Hi all, I have started reading my copy of The Battle of the Peaks and Longstop Hill and there is some discussion about how the gully between the two hills was overlooked prior to the first attack on Longstop after the Germans occupied it, although the gully was on the map, according to the author. I am wondering if anyone has got an image of that part of the map?
Hello Chris, Is this map any good? Tunisia 1:50,000 GSGS 4225, Sheet 19 Tebourba (1943) Is this the bit you are interested in? Richard p.s. Just found another map: Tunisia 1:25,000, Survey Directorate First Army NWA16, Sheet19/5 Tebourba 5 (1943)
Hi Richard, Yes, that's it, thanks. Of the 1:50,000 map the author writes "Djebel Rhar is clearly shown as a separate feature" and he's right, it's quite clear! I assume the gully in question separating the two is between the A of AHMFRA and Djebel Rhar, and marked with a track. That's... pretty poor to have overlooked.
Dear Chris I am the author of Battle of the Peaks and I am very pleased to hear that at least one Canadian has bought the book! I have an interest in Canadian Army in WW2 and therefore made a point of highlighting the role of Canadian officers and men in the Battle of the Peaks. If you have any specific questions happy to try and answer them you seem to have been provided access to the relevant maps I consulted. As the book makes clear at least a couple of battalions had been on or near the 2 hills earlier and Divisional staff must have seen that it was 2 features it is obvious from the road (even today see pictures in book ) and I would have expected them and the GOC with his CRA to have have travelled up it frequently during the failed advance almost to Tunis. It is a bit of a mystery to me why the Divisional Operations staff did not make this clear to the 1st Guards Brigade when reviewing and approving the brigade plan. According to an account I have read CO of the Coldstream Guards was only allowed to view the hill using binoculars from the west from a distance but the map is clear. Hope the above helps and once again I am really pleased a Canadian has bought my book! Best Regards Ian
Dear Ian, It is very kind of you to post in reply! Thank you for the additional information. I have not gotten to any mention of Canadians in the battle but I will look forward to it. This reminds me that I have not read Canadian officer Strome Galloway's With The Irish Against Rommel, A Diary of 1943 which I gather is his account of being with 2 London Irish Rifles elsewhere in Tunisia. I got interested - admittedly first with 8th Army operations - after reading Blazing Chariots and Barry Pitt's two books as a teenager in the 80s. Recently I've been buying a lot of books but not necessarily reading them and I thought I should stop trying to wait for the best price and buy a couple of books that I really want to read, and yours was one of the two. Cheers, Chris PS there is an incredibly striking photo of a wadi at Longstop Hill in a photo book I got recently, Topography is Fate. I do not know if it is the wadi between the two hills. I'll try to post an image of it tomorrow.
Sorry to cut across this interesting thread - as a comment on the Canadian influences, at one point in Feb/Mar '43, three of the OCs of the respective Rifle companies in 2 LIR were Canadian: E Coy - Curry, Toronto Scottish. G Coy - Gale, CB Highlanders. H Coy - Chisholme, Lorne Scots. As well as; G Coy - Le Praire, Irish Regiment of Canada. F Coy - Galloway, Royal Canadian Regiment.
Thanks for the information! I knew there were clearly some CANLOAN officers assigned but that's really interesting!
I don't think these first few were actually under the terms of "Canloan" - described as "attached to First Army" by the Canadians "At one point when a Battalion of the London Irish Rifle (a unit of 38 Bde. 6 Armd Div) had suffered heavily and lost many of its own officers, this Battalion had one Canadian officer acting as 2 i/c and three commanding companies..".
