88–93 and p. 97, Panzer Army Africa Battle Report dated 22 July 1942 K.T.B. Brooke and Auchinleck had both thought Montgomery a better candidate than Gott but Churchill had favoured his appointment. Fought near the western frontier of Egypt between 23 October and 4 November 1942, El Alamein was the climax and turning point of the North African campaign of World War Two (1939-45). [113], In early August, Winston Churchill and General Sir Alan Brooke—the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS)—visited Cairo on their way to meet Joseph Stalin in Moscow. [25][27] The 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions of the Afrika Korps were delayed by a sandstorm and then a heavy air attack. [43] Meanwhile, the Eighth Army was reorganising and rebuilding, benefiting from its short lines of communication. [39] The day ended once again with the Afrika Korps and Ariete coming off second best to the superior numbers of the British 22nd Armoured and 4th Armoured Brigades,[e] frustrating Rommel's attempts to resume his advance. [102], This was the third attempt to break through in the northern sector, and the Axis defenders were expecting the attack. German air units were also exhausted and providing little help against the RAF's all-out attack on the Axis supply lines which, with the arrival of United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) heavy bombers, could reach as far as Benghazi. The Italian commander ordered his battalions to fight their way out independently but the Ariete lost 531 men (about 350 were prisoners), 36 pieces of artillery, six (or eight?) Following their defeat at the Battle of Gazala in Eastern Libya in June 1942, the British Eighth Army, commanded by Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie, had retreated east from the Gazala line into north-western Egypt as far as Mersa Matruh, roughly 100 mi (160 km) inside the border. On what came to be referred to as "Ash Wednesday", at British headquarters, rear echelon units and the British Embassy, papers were hurriedly burned in anticipation of the fall of the city. [46][52][53] That afternoon and evening, tanks from the German 15th Panzer and Italian Trieste Divisions launched counter-attacks against the Australian positions, the counter-attacks failing in the face of overwhelming Allied artillery and the Australian anti-tank guns. After reading this book I had a far higher opinion of Montgomery and his handling of this battle. The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis forces (Germany and Italy) of the Panzer Army Africa (Panzerarmee Afrika) (which included the Afrika Korps under Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) Erwin Rommel) and Allied (British Imperial and Commonwealth) forces (Britain, British India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) of the Eighth Army (General Claude Auchinleck). Movie & TV guides. On 25 June, General Claude Auchinleck—Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) Middle East Command—relieved Ritchie and assumed direct command of the Eighth Army himself. Battle of El Alamein - a pitched battle in World War II resulting in a decisive Allied victory by British troops under … They ran into 15th Panzer Division just south of Deir el Shein and drove it west. A number of pockets of resistance were left behind the forward troops' advance which impeded the move forward of reserves, artillery, and support arms. Late on 26 June, the German 90th Light and 21st Panzer Divisions managed to find their way through the minefields in the centre of the front. [5][h], Italian anti-aircraft battery at Marsa Matrouh in June of 1942, Second Battle of Ruweisat Ridge (El Mreir). [44], On 8 July, Auchinleck ordered the new XXX Corps commander—Lieutenant-General William Ramsden—to capture the low ridges at Tel el Eisa and Tel el Makh Khad and then to push mobile battle groups south toward Deir el Shein and raiding parties west toward the airfields at El Daba. [102][107] Meanwhile, 50th RTR supporting the Australians was having difficulty locating the minefield gaps made by Australian 2/24th Battalion. As a result, the New Zealand brigades occupied exposed positions on the ridge without support weapons except for a few anti-tank guns. It marked the beginning of the end for the Axis in North Africa. [35] There was a sharp armoured exchange south of Ruweisat ridge during the morning and the main Axis advance was held. At daybreak on 22 July, Nehring's 5th and 8th Panzer Regiments responded with a rapid counter-attack which quickly overran the New Zealand infantry in the open, inflicting more than 900 casualties on the New Zealanders. Auchinleck—although believing he could stop Rommel at Alamein—felt he could not ignore the possibility that he might once more be outmanoeuvred or outfought. [69][70], As the Axis forces dug in, Auchinleck—having drawn a number of German units to the coastal sector during the Tel el Eisa fighting—developed a plan—codenamed Operation Bacon—to attack the Italian Pavia and Brescia Divisions in the centre of the front at the Ruweisat ridge. [21] His intention was for the fixed defensive positions to channel and disorganise the enemy's advance while mobile units would attack their flanks and rear. The now enlarged Robcol became "Walgroup". Persia and Iraq were to be split from Middle East Command as a separate Persia and Iraq Command and Auchinleck was offered the post of C-in-C (which he refused). Reported strength on 30 June (55 German and 15 Italian tanks). After the First Battle of El-Alamein, Egypt (150 miles west of Cairo), ended in a stalemate, the second one was decisive. On the positive side, it was free for my Kindle app. [45] Ramsden tasked the Australian 9th Division with 44th Royal Tank Regiment under command with the Tel el Eisa objective and the South African 1st Division with eight supporting tanks, Tel el Makh Khad. Battle of El-Alamein synonyms, Battle of El-Alamein pronunciation, Battle of El-Alamein translation, English dictionary definition of Battle of El-Alamein. El Alamein battles Three major battles occurred around El Alamein between July and November 1942, and were the turning point of the war in North Africa. Second Battle of El Alamein (23rd October 1942 – 11th November 1942) After Alam el Halfa, Rommel’s