Britain Garrisons Iceland Second Battle of El Alamein 23 Oct 1942 - 11 Nov 1942 Contributor: C. Peter Chen At 2140 hours local time on 23 Oct 1942, British Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery launched Operation Lightfoot by ordering a 20-minute general bombardment of the Axis front lines. Second Washington Conference The role of the Chief Engineer, Brigadier Frederick Kisch, demonstrates a bottom-up learning culture that exploited the combat experience of the Army to meet the tactical challenge. Montgomery was sleeping when Rommel attacked; when he was woken and told about the attack, he just said, excellent, excellent, and went back to sleep. British and Commonwealth forces had successfully defended the line in the first battle of El Alamein in July 1942 under the command of Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck. The fact files in this timeline were commissioned by the BBC in June 2003 and September 2005. The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October - 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. Battle of St Valry-en-Caux Erwin Rommel's Panzerarmee Afrika had been pushing . The new attack, begun in the early hours of November 2, again bogged down in the minefields, and resistance proved tougher than expected. The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October - 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. German minefields proved a greater obstacle than had been initially reckoned, and when daylight came on October 24, British tanks were still transiting the paths that had been cleared by engineers. El Alamein 1942: British tanks move up to the battle to engage the German armour after the infantry had cleared gaps in the enemy minefield. Fall of Singapore and Malaya El Alamein: The Battle that Turned the Tide of the Second World War. Reading time: 9 minutes Mers-el-Kbir Burma Campaign HMS 'Prince of Wales' and HMS 'Repulse' Sunk The text of this article was commissioned by History Guild as part of our work to improve historical literacy. Although General Claude Auchinleck had stopped Rommel in his tracks during the First Battle of El Alamein in early July 1942, Churchill was becoming increasingly impatient with progress in the Western Desert. Washington Conference, Formation of the Pacific War Council Potsdam Conference As with most of the battles in the region, Australians played a vital role in the eventual Allied victory. But the basis of force organisation remain extant and modern doctrine writers would do well to look again at how the Eighth Army maximised its forces for decisive impact. Ukraine Proves it. The situation looked gloomy, but things were far worse for Rommel. Allied Landings in Italy A second deduction to draw here concerns how the staff were empowered. And Hitler anticipated adding Egypt to his empire. Civilian Internment Meaningless as an order, as even Montgomerys supporters note, but one which gripped the imagination of the Eighth Army. Having been driven east by Axis forces in 1942, the British had established a strong defensive line at El Alamein, Egypt. Medical Units Dodecanese Islands Conference It ended the long fight for the Western Desert, and was the only great land battle won by the British and Commonwealth forces without direct American participation. Roll of Honour talk, presented by Dr Mark Johnston on 23 October 2002 in the Courtyard Gallery at the Memorial. Montgomery issued early orders that divisions would fight as divisions.22 The impact of this is that command of combat support elements, such as engineering and artillery, was centralised under Army staff control. Channel Dash However, before he could take up his post, Gott was killed when the transport plane he was traveling in was shot down. The Blitz Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Montgomery was determined to wait until he could be reasonably sure of success, however, and he had Alexanders support. The Allies intercepted his message and Montgomery had the deciphered note in his hands by the next morning. Allied and Commonwealth Forces Changing the day will navigate the page to that given day in history. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not Royal Navy The British infantry assault at El-Alamein was launched at 10:00 pm on the night of October 23, 1942, after a furious 15-minute bombardment by more than 1,000 guns. We won't share your contact details with anyone. Germany had launched its attack on Russia, codenamed Operation Barbarossa, and succeeded in pushing the Russian troops back, the German U-boats were one of the biggest advantages the Axis had over the Allies in the Battle of the Atlantic, and it seemed like western Europe was entirely in Nazi Germanys grip. These deductions combine to show that the Eighth Army maximised its fighting power by understanding its limits and that it had the confidence to adapt to its mission. During these visits Montgomery explained the purpose of the mission exploiting the change in context his orders