Defence of Outpost Snipe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Defence of Outpost Snipe |
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| Part of the Second Battle of El Alamein of the Second World War | |||||||
 El Alamein map |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 British Empire |
 Germany Italy |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Victor Turner | Georg Stumme † Ettore Bastico |
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| Units involved | |||||||
| 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade * 239th Battery, 76th (Royal Welch Fusiliers) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery |
Kampfgruppe Stiffelmayer 15th Panzer Division (part) |
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| Strength | |||||||
| c. 300 | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 72 | 52–57 armoured vehicles | ||||||
The Defence of Outpost Snipe was an important battle in Egypt during the Second World War. It happened as part of the Second Battle of El Alamein. On the night of October 26–27, 1942, a group of about 300 British soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade was ordered to take control of a small area in the desert. This area was called Snipe. It was a good spot for an outpost, which is like a small military base. The soldiers had powerful 6-pounder anti-tank guns to help them.
From October 26 to 27, the 2nd Rifle Brigade bravely fought off many attacks from German and Italian tanks. They also faced constant heavy shelling and machine-gun fire. Despite this, they managed to destroy or damage between 52 and 57 enemy armoured vehicles. They did this with some help from other British tanks and artillery. The defence of Outpost Snipe was a big success. It stopped the largest enemy counter-attack against the British positions. The British battalion had 72 soldiers wounded or killed. The fighting at Outpost Snipe showed that it was very hard for tanks to attack an area where defenders were well-prepared.
The Battle's Start
Why Outpost Snipe Was Important
The Second Battle of El Alamein began with a plan called Operation Lightfoot. The British Eighth Army wanted to break through the enemy lines. Their main attack was in the north. They planned to create paths through the enemy's minefields. British tanks would then move through these paths to fight the German armoured divisions.
The British wanted to trick the enemy into thinking the main attack would be in the south. So, they made some smaller attacks there. In the north, four British infantry divisions were to advance. Engineers would clear the minefields. Then, armoured divisions would pass through to attack the enemy tanks. The British infantry would keep pushing forward, destroying enemy defences and tanks.
The 2nd Rifle Brigade Prepares
The 2nd Rifle Brigade, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Turner, was a special kind of battalion. It had a lot of firepower. It included an anti-tank company with sixteen 6-pounder anti-tank guns. It also had three rifle companies, a scout platoon with Universal Carrier vehicles, and platoons with mortars and machine guns.
The battalion had lost some soldiers during earlier fighting. But they were reinforced with more anti-tank guns and engineers. This brought their total strength to about 300 men.
Planning the Attack
The British commander, Montgomery, planned another attack called Operation Supercharge. This was set for the night of October 31. To keep the enemy guessing, Montgomery ordered more attacks by the 9th Australian Division. Other British units moved around to prepare for the new attack.
There had been some confusion about where the British tanks and infantry units were located. This made it hard to plan the next moves. Lieutenant-Colonel Turner was unsure about his starting position. He was ordered to follow the artillery's creeping barrage, which is a moving wall of shellfire. This caused a small delay, but his battalion pushed forward. They passed through other British units and reached their target area in the early morning of October 27.
The Battle Unfolds
October 26: Taking the Outpost
The 2nd Rifle Brigade advanced at 11:10 p.m. They faced little resistance at first, only deep dust in the minefield paths. They found some barbed wire, but it was part of a fake minefield. They took twenty prisoners and scattered some enemy infantry groups. They moved forward to what they thought was Snipe, a small dip in the ground.
Turner ordered his soldiers to dig in at 12:15 a.m. They brought up their heavier weapons, including nineteen 6-pounder anti-tank guns. These guns were dug into the soft sand in small dips, giving them good cover. They were set up to face different directions, ready for an attack.
The scout platoon went out to patrol. They found about 160 enemy soldiers ready to surrender. But before they could collect them, the platoon ran into a group of about 35 Italian and German tanks and self-propelled anti-tank guns. The British opened fire, setting three enemy trucks on fire. Most of the prisoners ran away, but 35 remained.
They also saw another group of German tanks nearby. This enemy group, called Kampfgruppe Stiffelmayer, soon broke camp. They formed two columns, with one heading straight towards Outpost Snipe. The British 6-pounder guns opened fire, knocking out a leading German tank from very close range. Another enemy anti-tank gun was hit. The enemy column turned away. Just before dawn, the British trucks returned to the east with the prisoners. The British soldiers dug in deep, using the dips and scrub for cover.
October 27: Morning Attacks
At dawn, the British soldiers saw they were in a scrubby desert area, shaped like an oval. They were about 1,000 yards long and 500 yards wide. German tanks started moving. The British gunners prepared for an attack. The German tanks moved west, showing their sides to the British guns. The British gunners opened fire. For thirty minutes, the northern part of the outpost was filled with smoke and explosions as both sides fired. The British claimed to have destroyed many German and Italian tanks and self-propelled guns. They lost three of their own anti-tank guns.
British tanks were supposed to join the soldiers at Snipe, but there was confusion. A British tank regiment, the 47th Royal Tank Regiment, drove over a ridge. They saw the outpost surrounded by German tanks and mistakenly thought it was an enemy camp. They opened fire on their own side for a while until an officer stopped them.
