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| | #REDIRECT [[Operation Crusader orders of battle]] |
| This is the order of battle for the ground forces involved in '''[[Operation Crusader]]''', a [[World War II]] battle between the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] and the European [[Axis Powers]] of [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] and [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]] in [[North Africa]] between 18 November – 30 December 1941.
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| ==British and Commonwealth Forces==
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| :Commander-in-Chief [[Middle East Command]]: General [[Claude Auchinleck]]
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| ===British Eighth Army===
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| :Lieutenant-General [[Alan Cunningham]], succeeded on 26 November by Lieutenant-General [[Neil Ritchie]]
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| ====XXX Corps====
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| :Lieutenant-General [[Charles Norrie, 1st Baron Norrie|Willoughby Norrie]]
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| * [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured Division]] (Major-General [[William Gott]])
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| ** [[4th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|4th Armoured Brigade]]
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| *** [[8th King's Royal Irish Hussars|8th Hussars]]
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| *** [[3rd Royal Tank Regiment]]
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| *** [[5th Royal Tank Regiment]]
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[Scots Guards]]
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| *** [[2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery]]
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| ** [[7th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured Brigade]]
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| *** [[7th Queen's Own Hussars|7th Hussars]]
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| *** [[2nd Royal Tank Regiment]]
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| *** [[6th Royal Tank Regiment]]
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| ** [[22nd Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|22nd Armoured Brigade]]
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| *** [[2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars]]
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| *** [[3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)]]
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| *** [[4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)]]
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| ** [[7th Support Group (United Kingdom)|7th Support Group]]
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| *** [[3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery]]
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| *** [[4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery]]
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Kings Royal Rifle Corps]]
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)|Rifle Brigade]]
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| *** 60th Field Regiment, [[Royal Artillery]]
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| *** One Battery, 51st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
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| ** Divisional troops
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| *** 4th South African Armoured Car Regiment
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| *** [[King's Dragoon Guards]]
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| *** [[11th Hussars]]
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| *** 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, [[Royal Artillery]]
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| * [[1st South African Division]] (Major-General [[George Brink]])
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| ** [[1st South African Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Royal Natal Carabineers]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Transvaal Scottish Regiment]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
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| ** [[5th South African Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** [[Regiment Botha]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** [[South African Irish Regiment]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 3rd Battalion, [[Transvaal Scottish Regiment]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 4th Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
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| * [[22nd Guards Brigade]]
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| ** 9th Battalion, [[Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)|Rifle Brigade]]
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| ** 3rd Battalion, [[Coldstream Guards]]
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| ====XIII Corps====
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| :Lieutenant-General [[Alfred Reade Godwin-Austen|Reade Godwin-Austen]]
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| * [[2nd New Zealand Division]] (Major-General [[Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg|Bernard Freyberg]])
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| ** [[4th Infantry Brigade (New Zealand)|4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** [[18th Battalion (New Zealand)|18th Infantry Battalion]]
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| *** [[19th Battalion (New Zealand)|19th Infantry Battalion]]
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| *** [[20th Battalion (New Zealand)|20th Infantry Battalion]]
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| ** [[5th Infantry Brigade (New Zealand)|5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** [[21st Battalion (New Zealand)|21st Infantry Battalion]]
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| *** [[22nd Battalion (New Zealand)|22nd Infantry Battalion]]
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| *** [[23rd Battalion (New Zealand)|23rd Infantry Battalion]]
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| ** [[6th Infantry Brigade (New Zealand)|6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** [[24th Battalion (New Zealand)|24th Infantry Battalion]]
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| *** [[25th Battalion (New Zealand)|25th Infantry Battalion]]
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| *** [[26th Battalion (New Zealand)|26th Infantry Battalion]]
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| ** Divisional troops
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| *** [[27th Battalion (New Zealand)|27th (Machine Gun) Infantry Battalion]]
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| *** [[28th Battalion (New Zealand)|28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion]]
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| *** [[4th Field Regiment (New Zealand)|4th Field Regiment]]
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| *** [[5th Field Regiment (New Zealand)|5th Field Regiment]]
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| *** [[6th Field Regiment (New Zealand)|6th Field Regiment]]
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| *** [[7th Anti-Tank Regiment (New Zealand)|7th Anti-Tank Regiment]]
