The engines on these tanks, as well as the transmissions, were very unreliable. Even with more armor, it only enjoyed a little over one inch of thickness on its frontal plates. Against the German 88 gun, it was certain suicide. It turned out to be a stopgap measure until better tanks could be made available. Many a brave British tank crew was lost due to inadequate equipment.

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The Battle

Combeforce reached a junction in the coast road near Beda Fomm on February 6th, just 30 minutes before the first retreating Italian units appeared on the horizon. From that point onward, a series of desperate, disjointed attacks failed to break the British defensive positions. On February 7th, a strong Italian force assaulted the Combeforce positions, penetrating the line of resistance all the way to the Force Headquarters. Some British units were overrun, and both artillery and antitank guns were being fired at pointblank range.

By this time, another group of British, including A-13s of Squadrons A and C, 11 Hussars arrived at Beda Fomm and close vicious fighting occurred. One of the tank commanders in the group was Lieutenant Norman Plough. He and his crew took positions on the flank of the ridge at Beda Fomm and took on the Italian tanks. The battle raged fiercely for hours.

Plough’s gunner, "Topper" Brown was firing as fast as he could. His first target was an M-13/40 some 30 yards away.  The two pounder rounds leave a trail like a tracer. Topper thought that he had missed the tank. Suddenly light shone through a hole in the turret. It had been a hit. The tank had been so close that the tracer did not have time to ignite, so he thought he had missed it. The rapidly exiting crewmen from the Italian tank proved that it had indeed been hit. The Italians were fighting in desperation; the British, with determination.

It finally became too much for the Italian 10th Division and other units. White flags and handkerchiefs appeared, and before the struggle ended over 25,000 Italians had surrendered. It turned out to be a spectacular victory for the British people. The Desert Rats had effectively broken the back of the Italian Army in North Africa

Lieutenant Norman Plough was credited with 17 of the 79 armored Italian vehicles destroyed in this battle. Lt. Plough would continue to fight with the 7th Armored Division until he was killed in action near Tunis in 1943.

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