Tunisia. Rommel’s Operation “Spring Breeze” against the inexperienced American lines, which are caught by surprise. The new Tiger tanks work miracles. Just a few tanks destroy 32 Shermans, losing only two. Eisenhower himself nearly falls prisoner. By evening, over 4,000 Yankees, disheartened by their first defeat, are taken prisoner; 200 Shermans are destroyed, 60 captured, and a huge amount of equipment lies on the ground. There are also about a hundred trucks marked GP (General Purpose), which the Americans call jeeps. The Italian and German soldiers learn to chew gum, enjoy the scent of Camels and Chesterfields, and savor the delicacies of the US Army’s K rations. Eisenhower, furious at the defeat, replaces Fredendal with a general destined for great things: George Patton.
