanks of the 32nd Army Tank Brigade had been lost, of which half were repaired. The war diary of the German 90th Light Division described the day's actions as "very serious" concluding "that the next day 'would probably bring a crisis'".
  The following day the division improved its position. Strong point "Lion", to the south west of "Tiger", was captured, but an attempt to capture the remaining sections of "Tugun" was repelled. As a result of the fighting, the division began to face a shortage of ammunition for its artillery. Due to the tank battle raging to the south, Scobie was ordered not to make a further advance. The author of the Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45, W. E. Murphy, said the fighting by the British armour and 70th Division created much "confusion in the enemy camp" and that, had the 32nd Army Tank Brigade attempted, it "could certainly have got to Ed Duda" and in doing so would have thwarted the 
caption: Ronald Scobie, General Officer commanding the 70th Infantry Division and the Tobruk garrison.
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