The Battle of El Alamein

A presentation by Sean Cheng period 3

The Introduction

The Campaign of El Alamein is divided into two battles: The First Battle of El Alamein and The Second Battle of El Alamein. There was very limited participation from the United States; it only provided resources and equipments to the British. The main commander of the German Army was Erwin The Desert Fox Rommel. The main commanders of the British Army were Claude Auchinleck and Bernard Montgomery.

The Introduction continued

The El Alamein Campaign was part of the North African Campaign; the battles took place in the desert. The First Battle of El Alamein halted Axis advances in Africa. The Second Battle of El Alamein pushed the Axis back to Tunisia (also in North Africa).

Typical (Safari) British Soldier

Typical (Angry) German Soldier

The First Battle of El Alamein

July 1 July 27, 1942 Axis Commander: Erwin Rommel (German) Allied Commander: Claude Auchinleck (British) Result of the Battle: The Axis' furthest and final advance into Egypt (basically Africa) is halted.

The Gazala Retreat

The Allied Eighth Army retreated from the Gazala line to Mersa Matruh under the command of Neil Ritchie. General Claude Auchinleck took command of the Eighth Army on June 25. Instead of fighting at the Mersa Matruh position, which had an open left flank, Auchinleck withdrew near El Alamein on the Mediterranean coast, which only had one flank to defend.

The Mersa Matruh Battle

Auchinleck fought battles at Mersa Matruh on June 26 and then at Fuka on June 28 while preparing the Alamein defenses, delaying Germans. The plan was to inflict damage but also to retreat safely. However, poor communication and coordination between the X Corps and XIII Corps led to the German's overrunning of Mersa Matruh and capturing 6,000 prisoners; The XIII Corps were surrounded and had to retreat, leaving the southern flank of X corps exposed. There were heavy casualties while they were retreating; Indian 29th Infantry Brigade at Fuka faced destruction.

The Defenses at El AlameinAuchinleck formed strong defensive boxes at each end of the El Alamein line and connected them with trenches and gun emplacements. th Infantry Brigade arrived The Indian 18

too late, leaving the position vulnerable to armoured attack.

The Panzer Army Africa Attacks

German90thLightInfantryDivisionattackedbutwas repelledbytheSouthAfrican1stDivisionintheElAlamein box.(June30) 21stPanzerDivisionattackedDeirelSheinonJuly1st.On thefollowingday,theIndianBrigadeendedupbeing overrunafteraseriesofstruggles.AxisArmourwasthen pushedback,byAuchinleckandhiscompiledmixof infantryandartillerygroup,fromRuweisatRidge,which wasreinforcedlaterthatnight.(July12) RommelandtheItalianXXMotorisedCorpsattackedalong

The Eighth Army Counter-attack

AuchinleckcommandedtheNewZealandBrigade tolaunchacounterattackontheArieteArmoured rdand5th. DivisiononJuly3 AuchinleckpenetratedanItaliansector,butlost partsoftheareawhentheycounterattacked.

The Defense of Rommel

The Allied Desert Air Force had been attacking Rommel's long supply lines while British troops attacked the rear of the Axis army. Rommel decided that he needed to regroup and let his forces rest. Meanwhile, the Allies were accumulating reinforcements back at the Alamein box and Ruweisat position.

The Eighth Army's Offensive Strike

OnJuly10th,AuchinleckattacksTelelEisawiththe9thAustralianDivision. ThoughtheAlliescapturedprisonersanddealtdamage,theAxisforcesrepelledthe attack. AuchinleckattacksagainonJuly14thand22ndbutfails.TheBritishtankswerenot experiencedandwerevulnerabletotheantitankcrews.Theytriedtoretreatbut endedupinaminefield. 6poundergunsoftheIndian5thInfantryBrigadewereeffectiveagainstthe21st PanzerDivision,causingthemtowithdraw. ItaliancounterattacksonTelelEisaonJuly14thand17thinflictedenormouslosses fortheAustraliantroops. OnJuly27th,AuchinlecklaunchedtwomoreattacksinTelelEisaandatMiteiriya, bothofwhichwerefailures.Inthelatterbattle,minefieldsandlackofarmoured supportcausedmanyover600casualtiesfortheAllies.

