Battle of Sidi Bou Zid 1943
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 14 February 1943 – 17 February 1943 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1943 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | World War II era (1939–1945) | derived from year |
| Location | Tunisia | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Africa | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Tunisia campaign | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Army of Africa (France), Kingdom of Italy, United Kingdom, United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 34.8667, 9.4833 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Sidi Bou Zid (Unternehmen Frühlingswind/Operation Spring Breeze) took place during the Tunisia Campaign from 14–17 February 1943, in World War II. The battle was fought around Sidi Bou Zid, where a large number of U.S. Army units were mauled by German and Italian forces. It resulted in the Axis forces recapturing the strategically important town of Sbeitla in central Tunisia.
The battle was planned by the Germans to be a two-part offensive-defensive operation against U.S. positions in western Tunisia. Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim commanded several experienced combat units, including the 10th Panzer Division and the 21st Panzer Division of the 5th Panzer Army, which were to sweep north and west towards the Kasserine Pass, while another battle group attacked Sidi Bou Zid from the south. Facing the attack was the II U.S. Corps under Major General Lloyd Fredendall.
In a few days, the Axis attack forced the II U.S. Corps to take up new defensive positions outside Sbiba. Axis troops were then given time to consolidate their new front line west of Sbeitla. The success of the offensive led the German High Command to conclude that despite being well equipped, American forces were still viable targets for experienced Axis combat troops.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Sidi Bou Zid (revision 1370274352), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Sidi Ali Ben Aoun 2013 · 41 km
- Operation of Sidi Aïch 2015 · 67 km
- Battle of El Guettar 1943 · 77 km
- Battle of Kasserine Pass 1943 · 80 km
- Chaambi Operations 2012 · 82 km
- Battle of Longstop Hill 1943 · 106 km
Other battles of the Tunisia campaign
- Battle of El Guettar 1943
- Battle of Hill 609 1943
- Battle of Kasserine Pass 1943
- Battle of Longstop Hill 1943
- Battle of Sedjenane 1943
- Battle of Wadi Akarit 1943
- Battle of the Mareth Line 1943
All 8 battles of the Tunisia campaign →
Browse more: battles in Tunisia · Africa · World War II era battles