BATTLE STORY: EL ALAMEIN, 1942 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Pier Paolo Battistelli | 160 pages | 30 Apr 2012 | The History Press Ltd | 9780752462028 | English | Stroud, United Kingdom Battle Story: El Alamein, 1942 PDF Book On 2 July, Rommel ordered the resumption of the offensive. Berlin radio claimed that in this sector the "British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. Western Desert Campaign. Barr, Niall []. Rommel had also interspersed formations from the Trieste and 15th Panzer Divisions to "corset" his weaker forces in the front line. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press. Montgomery expected a day battle in three stages: the break-in, the dogfight and the final breaking of the enemy. Compounding the disaster at El Mreir, at the commander of 23rd Armoured Brigade ordered his brigade forward, intent on following his orders to the letter. They were then counter-attacked by 21st Panzer at and forced to withdraw. The plan was for 2nd Armoured Brigade to pass round the north of Woodcock the following dawn and 24th Armoured Brigade round the south of Snipe. The initial thrust of Supercharge was to be carried out by the 2nd New Zealand Division. Print Cite. The Panzer Army was probing for a weakness, but without success. At this point, Montgomery ordered the X Corps formations in the Woodcock-Snipe area to go over to defence while he focused his army's attack further to the north. This unit had provided Rommel with priceless intelligence , gleaned from intercepting British radio communications. Apr 06, Luke Sayer rated it did not like it. Main article: Operation Bertram. HMSO ]. The division had left behind a panzergrenadier regiment which would bolster the Trieste Division which had been ordered forward to replace it. Late on 27 October, the British rd Brigade was sent forward to recover lost positions but the next day, a good part of this force was overrun by German and Italian tanks from the Littorio and supporting 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and several hundred British soldiers were captured. Dejected and fed up it only took one incident to spark a mutiny.?? To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. This was not true, however, for both Italy and Britain which, since then, focused their efforts on both the Western Desert and the Mediterranean, where a decisive battle was fought to keep the sea lanes open in order to reinforce and supply the Axis forces. Italian anti-aircraft battery at Marsa Matrouh in June of Montgomery decided that the planned advance southward from Miteirya Ridge by the New Zealanders would be too costly and instead decided that XXX Corps—while keeping firm hold of Miteirya—should strike northward toward the coast with 9th Australian Division. Bernard Montgomery, referring to the mistakes of the British armoured forces during the First Battle of El Alamein [ citation needed ]. The British had stopped his drive to overrun Egypt and seize the canal. Showing From El Alamein to Tunisia he fought with the 8th Army as they finally pushed Rommel back to the sea. Valentine tanks as well as carriers, which mines and anti-tank guns soon brought to grief, forcing the infantry to dismount. While forces were withdrawn from the Mediterranean, the Western Desert was to turn into one of the decisive theatres of war. A further attempt in daylight succeeded in breaking into the position but intense fire from three sides resulted in control being lost as the commanding officer was killed, and four of his senior officers were wounded or went missing. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. The counter-attack failed under a blanket of shells and bombs, resulting in a loss of some tanks. Start your review of Battle Story: El Alamein Wellington: Historical Publications Branch. Although enjoying some advantages, Rommel's forces now faced an Eighth Army onslaught that might not just simply dislodge the Axis forces from their positions, but rather completely destroy them. It was a difficult task that was not achieved because of the depth of the Axis minefields. On 27 August, Kesselring promised Rommel that supplies would arrive in time but Westphal pointed out that such an expectation would be unrealistic and the offensive should not begin until they had arrived. Three renowned experts each take up one of these crucial engagements. Thus, having secured the sea lanes of supply, the Axis forces would have been able to plan a future offensive into Egypt. Malta, was vital to the war in the Western Desert since, given the role it played in strangling the Axis sea routes, only its neutralisation could re-open the supply lines. Average rating 3. Battle Story: El Alamein, 1942 Writer The tank unit had not been