Battle of the Mareth Line the only mobile infantry groups available. Battle of the Mareth Line The Battle of the Mareth Line or the Battle of Mareth was an attack in the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (General Bernard Montgomery) in Tunisia, against the Mareth Line held by the Italo-German 1st Army (General Giovanni Messe). It was the first big operation by the Eighth Army since the Second Battle of El Alamein months previously. On 19 March 1943, Operation Pugilist, the first British attack, established a bridgehead but a break-out attempt was defeated by Axis counter-attacks. Pugilist established an alternative route of
Battle of the Chinese Farm 217th Armored Brigade, Colonel Gabi Amir's 460th Armored Brigade and Aryeh Keren's 500th Armored Brigade. A paratrooper brigade would be transferred to Adan's division during the course of the battle. Kalman Magen's 252nd Armored Division would initially launch diversionary attacks elsewhere to draw attention from Sharon's operations at Deversoir. Thereafter the division would hold and secure the corridor and bridgehead. Egyptian forces in the area formed the southern flank of the Second Field Army. These units were the 21st Armored Division, commanded by Brigadier General Ibrahim Oraby, and the 16th Infantry Division, commanded by Brigadier General Abd Rab el-Nabi Hafez.