Battle of North Africa – American Side
Image taken from wikipedia.org
In 1942, American forces finally joined in on the fight against Nazi-Germany. Their first offensive occurred in North Africa, where British forces were the only troops fighting Hitler’s tank divisions in the vast desert. With the Americans closing in from the west, the German tank divisions prepared to meet these new enemy troops and annihilate them. Most of the American troops were young men just out of boot camp with barely any combat experience. So it was right of the Germans to feel that the Americans would be no match against the might of the German Army.
At Kasserine Pass, American and German forces clashed. The battle was fought around this strategic area that the Germans needed for movement of troops. American forces were no match for the German tanks. Their artillery and tank shells would simply bounce of of the tough German Panzer tanks. Yet, the Americans held out for as long as possible suffering many casualties. General Rommel, commander of the German forces in Africa decided to end the offensive after realizing how dangerously close British forces were getting on the eastern front of the battle. He ended the offensive and American forces were able to move in and trap the Germans, ending the war in North Africa.
