On April 30, eager to make his offensive on Tunis irresistible, General Alexander decided to further reinforce the 1st Army, at the expense of the City. He therefore instructed General Montgomery that day to direct the best formations at his disposal to the First Army without delay. This one therefore makes castling towards the west, at the disposal of General Anderson, his oldest Great Units, the most experienced, those which constituted the nucleus around which the
Armed city:the 4th Indian Division, the 7th Armored Division and the 210th Guards Brigade. These reinforcements are assigned by the commander of the 1st Army to the 9th Corps, which he charges this time with the main effort, under the command of General Horrocks
.
As a result, only three infantry divisions (the 50th and 51st D.I., the 2nd New Zealand Division), two armored brigades and Leclerc's French will remain in the Armed City.
Thus ended the epic of this army which had played such a great role in Africa,
in a struggle lasting more than two years, the adventures of which had captured the attention of the world.
And now she was reduced to the role of . anvil" on its position between the Zaghouan and the sea, on which the 1st Army was to beat back the adversary. br class='autobr' />de mai, General de Larminat's 1st Free French Division, which covered itself with glory at Bir-Hakeim in June 1942. With its brigades, commanded by Generals Kœnig, Brosset and Lelong, the 1st D.F.L., which was chomping at the bit in Libya, will arrive too late to participate in the active operations of the 8th Army.
It will relieve the 51st British Division in the Takrouna sector, on May 6, to the right of the Leclerc column, which held the Jebel Garci sector. It will then execute, on the pestles north of Takrouna, clearing actions which will once again prove its value and will cost it significant losses.
The 1st Army being considerably reinforced and comprising in particular all the Allied armored forces, except for two brigades, and the enemy seeming "mature", General Alexander decided to go on the attack without delay.