Operation Crusader order 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

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 The Rifle Brigade
 * 60th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
 * One Bty, 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
 * Divisional troops
 * 4th South African Armoured Car Regiment
 * King's Dragoon Guards
 * 11th Hussars
 * 102nd Royal Horse Artillery
 * 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
 * 1st South African Division (Major-General George Brink)
 * 1st South African Infantry Brigade
 * 5th South African Infantry Brigade
 * 22nd Guards Brigade
 * 9th battalion Rifle Brigade
 * 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
 * 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
 * 1st battalion (Wellesley's) 6th Rajputana Rifles
 * 2nd battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
 * 2nd battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
 * Divisional troops
 * The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse) (Reconnaissance)
 * 1 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
 * 25 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
 * 31 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
 * 1st Army Tank Brigade
 * 8th Royal Tank Regiment - Valentine Infantry Tank (Lt Col Brooke)
 * 42nd Royal Tank Regiment( Lt Col Willison later Lt Col Martin)
 * 44th Royal Tank Regiment - Matilda Mk II Infantry Tank (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 Czechoslovakian Infantry Battalion
 * 2/13 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

Oasis Force

 * Brigadier Denys Reid


 * 29th Indian Infantry Brigade
 * 6th South African Armoured Car Regiment

Army Reserve

 * 2nd South African Division (Major-General Isaac de Villiers)
 * 3rd South African Infantry Brigade
 * 4th South African Infantry Brigade
 * 6th South African Infantry Brigade

German and Italian forces

 * Supreme Commander North Africa: General Ettore Bastico

Italian Mobile Army (XX) Corps

 * Lieutenant-General Gastone Gambara


 * 132 Armoured Division Ariete (General Mario Balotta)
 * 132nd Armoured Regiment
 * VII Tank Battalion
 * VIII Tank Battalion
 * IX Tank Battalion
 * 32nd Light Armoured Regiment
 * 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (Motorised)
 * 132nd Artillery Regiment
 * 101 Motorised Division Trieste
 * 65th Infantry Regiment
 * 66th Infantry Regiment
 * 9th Bersaglieri Regiment
 * 21st Artillery Regiment
 * RECAM (Reconnaissance Unit of the Mobile Army Corps)

Panzer Group Afrika

 * General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel

German Afrika Korps

 * Generalleutnant Ludwig Crüwell


 * 15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow until 6 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst)
 * 8th Panzer Regiment
 * 115th Infantry Regiment
 * 33rd Artillery Regiment
 * 21st Panzer Division (Generalmajor Johann von Ravenstein until 29 November (prisoner of war), then Generalmajor Karl Böttcher)
 * 5th Panzer Regiment
 * 104th Infantry Regiment
 * 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
 * 361st Infantry Regiment
 * 55th North African Infantry Division 'Savona' (General Fedele de Giorgis)
 * 15th Infantry Regiment
 * 16th Infantry Regiment
 * 12th Artillery Regiment

Italian XXI Corps

 * Lieutenant-General Enea Navarrini


 * 17 North African Infantry Division Pavia
 * 27th Infantry Regiment
 * 28th Infantry Regiment
 * 26th Artillery Regiment
 * 25 North African Infantry Division Bologna
 * 39th Infantry Regiment
 * 40th Infantry Regiment
 * 205th Artillery Regiment
 * 27 North African Infantry Division Brescia
 * 19th Infantry Regiment
 * 20th Infantry Regiment
 * 55th Artillery Regiment
 * 102 Motorised Division Trento
 * 61st Infantry Regiment
 * 62nd Infantry Regiment
 * 46th Artillery Regiment