Battle of the Mareth Line

Battle of the Mareth Line
	Part of the Tunisia Campaign of the Second World War
	; A British 25-pounder field gun in action at night, during the assault on the Mareth Line
Date	16–31 March 1943
Location	Southern Tunisia33°38′N 10°18′E / 33.633°N 10.300°E
Result	British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom British India; New Zealand; Free France; Greece	Italy; Germany;
Commanders and leaders
Bernard Montgomery; Oliver Leese; Bernard Freyberg; Brian Horrocks	Giovanni Messe; Taddeo Orlando; Paolo Berardi
Units involved
Eighth Army	1st Army
Strength
90,000 of 123,690 men; 623 tanks	73,500 of 115,000 men; 455 guns; 139–220 tanks; 480 anti-tank guns; 75 × 88 mm guns
Casualties and losses
4,000	7,000 (POW)

The Battle of the Mareth Line or the Battle of Mareth was an attack in the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (General Bernard Montgomery) in Tunisia, against the Mareth Line held by the Italo–German 1st Army (General Giovanni Messe). It was the first big operation by the Eighth Army since the Second Battle of El Alamein 4+1⁄2 months earlier. On 19 March 1943, Operation Pugilist, the first British attack, established a bridgehead but a break-out attempt was defeated by Axis counter-attacks. Pugilist established an alternative route of attack and Operation Supercharge II, an outflanking manoeuvre via the Tebaga Gap was planned. Montgomery reinforced the flanking attack, which from 26 to 31 March, forced the 1st Army to retreat to Wadi Akarit, another 40 mi (64 km) back in Tunisia.