#430226_01a: Operation Ochsenkopf [HTH] - PzC 20 Tunisia 43

NW Tunisia, Feb 26th 1943:Early in the afternoon of the day after the Kasserine withdrawal, von Arnim decided on a spoiling attack in the Medjez el Bab area. He charged Korps Gruppe Weber with this limited attack which was to jump off on February 26th. Von Arnim chose this solution after it had become painfully evident to him that he lacked the strength for a bigger operation. He picked Medjez el Bab as the objective primarily because to shift major elements to von Manteuffel's sector would have been too time consuming. Rommel was flabbergasted by this "completely unrealistic" concept contrived by what he later called the "nincompoops at Comando Supremo." Despite Rommel's attitude the attack orders went out for Feb 26th. The first in a complicated series of nine offensives began early that morning starting Operation Ochsentopf. [Size, large] This scenario has been optimized for HTH.