how matters really stood in Africa. Germany already held Greece, and if it could take Suez, it would hold Egypt too. It was preceded by just a few months by the First Battle of El Alamein, fought in Egypt without a decisive winner.

To explore these questions, the battle will be examined against the Tenets of Manoeuvre, and the 8th Army’s plan and execution measured through the comments of the German commanders and histories.

Correctly it referred only to the two Panzer Division occasionally joined by the motorised 90th Light Division. The canal gave the Mediterranean an eastern exit, thus making control of the Mediterranean the key to controlling the Indian Ocean Basin, from South Africa to Singapore and the Pacific. [xiii], Counter attacks by 15th Armoured, which continued throughout the day, managed to stem further attacks and drive the enemy back into Box L, though losses were heavy: that evening 15th Armoured had only 31 serviceable tanks left.[xiv]. The first major offensive of the war that the Allies achieved a decisive victory in, The Second Battle of El Alamein greatly revived the morale of the Allies on the front and at home in NZ where citizens, foreign papers and politicians praised the efforts of our boys and changing tide of war. Along with the Anglo-American forces of “Operation Torch” pushing from the west, the Allied forces penned up the Axis forces in … By now, the Battle of Stalingrad was taking shape, and Hitler’s attempt to take Baku from the north was in shambles. "The victory of El Alamein proclaimed to the world that the war had really turned against the Axis.

The volatile conditions of the post WW1 period and Great Depression enabled the rise of totalitarian regimes, while colonialism in North Africa and pressure to open a second front in Europe paved the way for the North African Campaign, conflict in the western desert and the pivotal battle at El Alamein. A significant increase in German forces would have taken Alexandria, Cairo and the canal. After the initial stages of the battle Operation SUPERCHARGE was launched as another attempt to neutralise the remaining German and Italian armoured forces. The use of the Operation BERTRAM deception plan and the lack of fuel was able to functionally dislocate the DAK from operating as a cohesive whole and tackle the Panzer divisions piecemeal. It depended on its colonies, particularly India, for raw materials and food. In other words, North Africa was not only key for knocking Britain out of the war, but also a significant element of getting the Soviets to capitulate. After assaulting the Australians again with no success on November 1, Rommel began to concede that the battle was lost and began planning a retreat 50 miles west to Fuka. What is the hink-pink for blue green moray? However the aim of the manoeuvrist approach is to fight the enemy’s plan while undermining his ability and will to fight. Each state has its own rules for mail-in absentee voting. He believed that Winston Churchill would be overthrown if he didn’t make peace. Battles of El-Alamein, (1–27 July 1942, 23 October—11 November 1942), World War II events.

The Second Battle of El Alamein was the decisive battle of the North African campaign fought between the Allied 8th Army and the Axis Panzerarmee Afrika over 23 October to 4 November 1942.

Churchill’s use of historical allusion to Britain’s Military past “and all our foes submitted themselves to our will”, use of powerful language “a remarkable and definite victory”, and sense of justice established “When I read of the coastal road crammed with fleeing Germans … under the blasting attacks of the [RAF], I could not but remember … France and Flanders … helpless refugees - women and children - fleeing … upon whom such merciless havoc was wreaked.” it is very apparent what the men and woman of the war effort would have been thinking. There was one place where waiting was not an option. Auchinleck was replaced as Commander-in-Chief Middle East by General Sir Harold Alexander, while the 8th Army was given to Lieutenant General William Gott. Historian David Knowles paints a valuable picture of morale and the Allied situation prior to victory at El Alamein: "We had suffered defeats for the previous two years, and we were demoralised. Our outposts fought to the last round and then either surrendered or died. Redirecting German resources could have made the difference. For your voice to be heard, in most states you must register before you can vote. [xix], At about half-past eleven I received the shattering news that the tanker Louisiana which had been sent as a replacement for the Proserpina had been sunk by an aerial torpedo. The 1939 New Zealand Declaration of War committed the lives of 140,000 men and women to service overseas, but what of the men, woman and children left at home, how did the battle of El Alamein affect them? Copyright © 2020 Multiply Media, LLC. Launched in October, the Second Battle of El Alamein saw British forces grind through the enemy defenses before shattering the Italo-German lines. El Alamein est une ville égyptienne située dans le désert de Libye, au bord de la mer Méditerranée.

Over the next week, the bulk of the fighting occurred in the north near a kidney-shaped depression and Tel el Eisa. Choosing to take a defensive stance, Rommel fortified his position and placed over 500,000 mines, many of which were anti-tank types. The Second Battle of El Alamein began on Oct. 23, 1942, 75 years ago, and ended less than a month later.

If you need to flag this entry as abusive. El Alamein would have severe consequences for both the Allies and Axis Powers throughout the war.

Their command was as slow as ever in reacting.[xxv]. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our.

Rommel was aware that having failed to breach the 8th Army’s defences in the First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam Halfa, the balance of forces in the theatre was swinging against him. General Erwin Rommel in North Africa, 1941. The Second Battle of El Alamein was certainly an attritionalist battle and only became a mobile one in its very last stages. Though their advance was bogged down, the British defeated these assaults and the first major tank engagement of the battle was fought. The problem the Germans had was the Soviet Union. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. He was resourced with two British infantry brigades and an armoured brigade to supplement his New Zealanders, while all the artillery of XXX Corps was to be in support of the attack. It was a long and difficult journey. Western Europe had long since seemed fully in the control of the Germans. That meant controlling Gibraltar and the Suez. We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote.

In assessing his armored divisions, Rommel found that fewer than 50 tanks remained. Britain was a small island that could not, by itself, sustain its domestic life and wage a war against the Germans. All rights reserved. This used a wide range of methods and techniques to convince the Axis commanders the main threat was to be launched in the south of the line, rather than in the north as was actually the case. The new offensive called for infantry to advance across the minefields (Operation Lightfoot) which would allow engineers to open two routes through for the armor. But without Torch, and Hitler’s deficient decision making, it could have ended badly. Worse for the Germans, while the bulk of their force was devoted to the Soviet Union, they divided that force into three separate thrusts. Particular skill was shown in carrying out this manoeuvre at night and a great deal of hard training must have been done before the offensive. Deception held the DAK’s divisions apart in the initial period of battle and early electronic warfare aircraft targeted the DAK’s normally robust communications systems. The final dislocation of DAK capability was being achieved. Hitler also tried to take Leningrad. On November 4, Montgomery launched his final assaults with the 1st, 7th, and 10th Armored Divisions clearing the Axis lines and reaching open desert. The historic route to India ran past the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, and through the Indian Ocean. Attacks against our line were preceded by extremely heavy artillery barrages lasting for several hours. Montgomery had fulfilled his plan to debouch into the open: he could now, by turning north and north-west, take the entire German–Italian Panzerarmee in the rear and unhinge the Alamein position.[xxiii]. Our counter-attacks early in the battle could not be made with a concentration of strength, as British assembly areas in the southern sector gave us good cause to fear that if we drew off all the motorised forces they would attack there as well. Morale was at its lowest ebb... Germany had invaded Greece and Yugoslavia...  U-boats started sinking ships in the Atlantic which were bringing us food and arms. Crossing the Sinai Peninsula, they would be able to strike northward through Palestine and potentially northeastward to take the British oil fields in Iraq and control the Persian Gulf.