Contents

• Introduction
• The mission
• Preparations for war o Unit organization
• Command and control
• Tactics
• Lessons learned
• Unit status
• Further reading
• Index

The Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) saw the first operational deployment of US armoured divisions in World War II, and the experience proved chastening for the 1st Armored Division when it suffered defeat at the hands of Rommel’s Afrika Korps at the battle of Kasserine Pass. This book will chart the evolving tactics and organization of the armoured divisions from the original, unsuccessful concepts of 1942 to the new tactics developed in 1943 following the shock of Tunisia. The importance of these tactics and strategic doctrine cannot be underestimated as the lessons learnt in North Africa would be implemented in other theaters of war including the Mediterranean and Italian Peninsular. This title covers the organization of these early US armored divisions, as well as the independent tank and tank destroyer battalions that accompanied them. Detailed maps will illustrate a variety of operations including the initial Tunisian campaign, the Cassino operations in 1944 and the final Po river campaign which concluded in April 1945. In a clear and concise book Steve Zaloga charts their development from green, untested divisions to a battle-hardened war-winning army.