Operation Crusader orders of battle

This is the order of battle for the ground forces involved in Operation Crusader, a World War II battle between the British Commonwealth and the European Axis powers of Germany and Italy in North Africa between 18 November – 30 December 1941.

British and Commonwealth Forces

Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command: General Claude Auchinleck

British Eighth Army

Lieutenant-General Alan Cunningham, succeeded on 26 November by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie when Auchinleck removed Cunningham from command of Eighth Army

XXX Corps

Lieutenant-General Willoughby Norrie

7th Armoured Division
* 4th Armoured Brigade
** 8th Hussars
** 3rd Royal Tank Regiment
** 5th Royal Tank Regiment
** 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards
** 2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
* 7th Armoured Brigade
** 7th Hussars
** 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
** 6th Royal Tank Regiment
* 22nd Armoured Brigade
** 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars
** 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
** 4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)
* 7th Support Group
** 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
** 4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
** 1st Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps
** 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade
** 60th (North Midland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
** One Battery, 51st (Westmorland and Cumberland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
* Divisional troops
** 4th South African Armoured Car Regiment
** King's Dragoon Guards
** 11th Hussars
** 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
1st South African Division
* 1st South African Infantry Brigade
** 1st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles, South African Infantry Corps
** 1st Battalion, Royal Natal Carabineers, South African Infantry Corps
** 1st Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
** 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
* 5th South African Infantry Brigade
** Regiment Botha, South African Infantry Corps
** South African Irish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
** 3rd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
** 4th Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
22nd Guards Brigade
* 9th Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Tower Hamlets Rifles)
* 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards

XIII Corps

2nd New Zealand Division
* 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
** 18th Infantry Battalion
** 19th Infantry Battalion
** 20th Infantry Battalion
* 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
** 21st Infantry Battalion
** 22nd Infantry Battalion
** 23rd Infantry Battalion
* 6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
** 24th Infantry Battalion
** 25th Infantry Battalion
** 26th Infantry Battalion
* Divisional troops
** 27th (Machine Gun) Infantry Battalion
** 28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion
** 4th Field Regiment
** 5th Field Regiment
** 6th Field Regiment
** 7th Anti-Tank Regiment
** 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
** Divisional Cavalry Regiment
4th Indian Infantry Division
* 5th Indian Infantry Brigade
** 1st Battalion, The Buffs
** 3rd Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment
** 4th Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles
* 7th Indian Infantry Brigade
** 1st Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
** 4th Battalion, 11th Sikh Regiment
** 4th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment
* 11th Indian Infantry Brigade
** 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
** 2nd Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
** 1st Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles
* Divisional troops
** The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse)
** 1st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
** 25th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
** 31st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
1st Army Tank Brigade
* 8th Royal Tank Regiment - equipped with Valentine infantry tanks
* 42nd Royal Tank Regiment
* 44th Royal Tank Regiment - Matilda II infantry tanks

Tobruk Fortress

Major-General Ronald Scobie

70th Infantry Division
* 14th Infantry Brigade
** 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
** 2nd Battalion, Black Watch
** 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
* 16th Infantry Brigade
** 2nd Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment
** 2nd Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment
** 2nd Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment
* 23rd Infantry Brigade
** 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
** 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment
** 4th Battalion, Border Regiment
Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade
* I Carpathian Rifle Battalion
* II Carpathian Rifle Battalion
* III Carpathian Rifle Battalion
* 11 Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion
* 2/13th Australian Infantry Battalion
* Carpathian Machine Gun Battalion
* Carpathian Field Regiment
32nd Army Tank Brigade
* 1st Royal Tank Regiment
* 4th Royal Tank Regiment
* 'D' Squadron 7th Royal Tank Regiment
4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade
* 69th (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
* 13th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
* 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
* 1 and 5 Independent Light Anti-Aircraft Batteries, Royal Artillery
* 306 Battery, 27th (London Electrical Engineers) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery

Oasis Force

29th Indian Infantry Brigade
* 1st Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment
* 3rd Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment
* 1st Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
6th South African Armoured Car Regiment

