The History Book Club discussion

Hello Everyone,

The Sixteenth week's reading assignment is:

Week Sixteen - December 23rd - December 29th
Hammering Home the Cork, "Count Your Children Now, Adolf!," and Tunisgrad and Epilogue, pages 490 - 542

We will open up a thread for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers. We will also open up supplemental threads as we did for other spotlighted books.

This book was kicked off on September 9th.

We look forward to your participation. Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, local bookstore or on your Kindle.

There is no rush and we are thrilled to have you join us. It is never too late to get started and/or to post.

Bentley will be leading this discussion and back-up will be Assisting Moderators Christopher and Jerome.

Welcome,

~Bryan

TO ALWAYS SEE ALL WEEKS' THREADS SELECT VIEW ALL

by Rick Atkinson

REMEMBER NO SPOILERS ON THE WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREADS - ON EACH WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREAD - WE ONLY DISCUSS THE PAGES ASSIGNED OR THE PAGES WHICH WERE COVERED IN PREVIOUS WEEKS. IF YOU GO AHEAD OR WANT TO ENGAGE IN MORE EXPANSIVE DISCUSSION - POST THOSE COMMENTS IN ONE OF THE SPOILER THREADS. THESE CHAPTERS HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION SO WHEN IN DOUBT CHECK WITH THE CHAPTER OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY TO RECALL WHETHER YOUR COMMENTS ARE ASSIGNMENT SPECIFIC. EXAMPLES OF SPOILER THREADS ARE THE GLOSSARY, THE BIBLIOGRAPHY, THE INTRODUCTION AND THE BOOK AS A WHOLE THREADS.

Notes:

It is always a tremendous help when you quote specifically from the book itself and reference the chapter and page numbers when responding. The text itself helps folks know what you are referencing and makes things clear.

Citations:

If an author or book is mentioned other than the book and author being discussed, citations must be included according to our guidelines. Also, when citing other sources, please provide credit where credit is due and/or the link. There is no need to re-cite the author and the book we are discussing however.

If you need help - here is a thread called the Mechanics of the Board which will show you how:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Introduction Thread:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Table of Contents and Syllabus

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Glossary:

Remember there is a glossary thread where ancillary information is placed by the moderator. This is also a thread where additional information can be placed by the group members regarding the subject matter being discussed.

Glossary - Part One - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Glossary - Part Two - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Glossary - Part Three - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Bibliography:

There is a Bibliography where books cited in the text are posted with proper citations and reviews. We also post the books that the author used in his research or in his notes. Please also feel free to add to the Bibliography thread any related books, etc with proper citations. No self promotion, please.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts - SPOILER THREAD:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

by Rick Atkinson

Chapter Overviews and Summaries

Part Three

12. The Inner Keep

Hammering Home the Cork

The Eighth Army moved on Enfidaville through the hills, country a little different than the open desert the army experience before. They didn't get far and Monty realized that he would lose the race to Tunis and leave it to others.

The Germans hit the Americans first, but did not gain any ground. Anderson then executed Operation Vulcan with multiple thrusts.

Crocker's attack stalled near Djebel Bou Kournine. Alfrey's V Corps went in around Longstop and with heavy fighting, Longstop fell in Allies hands. The area known as Djebel Bou Aoukaz experienced hard fighting and it was slow going. However, the Germans and Italians experienced heavy casualties, something they could not handle for long.

"Count Your Children Now, Adolf!"

General Bradley inched along in his attack. There was savage fighting near Jefna, but General Eddy surrounded the town. Hill 609 near Sidi Nsir was a looming prescence. Again, the Germans had the high ground, and the Americans were sick by taking Atabrine. The Americans attacked, even sent tanks up the hill. With 324 dead, the hill was taken, but the Germans lived to fight another day.

On May 3, Mateur fell. The Allies kept after the Germans as they moved toward Bizerte and Tunis.

General Harmon still had issues with Brig. General Robinett, thinking he was not aggressive enough in the field. Harmon planned to fire him, and as he was going to do that, a shell hist Robinett's car and the general was wounded.

Tunisgrad

On May 5, British artillery opened up on Highway 5, then airplanes, then men moved along a 3000 yard front in Operation Strike, all to take Tunis.

Arnim's army was powerless as the Allied navy was sinking all vessels near the Tunisian coast.

The Allies were also moving into Bizerte. Allen planned an attack against Germans across the Tine River, but it proved costly.

Eisenhower visited the front where he saw the wounded and the dying.

The Americans entered Bizerte to find the city largely destroyed and empty with the exception of some German snipers. On May 7, Tunis fell and the French and locals gave the victors a big welcome. Two days later, Bradley cut the last Tunis-Bizerte road. The Allies suffered 4,400 casualties in this last phase.

It took a little longer to clean up near Enfidaville. On May 13, Alexander cabled Churchill to tell him that the Tunisian campaign was over.

The Allied faced nearly 200,000 Axis POWs and it strained the Allied system.

Epilogue

There was a big victory parade in Tunis on May 20 with Eisenhower and his staff in attendance. Eisenhower grew as a commander as he realized that young men must die in this war and he must be tougher on subordinates.

The men rested and trained for the Sicily campaign, while others worked on mine-clearing.

Overall, the North African campaign gave Americans much needed experience, but it still delayed any cross-channel invasion of France. Even if Tunis fell faster, it is doubtful that it would bring D-Day closer.

Do you think it is better fighting and/or just throwing more men and material into the fight that is making the difference with pushing back the Germans & Italians?

Bryan wrote: "Do you think it is better fighting and/or just throwing more men and material into the fight that is making the difference with pushing back the Germans & Italians?"

Hi Bryan - in regard to this question I think it was fighting - working on - continuing in the American tradition (against all obstacles) with the material wealth that Americans have produced.

I think that without our superior numbers and quality of some equipment and supplies it would have needed a lot more training and more Italians and less Germans as opposition to have won at this time.

So just some observations on this part of the reading.

page 492 - 3 we see some of the British rewards of Empire in the Moari and Indian and Nepalese troops. (I once had a Gurkha bodyguard - sawed off shotgun, bandoleer of shells and his curved knife but that is another story)

I sometimes have thought that in WW II we built bridges and airfields in hours or day not the months and years it seems to take now in the States and was thinking of that on Pg 510 para 5 where the Germans blew the bridge across the Tine - by early evening the Army Engineers had a new span in place - but by page 518 para 1 I learned that it collapsed after four tanks went over it.
The artillery barrage described on page 513 was incredible - one shell every six feet - 5 - 600 shells a minute. (what did talent have to do with surviving?)

I also found the pg 520 para 1 image from the calm and stable Bradley of Allen's difficult personality a reality check on the individuals leading this campaign.

On page 526 I wondered why the Germans had taken such dangerous and elaborate steps to escape until I saw the treatment they got from the French on page 527 - but how could they have known they would be treated that way?

What a good book.

Thanks Bryan and Bentley

And thank you Vince for your great comments.

You are welcome Vince - we will get to the other books in the trilogy once we get everything back on track again.