Mareth Line

The Mareth line had to be given up; the bulk of the artillery could not be brought back.

The next day, we reached the Mareth lines unmolested, and were withdrawn behind them as reserves for further actions.

The Axis forces from Kasserine reached the Mareth line on 25 February.

Montgomery launched his major attack, Operation Pugilist, against the Mareth Line in the night of 19 March/20 March 1943.

The regiment fought at Tobruk and Tunisia, where it defended the Mareth line during April and May 1943.

Harry Poat left on his mission and Stirling split the remaining force into two groups which would travel independently to a further rendezvous at Bir Soltane, only a few miles from the Mareth line.

Between Tripoli and Gabes, there was a fortified belt known as the Mareth line which had been built before the war by the French to hinder Italian ambitions to expand their empire into Tunisia.

By 28 March, all the Axis forces on the Mareth Line had withdrawn to face the advancing X and New Zealand Corps on their right flank but the pinning of 1st Armoured at El Hamma had allowed them to avoid encirclement.