Army Reserve

2nd South African Division
* 3rd South African Infantry Brigade
** Imperial Light Horse, South African Infantry Corps
** Rand Light Infantry, South African Infantry Corps
** 1st Battalion, Royal Durban Light Infantry, South African Infantry Corps
** 1st Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
* 4th South African Infantry Brigade
** Kaffrarian Rifles, South African Infantry Corps
** Umvoti Mounted Rifles, South African Infantry Corps
** 2nd Battalion, Royal Durban Light Infantry, South African Infantry Corps
** 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
* 6th South African Infantry Brigade
** 1st South African Police Battalion
** 2nd South African Police Battalion
** 2nd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, South African Infantry Corps
** 5th Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps

German and Italian forces

Supreme Commander North Africa: General Ettore Bastico

Italian XX Corps (''Corpo d'Armata di Manovra'' - Mobile Corps)

Lieutenant-General Gastone Gambara

Corps assets:
* Three batteries of truck-mounted 102 mm AA/AT guns
132nd Armoured Division "Ariete"
* 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment
** I Light Tank Battalion
** II Light Tank Battalion
* 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment
** VII Medium Tank Battalion
** VIII Medium Tank Battalion
** IX Medium Tank Battalion
* 8th Bersaglieri Regiment
* 132nd Artillery Regiment
* One battalion attached from the 26th Artillery Regiment, 17th Infantry Division "Pavia">
* One battalion attached from the 24th Corps Artillery Group
101st Motorised Division "Trieste"
* 65th Infantry Regiment
* 66th Infantry Regiment
* 9th Bersaglieri Regiment
* 551st Heavy Weapons Battalion
* 21st Artillery Regiment
RECAM
* III Light Tank Battalion
* LII Medium Tank Battalion
* "Romolo Gessi" Battalion, Italian Africa Police
* "Giovani Fascisti" Infantry Group
* ''Raggruppamento Batterie Volanti''

Panzer Group Africa

Panzer Group Africa commanded by General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel
German Afrika Korps

15th Panzer Division
* 8th Panzer Regiment
* 1st Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment
* 2nd Machine Gun Battalion
* 3rd Engineers Battalion
* 33rd Recon Battalion
* 33rd Anti-tank Battalion
* 33rd Artillery Regiment
21st Panzer Division
* 5th Panzer Regiment
* 104th Infantry Regiment
* 15th Motorcycle Battalion
* 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion
* 200th Engineers Battalion
* 39th Anti-Tank Battalion
* 605th Anti-Tank Battalion
* 155th Artillery Regiment
Special Purpose Division Afrika
* 2nd Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment
* 155th Infantry Regiment
* 3rd Battalion, 255th Infantry Regiment
* 3rd Battalion, 347th Infantry Regiment
* 361st Infantry Regiment
* 900th Engineers Battalion
* 580th Recon Battalion
* Elements from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion
* 2nd Battalion, 115th Motor Artillery Regiment
* 2nd Motor Artillery Regiment
55th Infantry Division "Savona"
* 15th Infantry Regiment
* 16th Infantry Regiment
* "Genova Cavalleria" Machine Gun Battalion
* 155th Machine Gun Battalion
* Elements, from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion
* 12th Artillery Regiment

Italian XXI Corps

Italian XXI Corps commanded by Lieutenant-General Enea Navarini

Corps assets:
* 3rd Motor Artillery Regiment
* 16th Corps Artillery Group
* 8th Army Artillery Group
* 24th Army Artillery Group
* 340th Frontier Guards Artillery Group
* 340th Frontier Guards Engineers Battalion
17th Infantry Division "Pavia"
* 27th Infantry Regiment
* 28th Regiment Pavia
* V Light Tank Battalion
* "Lancieri d'Aosta" Machine Gun Battalion
* 17th Heavy Weapons Battalion
* 26th Artillery Regiment
25th Infantry Division "Bologna"
* 39th Infantry Regiment
* 40th Infantry Regiment
* 25th Heavy Weapons Battalion
* 205th Artillery Regiment
27th Infantry Division "Brescia"
* 19th Infantry Regiment
* 20th Infantry Regiment
* 27th Machine Gun Battalion
* 1st Motor Artillery Regiment
102nd Motorised Division "Trento"
* 7th Bersaglieri Regiment
* 61st Infantry Regiment
* 62nd Infantry Regiment
* 551st Anti-Tank Battalion
* 46th Artillery Regiment