1942

The battles of El Alamein were part of the 'Desert War' that took place in Egypt and Libya during the North African campaign of the Second World War.

MM

Military operations began in June 1940 with the Italian invasion of Egypt from Libya in September. 'Operation Compass', a five day British raid in December 1940, led to the destruction of the Italian 10th Army. Italian leader Benito Mussolini sought help from Adolf Hitler, who sent a small German force to Tripoli, the 'Afrika Korps' under General Erwin Rommel, who was formally under Italian command.

MM

In the spring of 1941, Rommel pushed the Allied forces back to Egypt, except for the Siege of Tobruk where for 241 days the Germans were denied access to the important port. Tobruk was relieved in "Operation Crusader' a surprise attack by the 8th Army but Rommel soon fought back.

MM

In early 1942 Rommel's forces drove the Allies back again, and finally captured Tobruk after the Battle of Gazala, but failed to destroy their opponents. They invaded Egypt and the Allies retreated to El Alamein.

MM

At 9.40pm on Friday 23 October 1942, the final battles Battle of El Alamein began when Britain and its allies launched a four hour ground and air bombardment. As it subsided, the troops began their advance.

MM

In the first phase of the battle, (24-25 October 1942), known as 'Break-In', British XXX Corps began its attack in the northern sector while XIII Corps mounted a further attack in the south. Divisions of both corps penetrated the deep enemy minefields, but X Corps’ armoured divisions were unable to complete the breakthrough. The lead tanks in the minefields stirred up so much dust that there was no visibilityl, traffic jams developed and tanks bogged down. Only about half of the infantry attained their objectives and none of the tanks broke through.

MM

British General Bernard Montgomery was thus forced to revise his plans, and the second phase of the battle, 'Dogfight', (26-31 October), had to be fought inside the fortified positions instead of outside. Montgomery’s tactic was the 'crumbling' away at the enemy defence positions with a series of limited attacks at the same time fending off German counter attacks ordered by Rommel.

MM

The third phase of the battle was 'Break-out', (1-4 November). Montgomery, judging Rommel’s forces at breaking point, ordered the final against them against them. It was soon obvious that Rommel was preparing to withdraw so the 5th Indian Brigade attacked, driving a wedge through Rommel’s front, enabling the 1st and 7th Armoured Divisions plus the 2nd New Zealand Division to go in pursuit of enemy forces, now in full retreat.

"'The battle is going very heavily against us. We're being crushed by the enemy weight... We are facing very difficult days, perhaps the most difficult that a man can undergo"

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, 3 November 1942

MM

The Allied victory was the beginning of the end of the Western Desert Campaign, eliminating the Axis threat to Egypt, the Suez Canal and the Middle Eastern and Persian oil fields. El Alamein was an Allied victory, although Rommel did not lose hope until the end of the Tunisia Campaign.

MM

In Britain, the church bells were rung for the first time since May 1940 to celebrate the Eighth Army's success which was, as Winston Churchill described it, 'a glorious and decisive victory'.

MM

"Before Alamein we never had a victory.

After Alamein we never had a defeat"

Winston Churchill

MM

Source: Wikipedia.org / Imperial war Museum / National Army Museum

General Montgomery watches Allied tanks advance on El Alamein in 1942.

Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel.

A British infantryman capturing a German tank crewman at El Alamein, 1942.

German prisoners of war under guard by a signpost to El Alamein, 1942.