Gerbini Battle BDE Combs Account
The high standard of mutual cooperation between the three Bns of the Bde was significant in many instances which occurred during the fighting.
It should be remembered when making deductions from this action that this was the first occasion during the campaign in SICILY in which the Division encountered really serious opposition, and in which a really strong and immediate counter attack developed. At no time during the battle was the situation such as to permit a careful reorganisation of the positions captured, as small pockets of enemy resistance continued to hold out. During the night German lorried reinforcements were infiltrated into the area and at 1100 hrs a very heavy counterattack as delivered by infantry and S.P. guns supported on the flanks by tanks and armoured cars. Defences were well and deeply dug and in most cases the camouflage over these defences made them difficult to locate in the dark. Deductions can be summarised as follows:-
1. An attack against an organised position containing pill-boxes and many earthworks requires time and very careful planning. In this case the attack was laid on during the previous afternoon.
2. In view of this experience it appears that our arrangements (contracted in the desert) for reorganising the A.Tk defence of a captured position requires thorough overhauling. In the desert the enemy was generally completely evicted from the captured area, thus allowing some hours of darkness and quietness for reorganisation. In this battle conditions were, as already described, quite different. It seems now that the A.Tk plan for reorganisation down even to the sighting and responsibility of each gun should be worked out beforehand. A.Tk defence should follow up the various stages of the attack, making good ground as it is captured. Guns, particularly Pheasants, should be sited in the vicinity of the start line to fire well forward; not only in an A.Tk role but also in the close support role firing HE. Support A.Tk guns should be pushed well forward to reorganise on the reserve coy positions when captured, and in turn also to provide close support to the forward coys. Forward A.Tk guns should then be pushed forward to carry out their pre-allotted tasks in the area of the forward coys when those areas are captured. All guns should be carefully camouflaged before the attack, so that they can, should it be necessary, give support initially from exposed positions. The forward movement of the guns should be controlled by a very responsible officer (in case of Bns the 2nd i/c) who should have by his side an arty officer, prepared, should it be necessary, to bring down smoke to cover the forward movement. All ranks in the Bn should understand this procedure so that they can cooperate to the full extent to aid this move forward if A.Tk guns either by smoke or fire. Finally it seems imperative that each A.Tk Bty should have at least one troop of S.P. A Tk guns for quick reorganisation in forward areas.
3. An attack in which tanks cooperate requires very careful examination of ground by troop commanders, and very close preliminary cooperation between troop commanders and the infantry Company and Platoon Commanders with whom they are to cooperate. In this case time was limited. The Sqn Commander knew the plan at 1700hrs and this left only three and a half hours of daylight for recce. It appears however that in this operation that orders were not given to Troop commanders till after dark and no troop commanders therefore saw the ground or the infantry with whom they were to cooperate. Although the time was short it seemed that better use would have been made of that three and a half hours had the Troop Commanders been brought forward either with the Sqn Commander or shortly after. The ground could have been viewed from the A.Tk ditch 734737, which was in close proximity to the HQ of 7 A&SH and where officers of that Bn could have been readily available to discuss plans.
4. Apart from the A.Tk guns, the infantry at present have no anti-tank projectiles in the form of rifle grenades ore bombs as effective as those used by the Germans.
History Section Reference :
Gerbini, Sicily
Museum Reference :
Documents - Sicily