trained in close infantry support and failed to co-ordinate with the Australian infantry. We have only one choice and that is to fight to the end at Alamein. London: Orbis. The newly formed British Eighth Army managed not only to relieve Tobruk, but also to inflict severe losses on Rommel's Panzer Army Africa, which on 8 December started a withdrawal west, back to their April starting positions. German minefields proved a greater obstacle than had been initially reckoned, and when…. Get A Copy. On seeing Brigadier Currie asleep on a stretcher, he approached him saying, "Sorry to wake you John, but I'd like to know where your tanks are? For a while it seemed that the Axis might bring the British offensive to a halt. From El Alamein to Tunisia he fought with the 8th Army as they finally pushed Rommel back to the sea. So now it had come, the thing we had done everything in our power to avoid — our front broken and the fully motorised enemy streaming into our rear. Explanations for the remarkable change of fortune have generally been sought in the abrasive personality of the new army commander Lieutenant- General Bernard Law Montgomery. Munich: List Verlag. Mythos Rommel in German. Bharucha, P. External Websites. We all realise that for armour to attack a wall of guns sounds like another Balaclava , it is properly an infantry job. The Hinge of Fate. They then took part in the conquest of Sicily and later, following behind the D-Day landings, advanced into Germany, fighting several vicious battles in the final days of the war. Bibliography Category Index Portal. MTNWishlist added it Jul 09, War Diaries — rev. As a consequence, the orders for the armour were changed and 2nd Armoured Brigade was tasked to support the forward battalion of rd Lorried Brigade 2nd King's Royal Rifle Corps and 8th Armoured Brigade was to push south-west. Download as PDF Printable version. Tobruk and El Alamein. The book is notable for the sheer amount of front line action. The Eighth Army had suffered over 13, casualties in July, including 4, in the 2nd New Zealand Division, 3, in the 5th Indian Infantry Division and 2, battle casualties in the 9th Australian Division but had taken 7, prisoners and inflicted heavy damage on Axis men and machines. This Day In History. Jeff King is currently reading it Sep 16, Neither position was altered. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. The condition of Britain's forces at the time reveals the true extent of the missed opportunity; with the bulk of her army badly mauled at Dunkerque, Britain could only rely on the 7th Armoured Division the other division in the area, 6th Infantry, was used to create the headquarters HQ of the Western Desert Force , and on those Imperial, Commonwealth and Dominion forces that became available. The morning of Saturday 24 October brought disaster for the German headquarters. Early on 27 June, resuming its advance, the 90th Light was checked by British 50th Division's artillery. Barr, Niall []. After seven days of fierce fighting, the battle in the north for Tel el Eisa salient petered out. The nd Infantry Brigade was mistakenly told the Axis had withdrawn from their objectives and unexpectedly met determined resistance. To the south, on 5 July the New Zealand group resumed its advance northwards towards El Mreir intending to cut the rear of the Ariete Division. Lucas, James Sydney British figures, based on Ultra intercepts, gave German casualties as 1, killed, 3, wounded and 8, men captured. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice. On 11 December, Montgomery launched the 51st Highland Division along the line of the coast road with the 7th Armoured Division on the inland flank. At dawn, 2nd Armoured Brigade moved up in support but before contact could be made 4th Royal Sussex were counter-attacked and overrun with many losses. Battle Story: El Alamein, 1942 Reviews The newly formed British Eighth Army managed not only to relieve Tobruk, but also to inflict severe losses on Rommel's Panzer Army Africa, which on 8 December started a withdrawal west, back to their April starting positions. It also includes analysis of the strategic decisions made by the generals. Diversions at Ruweisat Ridge in the centre and also the south of the line would keep the rest of the Axis forces from moving northwards. Auchinleck therefore made plans for a defensive battle. Friend Reviews. Rommel did not want the British armour to break out into the open because he had neither the strength of numbers nor fuel to match them in a battle of manoeuvre. The British had built a defensive line at El- Alamein because the Qattara Depression to the south was impassable to mechanized forces. Anti-tank mines would not be tripped by soldiers stepping on them since they were too light.