Kasserine Pass
Kasserine Pass is a two mile wide gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of mountains in central Tunisia, Africa. On November 8, 1942, British and American forces, participating in Operation Torch, landed troops in North Africa at Algiers, Oran and Casablanca.
Between February 14th and February 25th, 1943, the American 1st Armored Division suffered a major defeat at Kasserine Pass, Tunisia at the hands of German armor under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
In spite of heavy casualties, the American forces held on and eventually drove the Germans out of the pass. Brigadier General Dwight D. Eisenhower was in command of the Allied forces in North Africa and is generally blamed for the losses at Kasserine Pass. Eisenhower, commanding troops in combat for the first time, learned quickly from his mistakes and was later able to drive the Germans out of North Africa. German and Italian troops surrendered to the Allies near Cape Bon on May 12, 1943.
Notes
The Battle of Kasserine Pass marked the first time that Miller and Horvath had served together. The 2nd Ranger Battalion was not activated until April of 1943, which suggests that Miller and Horvath were probably a part of the 1st Ranger Battalion, which was operating near Kasserine Pass in February of 1943. After the opening assault on Omaha Beach, Sergeant Horvath is seen filling a metal container with dirt, adding to his collection that also includes soil from Italy and Africa.