Alexander James Freeman
He was a steel polisher in 1939.
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He was the son of Henry A and Priscilla Freeman of 66, Upper Eldon Street, Sneinton, Nottingham.
Massicault War Cemetery II F 18
In April 1943, the 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) played an impotant role in the final, brutal weeks of the Tunisian Campaign in North Africa.
Serving as part of the 3rd Infantry Brigade within the British 1st Infantry Division (under the British First Army), the battalion was heavily committed to breaking through the final mountainous Axis defensive lines blocking the path to Tunis.
Alexander Freeman was killed five days after the 2nd Battalion's costly assault on Point 174 (Gueriat el Atach) over Easter weekend. Following that main assault, the battalion stayed in the frontline sector, enduring heavy counter-artillery fire and holding the cracked Axis line until the final push into Tunis could be launched in early May. It was during this final phase of holding the hard-won mountain positions that Freeman lost his life.
The Brutal Assault: The battalion captured the crest of Point 174 on the afternoon of 24 April under devastating mortar and machine-gun fire. The terrain was rocky, making it nearly impossible for the men to dig proper trenches for cover.
The Tiger 131 Capture: Following the capture of the hill, German forces launched furious infantry counter-attacks supported by heavy armour—including the formidable Tiger 131, an elite German Tiger I tank. Private John Oscroft famously fired a PIAT anti-tank weapon directly at the side of the oncoming Tiger, but the projectile bounced off harmlessly. Desperately, the Foresters turned a captured German anti-tank gun around to face the machine. A lucky shot from either a supporting British tank or the Foresters' captured gun ricocheted off the underside of the Tiger's barrel and jammed its turret mechanism. The German crew abandoned the vehicle, making Tiger 131 the first intact Tiger tank captured by the Western Allies.
The success came at a catastrophic cost. The battalion suffered heavy losses on 24 April 1943 alone, losing dozens of men killed in action, including Lieutenants Charles Davy Hudson and Frank Raymond Jones.
Over the course of the multi-day battle for the ridge, Allied units sustained roughly 50% casualties including several men from Nottinghamshire - Thomas Riley Bray, Frank Raymond Jones and Charles Davy Hudson.
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