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| *** [[14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (New Zealand)|14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment]]
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| *** [[Divisional Cavalry Regiment (New Zealand)|Divisional Cavalry Regiment]]
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| * [[4th Infantry Division (India)|4th Indian Infantry Division]] (Major-General [[Frank Messervy]])
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| ** [[5th Indian Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)|The Buffs]]
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| *** 3rd Battalion, [[1st Punjab Regiment]]
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| *** 4th Battalion (Outram's), [[Rajputana Rifles|6th Rajputana Rifles]]
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| ** [[7th Indian Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Royal Sussex Regiment]]
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| *** 4th Battalion, [[Sikh Regiment|11th Sikh Regiment]]
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| *** 4th Battalion, [[16th Punjab Regiment]]
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| ** [[11th Indian Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders]]
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[5th Mahratta Light Infantry]]
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| *** 1st Battalion (Wellesley's), 6th Rajputana Rifles
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| ** Divisional troops
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| *** [[The Central India Horse (21st King George V's Own Horse)]] (Reconnaissance)
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| *** 1st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
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| *** 25th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
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| *** 31st Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
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| * [[1st Army Tank Brigade (United Kingdom)|1st Army Tank Brigade]]
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| ** [[8th Royal Tank Regiment]] - Valentine Infantry Tank (Lt Col Brooke)
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| ** [[42nd Royal Tank Regiment]]( Lt Col Willison later Lt Col Martin)
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| ** [[44th Royal Tank Regiment]] - Matilda Mk II Infantry Tank (Lt Col Yeo)
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| ====Tobruk Fortress====
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| :Major-General [[Ronald Scobie]]
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| * [[70th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|70th Infantry Division]]
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| ** [[14th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|14th Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment]]
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[Black Watch]]
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| *** [[2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment]]
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| ** [[16th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|16th Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)|King's Own Royal Regiment]]
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[Leicestershire Regiment]]
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[Queen's Royal Regiment]]
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| ** [[23rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|23rd Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Durham Light Infantry]]
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Essex Regiment]]
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| *** 4th Battalion, [[Border Regiment]]
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| * [[Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade]]
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| ** I Carpathian Rifle Battalion
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| ** II Carpathian Rifle Battalion
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| ** III Carpathian Rifle Battalion
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| ** 11 Czechoslovakian Infantry Battalion
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| ** 2/13 Australian Infantry Battalion
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| ** Carpathian Machine Gun Battalion
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| ** Carpathian Field Regiment
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| * 32nd Army Tank Brigade (Brigadier A.C. Willison)
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| ** [[1st Royal Tank Regiment]]
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| ** [[4th Royal Tank Regiment]]
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| ** 'D' Squadron [[7th Royal Tank Regiment]]
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| * [[4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom)|4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade]]<ref>Farndale, pp. 165–8.</ref><ref>Playfair, p. 158.</ref><ref>Routledge, pp. 130–3, Table XX, p. 141</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ratsoftobruktribute.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=130 |title=Order of Battle at Rats of Tobruk Tribute site. |access-date=29 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629021747/http://ratsoftobruktribute.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=130 |archive-date=29 June 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (Brigadier [[John Muirhead (solicitor)|John Muirhead]])
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| ** [[6th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment|69th (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery]]
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| ** 13th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
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| ** 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
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| ** 1 and 5 Independent Light Anti-Aircraft Batteries, Royal Artillery
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| ** 306 Battery, [[London Electrical Engineers|27th (London Electrical Engineers) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery]]
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| ====Oasis Force====
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| :Brigadier [[Denys Whitehorn Reid|Denys Reid]]
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| * [[29th Indian Infantry Brigade]]
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| ** 1st Battalion, [[Worcestershire Regiment]]
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| ** 3rd Battalion, [[2nd Punjab Regiment]]
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| ** 1st Battalion, [[5th Mahratta Light Infantry]]
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| * 6th South African Armoured Car Regiment
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| ====Army Reserve====
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| * [[2nd South African Division]] (Major-General [[Isaac Pierre de Villiers|Isaac de Villiers]])
