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 (Major-General William Gott) 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 (Major-General George Brink) 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 Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-Austen 2nd New Zealand Division (Major-General Bernard Freyberg ) 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 (Major-General Frank Messervy) 5th Indian Infantry Brigade 1st Battalion, The Buffs 3rd Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment 4th Battalion (Outram's), 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 (Wellesley's), 6th Rajputana Rifles Divisional troops The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse) (Reconnaissance) 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 (Lt Col Brooke) 42nd Royal Tank Regiment( Lt Col Willison later Lt Col Martin) 44th Royal Tank Regiment - Matilda II infantry tanks (Lt Col Yeo)
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 (Brigadier A.C. Willison) 1st Royal Tank Regiment 4th Royal Tank Regiment 'D' Squadron 7th Royal Tank Regiment 4th Anti-Aircraft BrigadeFarndale, pp. 165–8.Playfair, p. 158.Routledge, pp. 130–3, Table XX, p. 141 (Brigadier John Muirhead) 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 Brigadier Denys Reid 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 (Major-General Isaac de Villiers) 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 Army Corps Italian XX Army Corps also known as Maneuver Army Corps (Corpo d'Armata di Manovra) commanded by Lieutenant-General Gastone Gambara Corps assets: Three batteries of truck-mounted 102 mm AA/AT guns 132nd Armoured Division "Ariete" (General Mario Balotta) 8th Bersaglieri Regiment III Support Weapons Battalion V Auto-transported Battalion XII Auto-transported Battalion 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment I Tank Battalion L with L3/35 tankettes II Tank Battalion L with L3/35 tankettes (III Tank Battalion L with L3/35 tankettes — detached to the Maneuver Army Corps Reconnaissance Grouping) 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment VII Tank Battalion M13/40 with M13/40 tanks VIII Tank Battalion M13/40 with M13/40 tanks IX Tank Battalion M13/40 with M13/40 tanks 132nd Artillery Regiment I Group with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns II Group with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns III Group with 105/28 cannons II Anti-tank Battalion with 47/32 anti-tank guns (formed in September 1941 and disbanded in February 1942) III Tank Group "Nizza Cavalleria" with L6/40 tanks light tanks (Armoured reconnaissance, arrived in September 1941) CXXXII Mixed Engineer Battalion attached: 1× group from the 26th Artillery Regiment "Pavia", 17th Infantry Division "Pavia" with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns attached: 1× group from the 24th Corps Artillery Grouping, with 105/28 cannons 101st Motorised Division "Trieste" 9th Bersaglieri Regiment XXVIII Auto-transported Battalion XXX Auto-transported Battalion XXXII Support Weapons Battalion 65th Infantry Regiment "Trieste" 3× fusilier battalions 66th Infantry Regiment "Trieste" 3× fusilier battalions 21st Artillery Regiment "Trieste" I Group with 100/17 mod. 16 howitzers II Group with 75/27 mod. 06 field guns III Group with 75/27 mod. 06 field guns IX Group with 105/28 cannons (joined the regiment in June 1941) XXI Mixed Anti-aircraft Group (joined the regiment in June 1941) DVIII Support Weapons Battalion LII Mixed Engineer Battalion RECAM (Raggruppamento Esplorante del Corpo d'Armata di Manovra — Maneuver Army Corps Reconnaissance Grouping) III Tank Battalion L with L3/35 tankettes (from the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment, 132nd Armoured Division "Ariete") LII Tank Battalion M13/40 with M13/40 tanks Battalion "Romolo Gessi" (Italian African Police) Battalion Group "Giovani Fascisti" (2× battalions) Raggruppamento Batterie Volanti ("Portees" - truck mounted - Artillery Group)
Panzer Group Africa Panzer Group Africa commanded by General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel
German Afrika Korps (commanded by Generalleutnant Ludwig Crüwell) 15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow until 6 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst) 8th Panzer Regiment (2× battalions) 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 (Generalmajor Johann von Ravenstein until 29 November (prisoner of war), then Generalmajor Karl Böttcher) 5th Panzer Regiment (2× battalions) 104th Infantry Regiment (2× battalions) 15th Motorcycle Battalion 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion 200th Engineers Battalion 39th Anti-Tank Battalion 605th Anti-Tank Battalion 155th Artillery Regiment Special Purpose Division Afrika (Renamed 90th Light Africa Division from 28 November 1941) (Generalmajor Max Sümmermann until 10 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Richard Veith) 155th Infantry Regiment (3 bns) 3rd Battalion, 255th Infantry Regiment 3rd Battalion, 347th Infantry Regiment 361st Infantry Regiment (2× battalions) 900th Engineers Battalion 580th Recon Battalion Elements from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion 2nd Battalion, 115th Motor Artillery Regiment 2nd Fast Artillery Regiment "Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro" (Italian) I Group with 100/17 mod. 14 howitzers II Group with 100/17 mod. 14 howitzers III Group with 75/27 mod. 06 field guns IV Group with 75/27 mod. 06 field guns 55th Infantry Division "Savona" (General Fedele de Giorgis) 15th Infantry Regiment "Savona" 3× fusilier battalions 16th Infantry Regiment "Savona" 3× fusilier battalions 12th Artillery Regiment "Savona", in Capua I Group with 100/17 mod. 14 howitzers II Group with 105/28 cannons IV Machine Gun Squadrons Group "Genova Cavalleria" (attached to the division) CLV Machine Gun Battalion LV Mixed Engineer Battalion Elements, from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion (German)
Italian XXI Army Corps Italian XXI Army Corps commanded by Lieutenant-General Enea Navarini Corps assets: 3rd Fast Artillery Regiment "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" I Group with 100/17 mod. 14 howitzers II Group with 100/17 mod. 14 howitzers III Group with 75/27 mod. 06 field guns IV Group with 75/27 mod. 06 field guns 8th Army Artillery Grouping 16th Army Corps Artillery Grouping 24th Army Corps Artillery Grouping 340th Guardia alla Frontiera Artillery Grouping 4× groups with 75/27 mod. 06 field guns CCCXL Guardia alla Frontiera Engineer Battalion 17th Infantry Division "Pavia" 27th Infantry Regiment "Pavia" 3× fusilier battalions 28th Infantry Regiment "Pavia" 3× fusilier battalions 26th Artillery Regiment "Pavia" (reformed on 18 April 1941 in Ferrara, after the original regiment was destroyed in February 1941 during Operation Compass) III Group with 75/27 mod. 06 field guns CCLXXXIII Group with 2x batteries of 75/27 mod. 06 field guns and 1x battery of 77/28 field guns (transferred from the Guardia alla Frontiera)