The Conclusion of the First Battle

Both sides inflicted enormous amounts of damage on each other during the first Major Battle of El Alamein. The Axis advance in Africa was stopped because of Allied efforts. Auchinleck was replaced by Gott, who was killed while moving up to take command. Bernard Montgomery took Gott's place instead.

The Second Battle of El AlameinOctober 23 November 5, 1942 Axiscommander:Erwin"TheDesertFox"Rommel (German) Alliedcommander:BernardMontgomery(British) Majoroutcomes:AlliesendedAxisattempttocontrol Egypt,theSuezCanal,andtheMiddleEasternoil fields.TheAlliedvictoryendedtheAxisexpansionin Africa.

The Introduction extendedWhileMontgomerywasreplacingAuchinleckandpreparing toregrouphisforces,Rommeldecidedtoattack,despitehis lackofreinforcementsandsupplies.Hisattackfailed,forcing himtodigin.

Rommelwastightlydefended,leavingonlyoneflankopenfor theAlliestoattack.Afterabout6weeksorregrouping, MontgomeryandtheEighthArmywasmobilized.

The Allied Plan

Montgomery planned Operation Lightfoot to destroy German armour. Infantry and engineers had to clear the minefields for the Allied armour to go through. The Commonwealth forces planned Operation Bertram, focusing on deception. Fake piles of ammunition and supplies were made, dummy pipelines were constructed, and fake tanks were used to fool the Axis. The Axis were led to believe that the Allies were going to attack from the South.

The Axis Plan

AstheCommonwealthforcesweregainingmore reinforcementsfromBritain,India,Australia,andtheUnited States,Rommelwasreceivingnomajorreinforcementsatall becauseGermanywasfocusingontheEasternFront. RommelwasbasicallywaitingandhopingfortheGerman forcestooverruntheSovietsinStalingrad,allowingthemto movetowardPersiaandforcingtheBritishtoreinforcetheir troopsintheMiddleEast. SincetheCommonwealthforce'sattackwasimminent, RommelhadcreatedtheDevil'sGardens,anareawhich hadhalfamillionantitankandantipersonelmines.

The Layout of the Second Battle

TheSecondBattleofElAlameinisdivided intofivephases:TheBreakin,the crumbling,thecounter,Operation Supercharge,andthebreakout.

The Break-in (Oct. 23-24)OperationLightfootbeganwithheavy artilleryfireforaboutfiveandahalfhours, firing600roundsfrom882guns.Infantry andminesweepersstartedclearingthe minefieldsforthearmouredvehicles.A battlewastakingplaceatRuweisatRidgeat thesametime,servingasadistractionfor theGermans.

The Crumbling (Oct. 24-25)

German communications were destroyed and Georg Stumme, an Axis commander who replaced Rommel while he was in Germany, died of a heart attack. Because Rommel's defenses were so deep, the Allies did not clear all of his minefields, leaving the armour idle. Because of this, artillery and Allied Desert Air Force attacked Axis positions. A major tank battle between the 15th Panzer Division, Italian Littorio Division, and the 1st Armoured Division occurred at Kidney Ridge. Though over 100 tanks were destroyed, neither side gained victory. Fighting had been stopped once the Allies gained Miteriya Ridge; Montgomery ordered the 7th Armoured Division at Ruweisat Ridge to regroup with the X Corps. He ordered everyone to focus on Kidney Ridge and Tell el Eisa, which were vital for Rommel's defense.

The Snipe PositionThe Rifle Brigade was at a position southwest of Kidney Ridge codenamed Snipe. At 4 P.M., British tanks accidentally attacked one of their own positions, causing damage. Then at 5 P.M., just an hour after the accident, Rommel sent German and Italian tanks to attack. The Rifle Brigade only had four anti-tank guns that were working, but those four were enough to take out 37 of 40 tanks. Rommel withdrew the surviving three tanks and sent a new squad. Only nine tanks survived the next assault. Though the Rifle Brigade had only three guns with nine rounds in all, the Germans gave up on the assault of Snipe.

The Counter (Oct. 26-28)

In order to breakthrough the coast road, the Australians were pushing beyond Tell el Eisa toward an enemy-held position known as Thompsons Post. The British had 800 tanks mobilized while the Axis only had about 330 tanks Because the tanker Luisiano had been sunk outside the Tobruk harbor, the Axis had no gasoline to retreat. Rommel understood this and decided that they had only one choice and that is to fight to the end at Alamein.

