The breakthrough Montgomery had hoped for did not occur. The Allies advanced with difficulty and Rommel’s return to the head of his troops on the 25th saw a stiffening of German-Italian resistance. On 23 October 1942, after gaps had been opened up in the Axis minefields, a tremendous artillery bombardment signalled the start of the battle. Rommel’s last hope was to regroup his forces and hold out until the requested reinforcements arrived The Allies’ objective was to break through the German front with a brutal tank thrust, forcing the Afrika Korps and the Italians to retreat, then catch them in a pincer movement with the Anglo-American troops who had landed in Algeria and Morocco on 8 November. The Axis powers, on the other hand, were unable to bring in new troops and hardware from Crete or Europe. ![]() Facing them, the Eighth Army, commanded by General Montgomery, had 200 000 soldiers, 1 000 tanks and 750 aircraft.Īllied superiority was further increased by the possibility of replacing any losses with reinforcements based in Egypt. Rommel’s forces were comprised of eight poorly equipped Italian divisions and four German divisions, totalling 110 000 men, 500 tanks and 700 aircraft. ![]() One of the remotest positions in the desert was held by elements of the Free French Forces.ġ942 Rommel in the Libyan desert, Source: SHD ![]() The front line lay perpendicular to the coast and stretched into the desert interior, which was difficult to access for both adversaries. El Alamein is an Egyptian coastal town, roughly 70 miles west of Alexandria. It came in the second phase of the war, when the Allies had halted the Axis forces in Egypt and were seeking to drive them out and defeat them in North Africa, an essential stepping-stone to the liberation of Europe.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |