Second Battle of El Alamein

Second Battle of El Alamein
Conflict	Second Battle of El Alamein
Partof	the Western Desert Campaign of World War II
Caption	British infantry advance during the battle.
Date	23 October – 11 November 1942
Place	El Alamein, Kingdom of Egypt
Result	Decisive Allied victory
Combatant1	Allies:, United Kingdom, British India, Australia, New Zealand, Union of South Africa, Free France, Kingdom of Greece
Combatant2	Axis:, Germany, Italy
Commander1	Harold Alexander, Bernard Montgomery
Commander2	Erwin Rommel, Georg Stumme †, Ettore Bastico, Ettore Bastico
Strength1	195,000 men, 1,029 tanks, ~900 aircraft, 892–908 artillery pieces
Strength2	116,000 men, 547 tanks, ~675 aircraft, 552 artillery pieces
Casualties1	13,560 killed, wounded, missing, or captured, ~500 tanks destroyed
Casualties2	~30,000–59,000 killed, wounded, missing, or captured, ~500 tanks destroyed

Second Battle of El Alamein was a decisive engagement of the Western Desert Campaign during World War II. Fought near the Egyptian coastal town of El Alamein, the battle marked a major turning point in the North African campaign, halting the advance of the Axis powers into Egypt. The victory, achieved by the British Eighth Army under General Bernard Montgomery against the German-Italian Panzer Army Africa commanded by Erwin Rommel, provided a crucial morale boost for the Allies and set the stage for Operation Torch.

Background

Following the First Battle of El Alamein in July 1942, the front in North Africa had stabilized along a static line from the coast at El Alamein to the impassable Qattara Depression. The Afrika Korps, led by the celebrated Erwin Rommel, had been checked but remained a potent threat to Allied control of Egypt and the vital Suez Canal. In London, Winston Churchill and the Chiefs of Staff were under immense pressure for a decisive victory, leading to a change in command with Claude Auchinleck being replaced by Harold Alexander as Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Command.

Prelude

General Bernard Montgomery assumed command of the British Eighth Army in August 1942 and immediately began intensive preparations, instilling a new aggressive spirit. He meticulously planned a set-piece offensive, codenamed Operation Lightfoot, designed to breach the dense Axis defensive minefields known as the "Devil's Gardens". Meanwhile, Erwin Rommel, suffering from ill health and critical shortages of fuel and reinforcements due to Allied interdiction of Mediterranean supply lines, launched a final, unsuccessful attack at the Battle of Alam el Halfa in early September, further weakening his forces.

Opposing forces

The British Eighth Army was a large, multinational force bolstered by new equipment, including American M4 Sherman tanks and increased numbers of 6-pounder anti-tank guns. It comprised the XXX Corps and XIII Corps, with key formations including the 9th Australian Division, 2nd New Zealand Division, 51st (Highland) Division, and the 1st and 10th Armoured Divisions. Opposing them, the Axis Panzer Army Africa consisted of the German Afrika Korps (15th and 21st Panzer Divisions) and the Italian XX and XXI Corps, notably the Ariete and Littorio armored divisions, all critically short of fuel and armor.

Battle

The battle commenced on the night of 23 October 1942 with a massive artillery bombardment. The initial infantry assaults by XXX Corps aimed to carve corridors through the minefields for the armor of X Corps. Fierce fighting ensued at positions like Kidney Ridge and Tel el Eisa, with the 9th Australian Division mounting major diversionary attacks in the north. After several days of attritional combat in what Bernard Montgomery called the "dogfight", the breakthrough operation, Operation Supercharge, was launched on 2 November. The climactic armored engagement at Tel el Aqqaqir broke the Axis lines, forcing a general retreat.

Aftermath

The victory forced the Panzer Army Africa into a full-scale retreat across Libya, abandoning vast quantities of equipment and thousands of prisoners. The pursuit, though cautious, led to the subsequent Battle of El Agheila in December. The triumph at El Alamein coincided with the Anglo-American landings in French North Africa (Operation Torch), placing the Axis forces in Tunisia in a fatal strategic vise. Winston Churchill famously declared, "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat."

Legacy

The Second Battle of El Alamein is widely regarded as one of the major turning points of World War II, ending Axis hopes of conquering Egypt and the Middle East. It secured the Allied position in the Mediterranean theater and is seen as the beginning of the end for the Axis powers in Africa. The battle cemented the reputations of commanders like Bernard Montgomery and remains a central event in the military histories of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. It is commemorated by memorials at the Commonwealth war cemetery and the Italian memorial at the battlefield.

Category:Battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom Category:Battles of World War II involving Germany Category:Battles of World War II involving Italy Category:1942 in Egypt Category:Western Desert Campaign