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| ** [[3rd Infantry Brigade (South Africa)|3rd South African Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** [[Imperial Light Horse]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** [[Rand Light Infantry]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 1st Battalion, [[Royal Durban Light Infantry]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 1st Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
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| ** [[4th Infantry Brigade (South Africa)|4th South African Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** [[Kaffrarian Rifles]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** [[Umvoti Mounted Rifles]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[Royal Durban Light Infantry]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
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| ** [[6th Infantry Brigade (South Africa)|6th South African Infantry Brigade]]
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| *** 1st [[South African Police]] Battalion
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| *** 2nd [[South African Police]] Battalion
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| *** 2nd Battalion, [[Transvaal Scottish Regiment]], South African Infantry Corps
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| *** 5th Field Artillery Regiment, South African Artillery Corps
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| ==German and Italian forces==
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| :Supreme Commander North Africa: General [[Ettore Bastico]]
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| ===Italian XX Corps (''Corpo d'Armata di Manovra'' - Mobile Corps)===
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| :Lieutenant-General [[Gastone Gambara]]
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| * Corps assets:
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| ** Three batteries of truck-mounted 102mm AA/AT guns{{efn|Naval [[Blackshirts]] crews}}
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| * [[132nd Armored Division "Ariete"|132nd Armoured Division "Ariete"]] (General [[Mario Balotta]])
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| ** [[32nd Tank Regiment (Italy)|32nd Tank Infantry Regiment]]
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| *** I Light Tank Battalion
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| *** II Light Tank Battalion
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| ** [[132nd Tank Regiment (Italy)|132nd Tank Infantry Regiment]]
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| *** VII Medium Tank Battalion
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| *** VIII Medium Tank Battalion
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| *** IX Medium Tank Battalion
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| ** [[8th Bersaglieri Regiment]]
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| ** 132nd Artillery Regiment{{efn|Two 75L28 battalions}}
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| ** One battalion attached from the 26th Artillery Regiment, [[17th Infantry Division "Pavia"]]{{efn|One 75L28 battalion}}>
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| ** One battalion attached from the 24th Corps Artillery Group{{efn|One [[Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider|Cannone da 105/28]] battalion}}
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| * [[101st Motorized Division "Trieste"|101st Motorised Division "Trieste"]]
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| ** 65th Infantry Regiment
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| ** [[66th Airmobile Infantry Regiment "Trieste"|66th Infantry Regiment]]
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| ** 9th Bersaglieri Regiment
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| ** 551st Heavy Weapons Battalion
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| ** 21st Artillery Regiment
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| * RECAM (''Raggruppamento Esplorante del Corpo d'Armata di Manovra'' - "reconnaissance group of the mobile army corps")
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| ** III Light Tank Battalion (attached from the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment, Ariete division)
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| ** LII Medium Tank Battalion
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| ** "Romolo Gessi" Battalion, Italian Africa Police{{efn|Two motorcycle and one armoured cars companies}}
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| ** "Giovani Fascisti" Infantry Group (2 bns)
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| ** ''Raggruppamento Batterie Volanti'' ("[[Portee]]s" - truck mounted - Artillery Group){{efn|Two battalions with [[Cannone da 65/17 modello 13]], one battery with [[10 cm M. 14 Feldhaubitze|Obice da 100/17]] and one battery with [[Breda Model 35|20mm Breda 35]] light AA/AT}}
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| ===Panzer Group Africa===
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| [[Panzer Group Africa]] commanded by ''General der Panzertruppe'' [[Erwin Rommel]]
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| German [[Afrika Korps]] (commanded by ''Generalleutnant'' [[Ludwig Crüwell]])
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| * [[33rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|15th Panzer Division]] (''Generalmajor'' [[Walter Neumann-Silkow]] until 6 December (killed in action), then Generalmajor [[Gustav von Vaerst]])
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| ** 8th Panzer Regiment (2 bns)
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| ** 1st Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment
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| ** 2nd Machine Gun Battalion
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| ** 3rd Engineers Battalion
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| ** 33rd Recon Battalion
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| ** 33rd Anti-tank Battalion
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| ** 33rd Artillery Regiment
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| * [[21st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|21st Panzer Division]] (Generalmajor [[Johann von Ravenstein]] until 29 November (prisoner of war), then Generalmajor [[Karl Böttcher]])
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| ** 5th Panzer Regiment (2 bns)
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| ** 104th Infantry Regiment (2 bns)
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| ** 15th Motorcycle Battalion
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| ** 3rd Recon Battalion
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| ** 200th Engineers Battalion
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| ** 39th Anti-Tank Battalion
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| ** 605th Anti-Tank Battalion
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| ** 155th Artillery Regiment
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| * [[90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|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]])
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| ** 2nd Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment
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| ** 155th Infantry Regiment (3 bns)
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| ** 3rd Battalion, 255th Infantry Regiment
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| ** 3rd Battalion, 347th Infantry Regiment
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| ** 361st Infantry Regiment (2 bns)