army had little option other than to dig in and waited for the Eighth Army to attack. [42] Rommel could afford these losses even less since shipments from Italy had been substantially reduced (in June, he received 5,000 short tons (4,500 t) of supplies compared with 34,000 short tons (31,000 t) in May and 400 vehicles (compared with 2,000 in May). [15] Axis forces captured more than 6,000 prisoners, in addition to 40 tanks and an enormous quantity of supplies. Major-General Gatehouse—commanding 1st Armoured Division—had been unconvinced that a path had been adequately cleared in the minefields and had suggested the advance be cancelled. At daybreak on 22 July, the British armoured brigades again failed to advance. [c] He decided instead to employ delaying tactics while withdrawing a further 100 mi (160 km) or more east to a more defensible position near El Alamein on the Mediterranean coast. Rommel ordered 90th Light to resume its advance, requiring it to cut the coast road behind 50th Division by the evening. The Second Battle of El Alamein was a turning point in the North African campaign. In the process, 5th Indian Division in particular sustained heavy casualties, including the destruction of the 29th Indian Infantry Brigade at Fuka. However, the supporting anti-tank units became lost in the darkness or delayed by minefields, leaving the attackers isolated and exposed when daylight came. [74] Meanwhile, the 22nd Armoured Brigade had been engaged at Alam Nayil by 90th Light Division and the Ariete Armoured Division, advancing from the south. Although the Australian defenders had been forced back from Point 24, heavy casualties had been inflicted on 21st Panzer Division. [60][61] The next day, 21. The First Battle of El Alamein begins. In the early hours of 17 July, the Australian 24th Brigade—supported by 44th Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) and strong fighter cover from the air—assaulted Miteirya ridge[75] (known as "Ruin ridge" to the Australians). Noun 1. Panzer Army Africa Battle Report dated 29 June 1942 K.T.B. Rommel complained bitterly about the failure of important Italian convoys to get through to him desperately needed tanks and supplies, always blaming the Italian Supreme Command, never suspecting British code breaking. They were then counter-attacked by 21st Panzer at 11:00 and forced to withdraw. [32] This force encountered the Ariete Armoured Division's artillery, which was driving on the southern flank of the division as it attacked Ruweisat. [58][59][60], On 12 July, the 21st Panzer Division launched a counter-attack against Trig 33 and Point 24, which was beaten off after a 2½-hour fight, with more than 600 German dead and wounded left strewn in front of the Australian positions. The result was poor co-ordination between the two forward Corps and units within them. [110][111] For example, while Rommel was a very good tactical commander, the Italian and German High Commands were concerned that he lacked operational awareness and a sense of strategic objectives. By 15:00, the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment and part of 21st Panzer Division from the north and 33rd Reconnaissance Regiment and the Baade Group comprising elements from 15th Panzer Division from the south were in place under Lieutenant-General (General der Panzertruppe) Walther Nehring. At 80 pages, it needed to be focused tightly on the battle. With the help of the armour and artillery, the Indians were able to take their objectives by early afternoon. The Battle of El Alamein George Hilton (Actor), Michael Rennie (Actor), Gorgio Ferroni (Director) & Rated: NR. Even a casual reader of the events of World War 2 would have heard of the Battle of El Alamein and the two characters that towered over it - Rommel and Montgomery. The New Zealand attack took their objectives in the El Mreir depression[92] but, once again, many vehicles failed to arrive and they were short of support arms in an exposed position. Lots of lead up to Monty actually getting there. The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis forces (Germany and Italy) of the Panzer Army Africa (Panzerarmee Afrika) (which included the Afrika Korps under Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) Erwin Rommel) and Allied (British Imperial and Commonwealth) forces (Britain, British India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) of the Eighth Army (General Claude Auchinleck). The British under the command of General Claude Auchenlik adopted a defensive posture and waited for the Germans at El Alamein. A consensus lists 35,000 men captured, 15,000 wounded, and between 9,000-12,000 dead. [17] Most of the "line" was open, empty desert. The battle of El Alamein was clearly a turning point for the World War II in Africa. The British prevented a second advance by the Axis forces into Egypt. Heavy fire from the Italian Brescia Motorised Division at El Mreir, however, 5 mi (8.0 km) north of the Qattara box, checked their progress and led XIII Corps to call off its attack. tanks, and 55 trucks. [71] Signals intelligence was giving Auchinleck clear details of the Axis order of battle and force dispositions. 3/14th Punjab Regiment from 9th Indian Infantry Brigade attacked at 02:00 on 23 July but failed as they lost their direction. [77][78], In three days' fighting, the Allies took more than 2,000 Axis prisoners, mostly from the Italian Brescia and Pavia Divisions; the New Zealand division suffered 1,405 casualties. Rommel's plan was for the 90th Light Division and the 15th and 21st Panzer divisions of the Afrika Korps to penetrate the Eighth Army lines between the Alamein box and Deir el Abyad (which he believed was defended). [105] To the south, the British 69th Brigade set off at 01:30 and managed to take their objectives by about 08:00. [110], The battle was a stalemate, but it had halted the Axis advance on Alexandria (and then Cairo and ultimately the Suez Canal). [96] By 01:00 on 27 July, 24th Australian Infantry Brigade was to have captured the eastern end of the Miteirya ridge and would exploit toward the north-west. Australian 9th Division estimated at least 2,000 Axis troops had been killed and more than 3,700 prisoners of war taken in the battle. 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