Figure 1.--The Allies got to Tunisia before the Germans could began kiling Jews in large numbers. Tragically the conly other such countries were Libya and and Albania. Here we thiunk is a scene in Tunis when it was liberated by British soildiers (May 1943). The Jewish youths do nor seem to fully understamd what was happening. We are n0t sure to what extebt they understood what the German were doing. Note that the Jewish badges were not sewn on, but some kind of clip on badge. The Germans normally required that they be securely sewn on (sometimes front and back) so that they could not be easily removed. Notice the bars on the windows on the background. We are mot sure if this was some kind of detention center.

German intervention only prolonged the inevitable in Tunisia. The initial Allied Torch landings were in Morocco and Algeria (November 1942) . The Allies were unable to go further east and land in Tunisia because of Axis air power. The initial land push to the two major ports (Tunis and Bizerte) in northeastern Tunisia was stopped by the German troops Hitler rushed into Tunisia. This began the protracted campaign which involved the Americans who landed in Morocco to reach Tunisia and close the vise with the British Eighth Army advancing from -the South. The Eighth Army breached the Mareth Line. This was the Afrika Korps' last major stand (March 1942). From the beginning the real prize was the two ports and largest cities in Tunisia. Gradually as Allied air and sea power closed off supplies and reemforcemnent, tge Gernan positiin shank to an enclave in the north around Tynis and Bizerte. Despite the Kassarine deabacle (February 1943), the Germans did not have the men and material to resist the Allies. Finally when The Americans took the fortified hills defending the Tuniz-Bizerte bastion, the two cities fell (May 7). The Americans took Bizerte and and the British took Tunis. German commander Hans-Jürgen Von Arnim surrendered to British forces as a result of the successful Allied Operation Vulcan (May 12). Hitler had ordered him to fight to the death. He apparently interpreted that to mean when the tank shells ran out. A British soldier describes the surrender, "The Axis commander declared that his forces were too widely scattered for him to order them to cease fire even if he wanted to. Nothing more could be done, and Arnim's surrender was accepted. He and Krause gave up their revolvers, and later in the afternoon, when arrangements had been made for their removal, Armin emerged from the caravan. His Staff Officers, lined up outside, sprang to attention and remained at the salute for nearly half a minute. Arnim cknowledged the salute and then walked down the ranks of his officers, shaking hands with each one of them. The officers clicked their heels and some of them gave the Nazi salute. All were dressed in their best uniforms with full decorations and gave a remarkable display of military etiquette. Arnim entered an open car and stood holding the windscreen with his left hand in Hitler fashion while he gave the final salute to his Staff. The car rolled slowly away to the H.Q. of the British 1st Army, followed by other cars carrying Krause and other German officers, along a road packed with Italians and Germans driving themselves into captivity in their own vehicles." Arnim as a POW would spend a lot of time complaining about conditions and ratioins. Not food but trivialities like the number of cigarettes. In reality condirions in Allied camos were luxurios compared to how the Germans treated POWs. (Arnim was at Trent Park for a time where German POW officers were recorded. He was one of the more pro-NAZI/anti-defeatists.) The last remaining German units surrendered after failing to establish a defensive position at Cape Bon in the far north (May 13). [Ward] We do not have details on the liberation of the camps where Tunisian Jews were interened. With the arrival of the Allies, the rights of Tunisian Jews were restored. Some 275,000 German and Axis soldiers became prisoners of war. North Africa was different than Europe. Tunisia and the rest of North Africa were colonies. Thus for the French and Jews, it was a liberation. For the Arab majority it was not the same. The Germans only occupied Tunisia and Libya and did not conduct the same brutal actions that the Germans were so noted for in Europe. Thus the Arabs for the most part were observers to the War both the entry of the Germans (November 1942) and their defeat (May 1943). The War, however, would give an impetus to natiinalist groups seeking indeoendence.

Created: 10:08 PM 2/23/2020
Last updated: 11:33 PM 2/23/2020