had started. He was a master of mobile warfare, but he had to change his preferred tactics due to a lack of fuel and transport. Rommel knew that a major attack was inevitable, and did his best to prepare for it. This article looks at the battle from a modern perspective with the aim of critically evaluating elements of modern British doctrine. Battle of Alam Halfa Declaration of War on Japan Despite this, the Eighth Army maintained a priority on developing the conceptual component. The Second Battle of El Alamein, 23 October - 11 November, was a decisive turning point in the desert war. There is a context to this, however, in that the Army had been retreating and beaten by the Axis since 1941. El Alamein was one of the great battles of the Second World War, and is frequently described as a turning-point of that conflict. The Allies had 500 that would see action during this battle. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Having more war material alone does not guarantee success if you dont know how to use it. The 51st Highland and 4th Indian divisions were the core of an infantry attack on the night of November 3 that succeeded in piercing the joint between the Afrika Korps and the Italians. The first, Operation Lightfoot, would consist of a powerful artillery bombardment followed by an attack by the infantry divisions of 30th Corps in the north, and 13th Corps in the south. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. German paratroopers dropping from Junkers Ju 52s over Crete, 20 May 1941. The conceptual. There are many tactical themes to be drawn together to show how the physical component was maximised. Heres Why and What to do, Multi Domain Operations Below the Division, Wavell Room The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented the Axis from advancing further into Egypt. Rommel ordered the rest of his tanks to the north, where he had some help from mother nature. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Christian Zapata. Deutsches Africa Korps had 229 German and 243 Italian tanks[3] The Germans had 27 of the Panzer IV F2the long-barreled gun 75mm gun. Second Moscow Conference public. The Battle of El Alamein, 23 October 1942. As a term, fighting power is unhelpfully defined. 'Bismarck' Sunk The second battle of El Alamein took place over 23 October to 4 November 1942. Cairo Conference Montgomery restructured the 8th Army, bringing in new divisions and generals and lifting the army's morale with his bold fighting talk - declaring among other things that he would 'hit Rommel for six out of Africa'. It ended the long fight for the Western Desert, and was the only great land battle won by the British and . Rommel was back on the defensivea definite turning point in the war in North Africa. The battle of Alam Halfa (31 August-7 September 1942) was Rommel's last offensive in Egypt, and Montgomery's first victory after taking command of the Eighth Army, and was a British victory that removed any chance of Rommel reaching Alexandria or the Suez Canal.. This used combat experience from across the Army in a bottom-up way. The remaining tanks were made up of M3 Stuarts light tanks, Crusader Mk II cruiser tanks and Valentine infantry tanks. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. 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 (German and Italian) forces of the Panzer Army Africawhich included the Afrika Korps under Field Marshal Erwin Rommeland Allied (British Imperial and Commonwealth) forces of the Eighth Army under General Claude Auchinleck. The historian Niall Barr notes that it was remarkable that Montgomerys plan did not include any detail of the engineering or artillery components that would prove so successful in maximising fighting power.20 He defined a clear intent, but did not wait to see if his force could achieve it. In August 1942, Winston desperately needed a victory and replaced Auchinleck with Bernard Montgomery, who was well-respected by Allied commanders. Placentia Bay Conference Battle for Crete There was a broader investment in logistics that gave commanders greater tactical options. Rather, it has shown how to maximise the individual strands of fighting power and pulled out themes relevant for the modern Army. Amiens Prison Raid The truce was broken on June 10, 1990 when the LTTE in October expelled all the 28,000 Muslims residing in Jaffna. Fire Duty [Long Read] The Second Battle of El Alamein : r/SubSimulatorGPT2 - Reddit One divisional commander described this as a menace and a danger to the force.23 Before this reorganisation any amount of innovative behaviour, such as that showed by Brigadier Kisch, is unlikely to have been shared Army wide siloing best practice. Second Battle of El Alamein | Free Essay Example - StudyCorgi HMS 'Royal Oak' Torpedoed North Africa campaigns - Afrika Korps, El-Alamein, Operation As it subsided, the troops began their advance. The change in lines of command, combined with staff willing and capable of defining new doctrine, allowed the Eighth