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The Campaign for North Africa: The Battle of El Alamein "Strategically and psychologically, El Alamein ranks as a decisive battle of World War II. It initiated the Axis decline. The victory saved the Suez Canal, was a curtain-raiser for the Anglo-American invasion of North Africa 4 days later, and was a prelude to the debacle of Stalingrad. Allied morale soared, particularly in the British Empire, proud to have at long last a victorious army and general; Axis morale correspondingly dipped. Hitlers order that Rommel should stand fast (rescinded 48 hours later, after the Desert Fox had already started to withdraw) contributed to the ruin of Rommel's army. " El Alamein appears to be nothing but an inconsequential village; an insignificant waypoint across the barren desert landscape of North Africa. Yet, the seemingly irrelevant piece of land would come to witness the single greatest battle of the North African campaign battle that ranks among the greatest of World War II.
The time is 1942 - the past two years have seen the advance of Axis powers across North Africa. Allied forces suffered loss after loss as the Germans and Italians pushed easterly towards the jewel of North Africa: Egypt. Egypt marked the gateway to the rich oil resources of the Middle East Field Marshall Rommel, Commander of Panzerarmee Afrika, could destroy the Allied forces, Egypt would be in Hitlers hands. The oil resources of the Middle East were of particular importance to Hitler, whose supplies were dwindling.
They were so desperate for oil that as well as influencing their tactical decisions, the Germans were having to eke out their stockpile by producing fuel synthetically from coal. If the Nazis could seize control of the great oil reservoirs of Iraq and Iran, the balance could shift overnight. Oil was not the only prize for an Axis victory, however. Conquering Egypt would separate Britains direct sea line to India. Because the Suez Canal was so strategically important, Japan, victorious in southeast Asia, could conceivably join forces with a German army in control of the Middle East. Indeed, victory here and now might well decide the whole war.
The consequences of a German-Japanese controlled Middle East were ominous: Axis forces could conceivably outflank the Russians and heartily defeat them. El Alamein is located 50 miles west of Alexandria, on the coastal railway of Media March. El Alamein marks the northern boundary of the 40 -mile wide corridor through the Western Desert to Cairo. The southern boundary of the corridor is Qarat al Himeimat. South of Qarat al Himeimat lays the Qattara Depression, a salt marsh 400 feet below sea level that stretches southwesterly towards Siwa for 200 miles. Stretching south and west from Siwa is the Great Sand Sea, filled with dunes that make it virtually impassible.
The areas unusual topography made for a bottleneck effect: most experts thought El Alamein to be the last defendable place in the Western Desert. Indeed, west of Alamein, the desert opens up and is highly traffic able. The weather of the Western Desert is what one would expect: daytime temperatures are extremely high (near 120 degrees Fahrenheit), but nighttime temperatures are as low as fifty degrees. The intense heat of the afternoon causes mirages and therefore, makes reconnaissance inaccurate or impossible.
Sandstorms are common, usually springing up about an hour before sundown. The lack of significant landmarks, combined with the absence of light, made navigation extremely difficult and was known to cause disorientation and fear. It is relevant to note here, that the soldiers who participated in the North African campaign were rationed 1 gallon of water a day. This water was to be used for cooking, cleaning, vehicles, and what was left was for drinking. Supply played an essential role in the battle. The Axis powers supply route went from Sicily or Italy to the main base in Tripoli with little resistance from the Royal Navy.
The Axis forces, however, were at a disadvantage as they moved westerly across the desert: El Alamein was 1, 400 miles from their main base. The length of the supply route began to cause logistical problems and influenced Rommel's tactical decisions. For instance, Rommel knew that until he had sufficient gasoline and supply caches, he would have to remain on the defensive, which entailed that he not use the sweeping flanking maneuvers which had made him successful. On October 23, 1942, the Axis had available 104, 000 soldiers, 489 tanks, 1219 guns, and 198 planes.
This equaled eight infantry and four armored divisions. Fuel, ammunition, and other supplies were extremely short. Additionally, the Axis powers lacked any forces capable of intervening. Hitler was concurrently deeply committed in Russia and would not commit additional forces in Egypt. The Allied supplied route, however was much longer. Supplies were shipped from the British Isles through the southern route: the ships passed the Cape of Good Hope and came back through the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Once supplies were in Egypt, however, it was but a quick jaunt to Alamein. At the onset of the battle, the Allies had three Army Corps: seven infantry and three armored divisions with seven additional armored brigades. This equaled roughly 220, 000 men, 1350 tanks, 2311 guns and more than 1, 000 planes. Fuel and ammunition were plentiful. It is obvious that the Allies had the numerical advantage.
In addition to the numerical advantage that the Allies possessed, they also had better equipment. The American Grant and Sherman tanks were vastly superior to the older German Panzers, although they had a high profile unsuitable for desert warfare. The Germans had obtained a few of the new Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks, but they were rendered inconsequential by the numerical disparities. General Montgomery was the Commander of the British Commonwealths eighth Army, under General Alexander, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East. General Montgomery had replaced Claude Auchinleck at the behest of Winston Churchill who believed that Auchinlecks performance had been unacceptable.
Also under the auspices of the 8 th Army were New Zealand, Australian, Indian, and South African divisions. Field Marshall Rommel, Commander of Panzerarmee Afrika, had become ill immediately before the battle, and had flown back to Germany for medical treatment. General Hans Summer, who had temporarily replaced Rommel, was therefore in charge at the onset of the battle. The Battle of El Alamein was carefully planned by General Montgomery, who, after the Battle of Alam Half, refused to launch a counter-attack until the eighth Army was stabilized. Montgomery, therefore, was forced to postpone the battle until after September 1942. Montgomery also required that the operation must occur in conjunction with a full moon, in order to give light for night operations in penetrating German defenses.
The next full moon was to occur on October 24, so Montgomery planned Operation Lightfoot for 23 October, in order to have as many moonlit nights as possible. The Operation would also coincide with General Eisenhower's assault of Free...
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