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| ** 900th Engineers Battalion
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| ** 580th Recon Battalion
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| ** Elements from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion
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| ** 2nd Battalion, 115th Motor Artillery Regiment
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| ** 2nd Motor Artillery Regiment (Italian)
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| * [[55th Infantry Division "Savona"]] (General [[Fedele de Giorgis]])
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| ** 15th Infantry Regiment
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| ** 16th Infantry Regiment
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| ** [[Regiment "Genova Cavalleria" (4th)|"Genova Cavalleria"]] Machine Gun Battalion
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| ** 155th Machine Gun Battalion
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| ** Elements, from the 300th "Oasis" Battalion (German)
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| ** 12th Artillery Regiment{{efn|Two 75L28 and one 100L17 battalions}}
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| ====Italian XXI Corps====
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| [[Italian XXI Corps]] commanded by Lieutenant-General [[Enea Navarini]]
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| * Corps assets:
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| ** 3rd Motor Artillery Regiment{{efn|One Obice da 100/17 and two 75L27 battalions}}
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| ** 16th Corps Artillery Group{{efn|Three Cannone da 105/28 battalions}}
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| ** 8th Army Artillery Group{{efn|One [[15 cm sFH 18|Cannone da 149/28]], one 149L40 and one 152L37 battalions}}
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| ** 24th Army Artillery Group{{efn|Four [[Cannone da 149/35 A]] battalions}}
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| ** 340th Frontier Guards Artillery Group{{efn|Four 75L28 battalions}}
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| ** 340th Frontier Guards Engineers Battalion
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| * [[17th Infantry Division "Pavia"]]
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| ** 27th Infantry Regiment
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| ** [[28th Infantry Regiment "Pavia"|28th Regiment Pavia]]
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| ** V Light Tank Battalion
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| ** [[Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta" (6th)|"Lancieri d'Aosta"]] Machine Gun Battalion
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| ** 17th Heavy Weapons Battalion
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| ** 26th Artillery Regiment{{efn|One 75L28 and one Obice da 100/17 battalions}}
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| * [[25th Infantry Division "Bologna"]]
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| ** 39th Infantry Regiment
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| ** 40th Infantry Regiment
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| ** 25th Heavy Weapons Battalion
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| ** 205th Artillery Regiment{{efn|Two 75L28 and one Obice da 100/17 battalions}}
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| * [[27th Infantry Division "Brescia"]]
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| ** 19th Infantry Regiment
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| ** 20th Infantry Regiment
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| ** 27th Machine Gun Battalion
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| ** 1st Motor Artillery Regiment{{efn|Two 75L28 battalions}}
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| * [[102nd Motorized Division "Trento"|102nd Motorised Division "Trento"]]
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| ** [[7th Bersaglieri Regiment]]
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| ** 61st Infantry Regiment
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| ** [[62nd Infantry Regiment "Sicilia"|62nd Infantry Regiment]]
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| ** 551st Anti-Tank Battalion
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| ** 46th Artillery Regiment{{efn|Two 75L28 and one Obice da 100/17 battalions}}
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| ==Notes==
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| {{notelist}}
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| {{Reflist|30em}}
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| ==References==
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| * Gen Sir [[Martin Farndale]], ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, {{ISBN|1-85753-080-2}}.
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| * {{cite web|first=James| last=Heddlesten |work=Comando Supremo: Italy at War website| title=Libya September 1941 OoB| date=17 February 2010 | url=http://www.comandosupremo.com/Libya1941.html}}
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| * {{cite book|first1=Tim| last1=Moreman|others=Consultant editor Dr Duncan Anderson| title=Desert Rats: British 8th Army in North Africa 1941-43| publisher=Osprey| year=2007| isbn=978-1-84603-144-1| pages=61 |series=Battle Orders No. 28 }}
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| * {{cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/org.htm|title=History of the British 7th Armoured Division: Divisional Organisation| last=Paterson| first=Ian A|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621175054/http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/org.htm|archivedate=2007-06-21}}
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| * {{citation |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-Med-II/index.html |author=Maj-Gen I.S.O. Playfair |series=History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series |title=The Mediterranean and Middle East Vol II: The Germans come to the aid of their Ally (1941) |location=London |publisher=HMSO |year=1956 |via=Hyperwar Foundation}}<!-- reprint is Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, {{ISBN|1-845740-66-1}} -->
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| * Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, {{ISBN|1-85753-099-3}}
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| * {{cite web|url=http://www.ordersofbattle.com/UnitData.aspx?UniX=6220&Tab=Oob |work=Orders of Battle.com | title=Eighth Army OOB. 18th November 1941|accessdate=2008-08-27 }}{{dead link|date=May 2021}}
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| * The North African Campaign 1940–43. B H Liddell Hart
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| ==External links==
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| * [http://crusaderproject.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/major-commands-and-commanders/ The Major Ground Commands and Commanders on The CRUSADER Project]
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| * [http://ratsoftobruktribute.com Rats of Tobruk Tribute site]
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Crusader}}
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| [[Category:Western Desert campaign]]
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| [[Category:World War II orders of battle]]
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