Operation Vulcan

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During World War II, Operation Vulcan was the final ground attack against German forces in Tunis, Cap Bon and Bizerte, the last Axis toeholds in north Africa. Erwin Rommel believed that the Axis position in Tunisia was untenable and he had recommended the evacuation of German troops to Italy, where he believed they could be more useful. His advice was rejected.

Fighting was severe, with elite German units in prepared defences. In the advance on Tunis, the British 4th Infantry Division was confronted by paratroops of the Hermann Göring Parachute Division. The attack was costly, previous attacks had been repulsed with heavy losses.

At "Cactus Farm", British infantry was suppressed by fierce defensive fire from well concealed Fallschirmjäger. Consequently, Churchill tanks of 12 Royal Tank Regiment advanced without infantry support and they were assaulted by the defenders using molotov cocktails and teller mines. Twelve tanks were destroyed and, in some cases, their crews were rescued from the burning wrecks by the German defenders.

On 6 May 1943, as the culmination of Operation Vulcan, the British took Tunis and American forces reached Bizerte. By 13 May the Axis forces in Tunisia had surrendered.

In June, a major Allied air effort (Operation Flax) had cut off German supplies to north Africa. The United States Army forces surrounded the last defenders at Enfidaville, ending the Axis effort in North Africa. Operation Retribution prevented any large scale evacuation of troops to Italy.