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On October 30, the Australians continued attacking, trying to reach Thompsons Post, which they conquered that night. The next day, Rommel launched four attacks against the Allies newly gained position. The battle was very intense, but the Axis did not achieve anything. On November 1, Rommel tried one more attack, which failed, resulting in lost men and equipment. Rommel knew there was no hope and began to plan the retreat to Fuka. Though 1,200 tons of fuel arrived, it was too late and had to be blown up in order to keep it away from the Allies.

Operation Supercharge (Nov. 1-2)

The plan for this operation was to destroy enemy armour, force the enemy to fight in the open, reduce Axis fuel, attack and occupy enemy supply lines, and cause disintegration of the enemy army The objective was Tell el Aqqaqir, which was the Axis base of defense. The attack began with an aerial bombing on Tell el Aqqaqir and Sidi Abdel Rahman that lasted for seven hours. A barrage of 360 guns, firing 15,000 rounds, followed and lasted for four and a half hours.

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The 151st and 152nd Infantry Brigades, New Zealand division, and the British 9th Armoured Brigade were instructed to attack first Though the infantry completed most of their objectives, the minefields were not cleared until the next morning. The 9th Armoured Brigade marched, starting at 8 P.M. on November 1 with about 130 tanks. However, it arrived with only 94 tanks left.

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Though the attack should have started at 5.:45 A.M., Currie ordered the brigade to regroup, postponing the attack for 30 minutes. The German and Italian anti-tank weapons, which were Pak 38, Italian 47mm, and 24 88mm flak guns, started firing upon the tanks. Though a formidable amount of damage was inflicted, the Axis could not stop the Allied advance. Around 35 guns were destroyed and many prisoners were taken. In all, the brigade lost 70 tanks and 170 crew members.

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Though the brigade failed to create the gap for the 1st Armoured Division to break through, the German and Italian tank reserves were crippled. On November 2, the remaining 15th Panzer, 21st Panzer, and the Littorio Armoured Divisions counterattacked the 1st Armoured Division and 9th Armoured Brigade. However, these Brigades were dug in with a screen of anti-tank guns, artillery, and air support. The counterattack failed, causing the axis to lose about 100 tanks.

The Conclusion of Operation Supercharge

Rommel called to Ariete to join the defense around Tell el Aqqaqir. The Axis had only 32 tanks left on the entire front of the campaign of El Alamein. The Afrika Korps were engaged in an intense battle at Tell el Aqqaqir as Rommel began to withdraw to Fuka.

The Break-out (Nov. 3-7)

Rommel messaged Hitler asking for permission to withdraw because of the current situation. However, Hitler refused and ordered Rommel to stay put. Basically, the Axis had only 41 tanks left while the British had 150. The British destroyed every single Axis tank, creating the Panzer Graveyard. Rommel's men continued to fight until a hole had been cut in the Axis line. Rommel decided that his men came first and ordered a massive retreat to Tunisia.

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The last assaults of the campaign in El Alamein th. began on November 4 st, 7th, and 10th Armoured Divisions stormed The 1 through German lines and began attacking in the open desert.

The Axis retreated as the Allies attacked and destroyed the Ariete Division, the Littorio Division and the Trieste Motorised Division.

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German propaganda continued to announce the tragedies of the British although the campaign in El Alamein was basically over. The Bologna and Trento Divisions tried fighting their way out of El Alamein, but got lost in the desert and surrendered because they were dying from dehydration.

The End of the Battle of El Alamein

Rommel's army lost 75,000 men, 1,000 guns, and 500 tanks; they had to retreat or face destruction from the Eighth Army. Rommel destroyed equipment and supplies as he retreated, placing mines and booby traps too. Rommel ended up retreating to Sirte. The Allies gain control of Tripoli, causing Rommel to retreat to Tunisia.

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Rommel met with Hans-Jurgen von Arnim's Fifth Panzer Army to defend Tunisia from the Eighth Army from the east and the First Army from the west. 18th Army was formed under Harold Alexander. Planned to disrupt supply line of Italian First Army, but failed because of Rommel's strike against U.S. II Corps.

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_El_A lamein http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_E l_Alamein http://www.world-war-2.info/battles/bt_5.php http://www.world-war-2.info/battles/bt_4.php

The End! (of the presentation)