As the British tanks moved forward, the Rifle Brigade gunners at Snipe saw about 25 German tanks heading to ambush the British tanks. The German tanks were again showing their sides, and the British gunners immediately hit and set three more on fire. By 8:30 a.m., the 47th Royal Tank Regiment arrived at Snipe. This brought a storm of enemy artillery fire. The outpost was again covered in smoke and explosions. Soon, the 47th Royal Tank Regiment had only a few tanks left and were ordered to retreat.
The British outpost was running low on ammunition. Three vehicles loaded with wounded soldiers managed to reach safety. But no supplies or more ambulances could get through the heavy enemy fire. Around 10:00 a.m., Italian infantry were seen gathering. British scout vehicles drove out from the outpost to scatter them, causing many casualties. Two anti-tank guns were moved to a new position, despite the danger.
Just as the guns were ready, thirteen Italian tanks appeared from the west. About twenty German tanks used this attack as cover to advance. The British anti-tank guns at Snipe opened fire, hitting four Italian tanks at once. The rest retreated. The German tanks then came into the open, showing their sides to the Rifle Brigade gunners. Half of the German tanks turned towards the outpost, but this exposed their sides to other British tanks behind a ridge. The British gunners at Snipe and the tank gunners focused on the enemy tanks that were showing their sides. Eight German tanks were set on fire, and the rest retreated.
October 27: Afternoon Attacks
Conditions at Snipe got worse in the midday heat. More soldiers were wounded, and there was little medical help. Many guns were hit and caught fire. Many gunners were wounded, but the remaining soldiers kept the guns firing, moving from one to another. Only thirteen guns were still working to cover the large area. Ammunition was running very low.
Three more vehicles carrying wounded soldiers tried to leave, but one was hit. At 1:00 p.m., enemy artillery and machine-gun fire increased. Eight Italian tanks and a self-propelled gun appeared from the south-west, where only one 6-pounder gun was still active. Lieutenant-Colonel Turner and another officer joined the sergeant at the gun. They waited until the tanks were close, then knocked out five tanks and the self-propelled gun.
With only two rounds left, Lieutenant Toms bravely drove a jeep to a knocked-out gun to get more ammunition. He returned under heavy machine-gun fire. Turner and another soldier helped unload the jeep. The enemy tanks were only 200 yards away. Sergeant Calistan, the gun-layer, hit the three remaining tanks, setting them on fire. None of their crews escaped.
After this attack, there was a short break, but shelling continued. Turner, who had been wounded, kept visiting the gun positions. By 4:00 p.m., most of the officers were wounded, and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) were commanding the guns.
The enemy commander, Rommel, could see the fighting. He gathered about 70 German and Italian tanks and self-propelled guns for a big attack. They were supported by dive-bombers. However, British and American fighter planes intercepted the enemy aircraft, shooting down several.
Part of the enemy tank force attacked other British positions. To the south, about thirty German and ten Italian tanks advanced. The British anti-tank gunners knocked out nine tanks and damaged several more. Another 6-pounder crew claimed four more. The enemy tanks then retreated.
A second wave of enemy tanks attacked. Fifteen German tanks turned towards the north-west side of Snipe, where only two guns were working. A third gun was moved into position, but there were only thirty armour-piercing rounds left. The tanks advanced carefully, firing machine guns at the British guns.
When three tanks were very close, a sergeant bravely crawled to one of the guns and operated it alone. He hit the leading tank twice, then knocked out the next two. The third tank was hit through the second one. The remaining enemy tanks retreated. About seventy enemy armoured vehicles were destroyed or damaged in the area. The 2nd Rifle Brigade had lost many vehicles and guns. At 6:44 p.m., they sent a signal about the tanks. Reinforcements were promised, but no tank counter-attack was made. As night fell, the German tanks drove away. The British fired their last anti-tank ammunition, hitting one more tank. Survivors from the outpost began to move towards the command post, dragging wounded soldiers with them, under enemy machine-gun fire.
October 28: Retreat and Relief
After making sure their 6-pounder guns could not be used by the enemy, the remaining British soldiers prepared to be relieved. But no relief party or transport appeared. At 10:30 p.m., the survivors of A and C companies withdrew. They carried one 6-pounder gun on a damaged truck. Both sides were busy rescuing wounded soldiers, so the British group was not fired upon.
British artillery began shelling the area around Outpost Snipe for the first time. This caused German tanks to move towards the outpost. The remaining British soldiers from the battalion headquarters then walked about 2.5 miles under fire. A relief force from the 5th Royal Sussex battalion was advancing to take over. The British shelling had been fired as they moved forward. The 2nd Rifle Brigade had passed unseen by the relieving battalion, which dug in before dawn near Outpost Snipe.
After the Battle
Casualties and Success
The 2nd Rifle Brigade had 72 soldiers wounded or killed. A month later, an investigation found that the battalion had destroyed or damaged between 52 and 57 enemy vehicles. This included 22 German and 10 Italian tanks, plus five self-propelled guns. The number of enemy soldiers killed or wounded is unknown, but it was believed to be more than the British losses. Other reports say between 34 and 43 tanks and self-propelled guns were destroyed. The battle significantly reduced the number of working enemy tanks.
A Hero's Award
Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Turner was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military award for bravery, for his leadership during the battle.
See also
- List of British military equipment of World War II
- List of German military equipment of World War II
- List of Italian Army equipment in World War II
