When they arrived, General Thomas looked the situation over and then quickly sent in his 5th Duke of Cornwall Battalion supported by the 43rd Royal Armored Cars and a battalion of tanks, Wilson’s 153rd RAC from the 34th Armored Brigade. This was enough to push the Germans out of the coastal town of Fouka, and that was what prompted them to abandon their positions at Blida, for fear of being cut off. The inexperienced US 34th were only too happy to finally enter that town, but they had not really earned the privilege, and it was dawning on them that the enemy they were facing was tougher than they realized.
Further south, Patton sent the 3rd Infantry Division, and one RCT from the 9th into the mountain country to cover that long flank as he sent the remainder of his forces east towards M’sila. They were to probe for an access route to the coast, but found every pass and road through the mountains blocked and manned by German Falschirmjaegers and Kubler’s Mountain troops.
Meanwhile, the battle for M’sila became a see-saw affair. Blade Force and 1st Armored tried a wide envelopment, but the arrival of 10th Panzer Division stopped them cold. The more experienced German tankers were pushing back the US forces, which were struggling to understand just how to really fight as a combined arms unit. The arrival of 2nd Armored changed the situation dramatically, and Patton now had sheer mass to throw at the Germans. He began to rage about the battlefield, directing artillery fires, staring down Lieutenants and getting them moving where he wanted. One RCT from 3rd Infantry Division supported the advance of the US armor, and the combined weight of two reinforced divisions was enough to convince Fischer that his attack could not proceed.
At one point, II Battalion of the 69th Panzergrenadier Regiment was hit by 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 30th RCT, supported by 3/67th Armored Battalion of the 2nd Armored Division. The US also had tank destroyers and a fist full of scout tanks in that attack, and the Germans were running low on ammunition. The Panzergrenadiers bravely held their ground, their MG teams chopping out suppressive fire supported by three mobile flak guns, but when they finally stopped that attack there were only seven of eighteen squads left in the battalion. The Recce sections had died to a man. Late in the day, two motorcycle squads from division reserve arrived to offer support, and brought good news. They were to be relieved by I Battalion, 104th Regiment, and to their right, where the Americans had been attempting to climb the hill country to get behind them, the Luftland 47th Regiment was coming up from the rail line further north.
Fischer’s problem was that his division had been low on equipment and supplies before it was even detached. It had been the strongest of Rommel’s three Panzer Divisions, with three battalions of tanks, but when he learned it was going west, he cherry picked some flak guns, and even a few tanks to strengthen his remaining two Panzer Divisions. So 10th Panzer was operating at about 60% of its normal strength, but it still had nearly 100 tanks left and had been able to stop and hold the reinforced 1st US Armored Division. Now, however, the combined weight of Patton’s growing force at M’sila was becoming too much. Fischer got on the radio to von Arnim, advising him of the situation.
“I have the tanks, but not the fuel and ammunition,” he said. “And I’m up against two Armored Divisions supported by a lot of infantry. I’ve pulled in the 47th Luftland Regiment from its position on the rail line at Ain Defra, but I can’t counterattack to seal off this flank under these circumstances. If they get through to Barika, they will have your whole position at Algiers well flanked.”
“Look over your shoulder,” said von Arnim. “KG Hauer and Huder’s tanks from the 190th just arrived at Barika rail head. You can use them to plug that flank. In the meantime, I’ll see what Conrath can do. His division is down on the coast near Algiers, but he is fully supplied.”
“Send him out here and we can counterattack,” said Fischer, and that was what von Arnim would do. Yet this was the mobile reserve for the fight at Algiers itself, so he decided to send only the 2nd Panzergrenadier Regiment, supported by II Battalion from his Panzer Regiment, and the Führer Flak Battalion, which was heavy on 88s. The US 9th Infantry Division had been flanking M’sila on the left in the foothills of the high country, and they were about to get some most unwelcome guests when Conrath arrived.
At the town itself, 1/6th Armored Infantry had pushed into M’sila, with 13 M3 Lee tanks and a single Sherman SPG. Strengthened by these arriving reinforcements, Fischer sent in II Battalion of 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment to retake the town. With Conrath and the 22nd Luftland Regiment relieving his units on the right, he was able to shift considerable force south to this engagement, including the Pioneer Battalion and I Battalion of 7th Panzer Regiment. The ensuing fight was sharp, cruel and decisive, with the German grenadiers storming the American positions, sending shattered squads of US infantry retreating south.
Patton was at Bir el Caid, some 60 Kilometers west of M’sila where he was consulting with Generals Harmon and Truscott. When he got the news he exploded with anger.
“Goddammit! Where the hell is Terry Allen and the 1st Infantry Division? You don’t send an armored division into battle like that without adequate infantry support.”
“Sir, said Truscott. “The last I heard his 18th RCT had just pulled in to Bel Aroug. They’re still 90 Kilometers west of M’sila. The rest of the division is de-training at the railheads, Hassi Bahbah and Ain Ossera.”
“Well they better damn well pull into M’sila, and fast! Get someone on the radio and tell the colonel in charge that I will personally see his ass kicked if he doesn’t get his outfit up to the front, and I mean now! As for you, we need to get up there and pull 2nd Armored together again. I won’t have it said that the American Army came off second best against the Germans the first time we went nose to nose with their panzers. We need to start breathing some fire!”
“Well the good news,” said Harmon, “is that the British 43rd came up and opened that coast road at Fouka. They’re just 15 kilometers from Algiers.”
“The British? I’m not going to let them steal the headlines here. I want to punch through these Heinies, cut that goddamned rail line at Ain Defra, and then push all the way to the coast. We’ll bag the whole lot of them if we do that.”
Truscott gave Harmon a look, but said nothing. What Patton wanted, Patton would get, and after telling his armored warriors what he wanted, he was off in a jeep to look for Terry Allen. When he found him, he gave the man an earful.
Allen was a respected general who had the 90th Regiment in the First War. He had always spoken with a stutter before that. Then the Germans put a bullet through his jaw and when it finally healed, his speech had healed with it.
“Hell General,” he said. “You don’t have to rattle my cage. Just open the door and give me my orders. My boys will tear those lousy Germans to pieces.”
“That’s what I want to hear, but the Germans are 90 kilometers east of here.” Patton pointed with his riding crop. He didn’t have to say another word. Allen was a roughhewn fighter, tough on his men, but not one to parade about with the niceties of formal command. He slept on the bare ground, was often unshaven, never wore a tie if he could avoid it, yet he demanded his men toe the line when it came to uniform regulations, and more importantly, training and fitness for battle. He was no slacker, had a warrior’s soul, and it was no surprise that he wound up at the top of the best infantry division in the Army at that time, the Big Red 1. He had heard all he needed from Patton, and now he was out to get his men fired up for battle.