This post is to note the passing of the 70th Anniversary of the First Battle of Longstop Hill which started on the evening of the 22nd of December 1942 and which ended three/four days later on the 25th. The battle primarily involved the 2nd Bn Coldstream Guards and the 1/18th RCT although throughout the failed christmas offensive troops from upwards of 6 Allied Battalions, including the armor from Combat Command B (US 1st Armd Dv) were also involved. On the German side was the 10th Pz Division (7th Pz regt) with the I/754 and the 69th Pz Grenadiers fighting for the hill itself. After the defeat of the 78th Division north of Medjez the Germans termed the Hill 'Christmas hill'. This was a reference to the supplies and personal effects- including many personal letters and special christmas rations- left behind by the British and Americans on christmas day after the withdrawl. For the past 6 yearsI have been researching the battle from the perspective of British, American and German Soldiers; tracking down survivors and descendents across the country and using original primary source material to construct anm accurate as possible historical narative. I am very pleased to announce that the History of the 2nd Bn Coldstream Guards is now in the final stages of proof reading and should be published in Easter 2012. Many Allied soldiers lost their lives during this time and their names will no doubt be appearing in the remembering today section on this site.
And all these men are remembered with great respect. Look forward to reading the history of the Coldstreams.. I hope to get back to Tunisia in April. It would be excellent to "re plaque"... best
... in the final stages of proof reading and should be published in Easter 2012. Hope you're not the proof reader! That aside, I will certainlybe keeping my eye out for it.
More about the battle here: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/research-material/12091-origin-hunts-gap-north-africa.html#post115924 Ron
No thankfully, im not one of the proof readers please do not judge me by my spelling however. Although I am somewhat dyslexic I can assure you that my academic credentials are otherwise excellent . T his work is recognized by coldstream RHQ and im looking forward to being able to talk about it with everyone in more detail in the new year.
If it's anything like what we've seen on here, it's going to be very thorough. Will wait to hear more...