Army to exploit the conceptual component. This proved an opportune appointment, Montgomery took to the task of defeating Rommel with vigour. Introduction. Enter a date in the format M/D (e.g., 1/1), https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-battle-of-el-alamein-begins, Mr. After all, it had . The armies of Italy and Germany suffered a decisive defeat by the British Eighth Army. Madagascar Captured Rommel had only 260 German tanks (of which 20 were under repair, and 30 were light Panzer IIs), and 280 Italian tanks (all of obsolete types). A sandstorm suddenly appeared and provided his tanks with much-needed cover, but as soon as the sandstorm was over, Allied bombers hit his forces, destroying the very place where the Panzers stood; at this point, Rommel didnt have much choice but to retreat. Martin van Creveld described it in 1980 as the sum total of qualities that make armies fight but this doesnt provide a framework to expand a practitioners understanding.3 The current Army Doctrine Publication Land Operations defines it as a concept that describes the operational effectiveness of armed forces and breaks it down into three distinct elements: moral, conceptual, and physical components.4 This provides a better framework from which to look at the battle. [citation needed] Rhine Crossings The physical. The offensive was to begin with a night attack, and adequate moonlight was needed for the process of clearing gaps in the German minefields. The historiography of the desert campaign is marred by biases and a focus on personalities and strategic purpose. Formation of the Home Guard German minefields proved a greater obstacle than had been initially reckoned, and when daylight came on October 24, British tanks were still transiting the paths that had been cleared by engineers. On July 1, 1942, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is brought to a standstill in the battle for control of North Africa. Battle of Alam Halfa, 31 August-7 September 1942 - HistoryOfWar.org When the German forces arrived south of El Alamein, they would find themselves in the middle of a very nasty surprise; the Allies had placed an enormous amount of mines at that location, knowing where they would be attacked. Of The Battle Of El Alamein. Despite his excellent luck Rommel couldnt win the battle; the Allies outnumbered his men and his tanks. On July 1, 1942, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is brought to a standstill in the battle for control of North Africa. Rather, its that having more material enables a greater number of tactical options. Reserved Occupations After their successful conquest of Greece in April 1941, the Germans turned their attention to the island ofCrete. Rommels goal was more or less the same as Auchinlecks a few months before: funnel enemy armor into choke points so as to take away their mobility. The evidence shows that its main strength was its ability to evolve. Montgomery deduced that his initial thrust had failed, that the breach was blocked, and that he must devise a fresh plan, while giving his main striking forces a rest. World War II - Axis troops' retreat from North Africa | Britannica The leadership of the Eighth Army understood the context and Montgomery defined their purpose. As such, in 1942 new weapons and equipment were arriving in theatre; notably US Sherman tanks, Spitfire fighters, and 6 pounder guns. That the Eighth Army was close to its supply bases was a factor but does little to help explain how the Eighth Army exploited its advantage. Its capture would give them a useful base in the eastern Mediterranean and deny its use to the British. Taranto Raid French Riviera Landings Not to mention the psychological effect it would have had if they were to lose the Suez, control of the Suez would have also given the Germans almost unlimited access to the oil reserves of the Middle East. When the end eventually came to this seesaw action at El Alamein in 1942, again it was Australians who held the day; in this article well see this pivotal battle through their eyes. Second Battle of El Alamein Who was the winner of the Battle of El Alamein? Second Battle of El Alamein: Australia Forces a Breach On paper the two sides had the appearance of being evenly matched: each had 12 divisions, of which four were armoured. Cripps' Mission to India The overriding conclusion here is not that having more stuff guaranteed an Allied victory, as much of the historiography suggests. Despite this, the new Integrated Operating Concept protect phase is more focused on physical deterrence than the moral component.19 The Eighth Army example suggests that mindset is a key part of fighting power and that the British Army should look again at how to maximise it. Professional Military Education Needs Reform. Background on the Second Battle of El Alamein The 1942 summer campaign of the Italo-German army in Africa, led by Erwin Rommel, resulted in a series of astonishing successes.
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