Changes

Takrouna village was a particularly difficult objective in the fighting, a stone outcrop nearly 1,000 feet high. On the night of 19 April, the 2nd New Zealand Division attacked under the cover of heavy artillery fire, but the 28th ''Maori'' Battalion suffered heavy casualties in the failed attack, especially among the officers. The Italian defenders in the form of two battalions from the ''Folgore'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions, put up a fierce defence for another day and night before the two New Zealand brigades (with extra artillery support) finally captured Takrouna and surrounding positions. An Allied war correspondent reported that only 326 defenders were captured and that the Italians had fought very hard:{{cquote|The fight atop the 600-foot peak finally ended at 8 p.m. last night. At that hour the first real Italian defenders the British had met surrendered in a body, 326 of them. They gave up only because their ammunition gave out. These Italians were tough, trained killers who didn't feel faint when stout British troopers flung their comrades over the cliffs to clear the road up the side of the steep peak and reach the village atop it. They stood, fired and fought back and when they gave up they said the allies wouldn't get to Tunis. They holed up in caves and crevices of the slopes and had to be dragged out before their machine guns and mortars were silenced.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19430424&id=-OJOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OCEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6228,4995462&hl=en British and Italians Battle To Death on Top Bloody Peak, The Bend Bulletin, Oregon, 24 April 1943]</ref>}}

Takrouna village was a particularly difficult objective in the fighting, a stone outcrop nearly 1,000 feet high. On the night of 19 April, the 2nd New Zealand Division attacked under the cover of heavy artillery fire, but the 28th ''Maori'' Battalion suffered heavy casualties in the failed attack, especially among the officers. The Italian defenders in the form of two battalions from the ''Folgore'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions, put up a fierce defence for another day and night before the two New Zealand brigades (with extra artillery support) finally captured Takrouna and surrounding positions. An Allied war correspondent reported that only 326 defenders were captured and that the Italians had fought very hard:{{cquote|The fight atop the 600-foot peak finally ended at 8 p.m. last night. At that hour the first real Italian defenders the British had met surrendered in a body, 326 of them. They gave up only because their ammunition gave out. These Italians were tough, trained killers who didn't feel faint when stout British troopers flung their comrades over the cliffs to clear the road up the side of the steep peak and reach the village atop it. They stood, fired and fought back and when they gave up they said the allies wouldn't get to Tunis. They holed up in caves and crevices of the slopes and had to be dragged out before their machine guns and mortars were silenced.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19430424&id=-OJOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OCEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6228,4995462&hl=en British and Italians Battle To Death on Top Bloody Peak, The Bend Bulletin, Oregon, 24 April 1943]</ref>}}

American infantrymen won much praise for their determination and experience in the fighting on 23-24 April, when the 2nd Battalion from the 18th Infantry, attacked a German stronghold three times before General von Arnim finally quit. After nightfall 1 May the Germans withdrew into Mateur. But two days later American armour drove the defenders out of the town

American infantrymen won much praise for their determination and experience in the fighting on 23-24 April, when the 2nd Battalion from the 18th Infantry, attacked a German stronghold three times before General von Arnim finally quit. After nightfall 1 May the Germans withdrew into Mateur. But two days later American armour drove the defenders out of the town