page_title: 13th Cavalry Regiment
section_title: Tunisia
hierarchical_section_title: 13th Cavalry Regiment / History / World War II / Tunisia
caption_attribution_description: English: The crew of "ARAB." A US Army M3 Lee tank of the 13th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division in El Guettar, Tunisia, 1943.
context_page_description: The 13th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. The 2nd Squadron is currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, as part of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
context_section_description: After Vichy French forces ceased resistance to the Allied landings of Operation Torch, the 1st Armored Division pushed east into Tunisia where they would meet a tougher enemy. The German Afrika Korps was a battle-hardened force which had been fighting the British and Free French armies in the deserts of North Africa for several years. When the tanks of the 13th Armored Regiment encountered them, they were some of the first American troops to encounter Panzer Mark IVs. From 1-4 December 1942, the 10th Panzer Division attacked positions occupied by the 13th Armor near Djedeida and Tebourba in Tunisia. In a valiant effort, tanks from Companies E and F, 2-13 Armor, sortied against the attacking Germans, but were stopped with many casualties and 7 tanks lost. During this action, PVT Casimir Gajek, E Co, earned the Distinguished Service Cross for carrying his wounded NCO, SGT Evans, out of a burning tank, and remaining with him under fire until medics could arrive. 1-13 Armor’s light tanks made a similar daylight charge on 10 December but were defeated by the heavier Panzers. The experienced Germans were not impressed with American tank tactics but noted that the tankers of the 1st Armored Division made up for their flaws with bravery. After withdrawing on 11 December 1st AD concluded that its M3 Stuart tanks were too light for modern warfare and began replacing them with heavier tanks. 
  A series of counterattacks steadily pushed the Germans back towards Tunis, the final Allied objective in Tunisia, and the 13th Armor did well in several smaller tank battles in the desert. The year of 1943 began well for the 1st AD, but the Germans were not finished yet. In February 1943, Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel led a German combined-arms attack against the American and British positions known as the Battle of Kasserine Pass. Their superior maneuver and weaponry defeated elements of the 13th Armor and forced the Americans back over 50 miles before they rallied and halted the enemy offensive. Despite being forced from their positions, 2nd Battalion 13th Armored Regiment made a stand at the town of Sbeitla in the face of the German advance. G Company, 3-13 under CPT Herman T. McWatters covered the withdrawal of CCA along the Faïd-Sbeitla road, until they could be relieved by the rest of LTC Ben Crosby's 3rd Battalion. From their positions, their forward elements spotted a German armored column headed west towards the positions of 2nd Battalion at Sbeitla. Fortified in hull-down or partially concealed positions, 2nd Battalion awaited the enemy advance. Their right flank was covered by 2nd Battalion 6th Infantry, and the 1st AD Reconnaissance Company screened the flank and reported enemy movements. At least 40 tanks of the 21st Panzer Division were bearing down on them. Holding their concealed positions until the enemy drew near, the tanks of 2-13 Armor opened fire when their Commander, LTC Henry E. Gardiner commanded “Boys, let them have it!” 15 Panzers were destroyed or disabled, and the surprised enemy faltered, but the determined Germans managed to drive away 2nd Battalion's supporting M3 tank destroyers.
  While the rest of the battalions in CCB withdrew, 2-13 Armor stayed in Sbeitla to cover the withdrawal. When LTC Gardiner asked permission to withdraw, he was told to hold on a little longer, so the rest of the command could get through Kasserine Pass. At 1730 on 18 February 2nd Battalion was finally permitted to withdraw to safety. The withdrawal under fire was perilous, and the battalion lost nine M3 Lee tanks. LTC Gardiner made sure he was the last man to leave the field, but his tank was destroyed in the process and he was severely wounded. Rommel later praised the battalion's defense of Sbeitla, saying it was “clever and well fought.”
  The Germans were eventually stopped by the remnants of 2-13 and 3-13 Armor near Thala on 22 February. Although the enemy had pushed back the Allies, they were tired and spread thin. The Allied counter strike culminated at the Battles of El Guettar and Mateur, where tankers from 13th Armor showed t
caption: The crew of "ARAB." An M3 Lee tank of the 13th Armored Regiment, El Guettar, Tunisia, 1943.
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