European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 8, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Sas photo to ton Nau Floth in fought at pm trim fan in worm Wai ii 10th Panzer div . 1 if Armatha. French Tofi Attr Rich 6,19bb debacle a Kasserine pass Byton Nauroth Nurnberg Bureau t was a social event where men and women Many wild heavy brass on heir shoulders rubbed elbows and glad handed each older. Toasts were lined in Friendship Champagne Lor same Orange juice or the More image conscious. Men in exotic Robes and furans of algerian zouave fighters served to or d oeuvres Horn Stiver trays. Gentlemanly Competition blossomed As soldiers from the armies of three nations shot French weapons Side by Side. Forty live years ago. Among the dry riverbed wadis of North Africa their predecessors were shooting at each other in the Battle of Kas Carine pass. At the feb. In commemoration of the 45lh anniversary of the Battle. Inc French hosts set a Nice table and gave their 50 guests a congenial Welcome gathered at the French 3rd Arrond on Headquarters in Freiburg West Germany were the High rollers the commanders of Iho French 3rd Abmd div . 1st Abmd div. German 10lh Panzer div and the 1st inf do fwd and their stall members. It was an occasion for partnership a Chance for allies to gel to know one another. Bui Marcel Spiwak of inc French can scr Lor military history in Paris who spoke at a morning seminar said it was a social occasion Only on the surface. To keep history item repeating itself. Shivah said tha bungling and ineptitude that found its Way into the highest Levels of command on the battlefields of Tunisia must be studied by today s senior tenders. Kasserine to said should be a basis Lor All Allied exchanges and work in his Book tvs shrine pass historian Martin Blumenson summed up the Battle this Way the Bailie of Kasserine disclosed an absence of Mutual understanding and Confidence among the Coaliron a orcs on both sides of the front. In the Allied Camp impatience with the different National organizations tactical methods and command and staff procedures had created bitterness personal and Petty motivations resentments and jealousies had inhibited cooperation. On the Axis Side misunderstanding and Lack of Confidence Between italians and germans plus the personal ambitions of commanders had prompted distrust i icon and insubordination the italians were riddled with bureaucracy and failed o comprehend the demands and the Tempo of modern warfare while the efficient germans we e arrogant and Spivak said the judgment of history produces enough blame to go around for a Battle that was a mixed bag of Success and failure. The germans lost at the expense of the americans he said because the allies won the Overall Battle for North Africa but the americans particularly the 1 St Samd div paid for it in blood and massive amounts of equipment captured by Field Marshall Erwin the desert Fox Rommel s Artka Korps and Blumenson characterized the Battle As a Victory Lor Rommel that contributed to the Deleal of Germany adding that tie re bulls there hastened the a Day invasion of Normandy on june 6, 1944. Spivak double that the men in the trenches knew about the blunders being committed by their leaders and said they had full Faith in their generals a Soldier in Battle Only sees As far As his eyes Spiva said. To him anything beyond thai does not Enst. He s too Busy several veterans of the Battle could not attend the gathering but responded to the division s request Lor letters irom those who fought. Robert e. Bard who lives in Punchbowl cemetery Hawaii was a Captain with the 69h army Field arty on on the night of feb. 16, he wrote his eyes saw tanks big German panzers not the Little american jobs the division had. What followed was the most ferocious firelight that could Lake place at Point Blank Range he wrote the close in exploding shells and thousands of tracer bullets lit up the night like a vast fourth of july fireworks William m. Gelchell of Arlington. Va., a retired lieutenant colonel was a Lisl lieutenant in Tunisia. He knew Only those things he could see and feel. Precious Liolla Lime was not always available to clean one s clothing properly he wrote. Many sad lessons were Learned about the Creepy crawlies lice when Ctol Hing or even sleeping bags became retired Gen. Hamill on j. Howze told of diving Inlo the slim Protection of tiie ruts to escape strafing German planes. Although he saw no germans or German tanks he did see plenty of aircraft the sky belonged to Germany to wrote Bui Howzw who was the 1st army div operations officer at the Lime was in a position of greater influence than men like Bard and Getchell when Gen. Dwight 0. Eisenhower looked Back on the Bailie he said a major Factor in inc Deleal at Kasserine was in committing a United Stales armoured division to action in crib in his Fetter Howze shouldered1 some of the responsibility for letting that decision go unchallenged. This the piecemeal commitment of the division was insanity he wrote. We could build no Force irom inc Lew resources left to us after aft the earlier detachments and our new losses to contest major elements of two German Panzer divisions wailing Tor us in the desert. Division commander maj general Orlando Ward did t like in and neither did i but ifs does not relieve the sense of shame i feel to this Day for not contesting the order More strongly even at the Cost of my it was just one instance of trouble Al the lop laced by the allies and a lend in ineptitude by the Axis commanders. Could the problems Whoso armies laced in 1943 happen again la s possible said Brig. Gen William m. Erica from Nurnberg who represented 1st army div commander Mai. Gen. E. S. Leland at the commemoration bul not French maj Gen. M. Jovinol agreed bul quickly pointed out that occasions such As the annual Kasserine commemoration help to Iron out problems among allies. Ii is not sul Lucienl Voinot said bul it is an approach a German maj. Gen. Horse Albrecht added that a concentration on the nato Alliance helps today the allies did t know each other before they Mot on the Battlefield at Kasserine he said Brig. Gen. David Armstrong commander of the 1 is in Oil fwd argued that focusing solely on the problems at the command level is Way off the Mark that inert Are other actors that contributed to the mistakes at Kasserine. For example he cited the inexperience of the american soldiers the unfamiliar Ltd of the terrain and the bad weather. That s True Spivak said but a historical judgment of Kasserine is still that All sides goo cd but history does not repeal i sell he added Al least not Lor those who Searn irom their Blumenson Points out in his Book that All things Ware no bad in retrospect. Iho disaster and tragedy of Kasserine produced a Shock that proved beneficial to the allies. The Delea Shook Down the command and the logistical at this year s commemoration no common soldiers sat at the Able in Freiburg whore Iho Rich French goods were served. Bul Ihen. They weren t the ones who goofed Al Kasserine. The lessons id be Learned. Spivak said must be Learned by those who now hold the influential command positions held by their predecessors. In last Many who attended used the acronym run Opo officer professional development in reference to the purpose of the Day s events. Next year the . 1st int div fwd will Host a Kasserine commemoration Al Goppinger weal Germany. On the surface it win by another social occasion. Underneath Spivak said they la be learning How not to fight a War the stars and stripes Pago 15
