Tunisia

Americans from the 16th Infantry Division clearing the road of landmines.

www.army.mil/cmh-pg/matrix/1ID/1ID-Photos.htm

Quick Facts

Location:

World War II Memorial

To your right, you’ll see the name Tunisia—a land of stark contrasts, where scorching days give way to frigid nights. More than just a desert landscape, Tunisia became the first place where American ground forces clashed with the Germans during World War II. 

Before the Americans entered the fight, the British, led by General Bernard L. Montgomery, had already struck a decisive blow against the Axis. On November 4, 1942, they defeated Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s forces at the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt, then pushed them westward through Libya and into Tunisia. 

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of North Africa, a massive Allied invasion unfolded. On November 8, 1942, 107,000 American and British troops stormed the beaches of Morocco and Algeria, then under Vichy French control. After a brief resistance, the Vichy forces surrendered, allowing the Allies to advance toward Tunisia. 

There, the Americans faced a brutal awakening at the Battle of Kasserine Pass in February 1943. It was their first encounter with a German mechanized, combined-arms assault, and the U.S. Army suffered heavy losses. Yet, the hard-won lessons from Kasserine shaped their tactics for the rest of the war. 

By May 1943, the combined efforts of American and British forces led to the surrender of 250,000 Axis troops in Tunisia—a major turning point in the war.