Battle for egypt
Prelude
Alamein was itself a small railway station with little significance, however as a defensive position it was ideal for the Allies. Between the sea and the dunes of the Qattara Depression to the South, Rommel would be unable to use his preferred tactic of encirclement. Alamein had already been identified as a potential defensive position and the construction of four large “boxes”- large fortified areas with minefields and barbed wire defences had been started some time before. When the battle became imminent, however, the defences were incomplete and the 8th Army scrambled to complete them before the Axis troops arrived. The plan was for these boxes to serve as strong points while mobile brigades held the areas between them.
Armies
The state of the two armies was hardly awe inspiring. Although they were undoubtedly winning the Desert War, the Axis was losing the naval battle of the Mediterranean and this, along with their rapid advances, had greatly weakened their supply lines. Like their Allied counterparts, the Afrika Korps were worn out after long months in deserts with little sleep or relief from the hostile conditions of the desert.
The 8th Army was if anything in a worse state. Morale was low after a string of defeats, most recently the chaotic retreat from Mersa Matruh, from which the army was still reorganizing. Freyberg described their condition as “deplorable... they [the 8th Army] were a rabble”. No one was confident in their ability to hold the El Alamein line, including their own commander. Auchinleck made plans to retreat and ordered the construction of further defences even further into Egypt. The panic had even spread to Cairo, where civilian offices burnt hundreds of documents, fearing German invasion at any minute. However, the Allies did have one massive advantage, which was Ultra. This allowed them to stay one step ahead of the Germans and would play a large factor in the battle.
The Battle Begins
The fighting began on the 1st of July, 1942, when the German 90th Light, attempting a similar strategy as they had at Mersa Matruh, attempted to flank the line and was engaged by the 1st South African Division and the 15th and 21st Panzer, who were meant to attack XIII Corps, but were pinned down by weather and air attacks, halting the initial German attack. The next day the Germans attempted an attack Ruweisat Ridge but were held off by artillery and the defensive British “Robcol” formation which allowed the Ridge to be reinforced that night. Italian tanks made slightly more progress over the next two days, but were also thwarted by similar tactics and suffered heavy casualties.
Rommel now called a halt to offensive operations until further supplies could be brought up, but this was hampered by frequent air raids on the already fragile supply lines. Now Auchinleck went on the offensive and Australian and South African troops made gains into the Axis territory, taking Tel el Eisa and Tel el Makh Khad respectively. On the 14th July, New Zealand and Indian troops attacked Ruweisat Ridge in Operation Bacon. Over three days, they made significant advances against multiple counterattacks, however they had left behind pockets of resistance that made it impossible for them to maintain their position without British tank support which, rather typically, had failed due to poor communication. Ultimately, these factors meant that a German counterattack on the 16th drove back the 4th Brigade and captured around 380 men, (making a total of 1405 casualties over the three days) including Charles Upham, who won his second Victoria Cross of the war for his heroic actions in taking out several German weapons and tanks despite being seriously injured. However, this victory had cost the Germans over 2000 of their own men.
Allied Offensive
Now with the upper hand and able to build up a numerical advantage due to his shorter supply lines, Auchinleck sought to renew the fighting at Ruweisat and solidify his hold on the Ridge, which offered a considerable advantage to the side that held it due to the altitude and opportunities for observation it offered. An attack by the New Zealand 6th Brigade on the 21st of July made considerable gains and captured several key positions, including the El Mreir depression but due to the failure of the British armoured support to arrive in time the Brigade suffered massive casualties in a German counterattack and was all but destroyed, a further 900 casualties for the NZ Division.
The next attack was made by the Australians on the 22nd of July as they attacked Tel el Eisa and Tel el Makh Khad for the second time, taking casualties as heavy as 50% but securing their objectives. Once again, however, the British tanks failed to follow through with promised support and a German counterattack overran the Allied positions. Rommel, however, knew that he had by this point lost the chance for a quick dash to the Delta, and the high rates of attrition meant that he was reluctant to pursue further attacks. It was the 27th of July, and the First Battle of El Alamein had come to an end.
Alamein was itself a small railway station with little significance, however as a defensive position it was ideal for the Allies. Between the sea and the dunes of the Qattara Depression to the South, Rommel would be unable to use his preferred tactic of encirclement. Alamein had already been identified as a potential defensive position and the construction of four large “boxes”- large fortified areas with minefields and barbed wire defences had been started some time before. When the battle became imminent, however, the defences were incomplete and the 8th Army scrambled to complete them before the Axis troops arrived. The plan was for these boxes to serve as strong points while mobile brigades held the areas between them.
Armies
The state of the two armies was hardly awe inspiring. Although they were undoubtedly winning the Desert War, the Axis was losing the naval battle of the Mediterranean and this, along with their rapid advances, had greatly weakened their supply lines. Like their Allied counterparts, the Afrika Korps were worn out after long months in deserts with little sleep or relief from the hostile conditions of the desert.
The 8th Army was if anything in a worse state. Morale was low after a string of defeats, most recently the chaotic retreat from Mersa Matruh, from which the army was still reorganizing. Freyberg described their condition as “deplorable... they [the 8th Army] were a rabble”. No one was confident in their ability to hold the El Alamein line, including their own commander. Auchinleck made plans to retreat and ordered the construction of further defences even further into Egypt. The panic had even spread to Cairo, where civilian offices burnt hundreds of documents, fearing German invasion at any minute. However, the Allies did have one massive advantage, which was Ultra. This allowed them to stay one step ahead of the Germans and would play a large factor in the battle.
The Battle Begins
The fighting began on the 1st of July, 1942, when the German 90th Light, attempting a similar strategy as they had at Mersa Matruh, attempted to flank the line and was engaged by the 1st South African Division and the 15th and 21st Panzer, who were meant to attack XIII Corps, but were pinned down by weather and air attacks, halting the initial German attack. The next day the Germans attempted an attack Ruweisat Ridge but were held off by artillery and the defensive British “Robcol” formation which allowed the Ridge to be reinforced that night. Italian tanks made slightly more progress over the next two days, but were also thwarted by similar tactics and suffered heavy casualties.
Rommel now called a halt to offensive operations until further supplies could be brought up, but this was hampered by frequent air raids on the already fragile supply lines. Now Auchinleck went on the offensive and Australian and South African troops made gains into the Axis territory, taking Tel el Eisa and Tel el Makh Khad respectively. On the 14th July, New Zealand and Indian troops attacked Ruweisat Ridge in Operation Bacon. Over three days, they made significant advances against multiple counterattacks, however they had left behind pockets of resistance that made it impossible for them to maintain their position without British tank support which, rather typically, had failed due to poor communication. Ultimately, these factors meant that a German counterattack on the 16th drove back the 4th Brigade and captured around 380 men, (making a total of 1405 casualties over the three days) including Charles Upham, who won his second Victoria Cross of the war for his heroic actions in taking out several German weapons and tanks despite being seriously injured. However, this victory had cost the Germans over 2000 of their own men.
Allied Offensive
Now with the upper hand and able to build up a numerical advantage due to his shorter supply lines, Auchinleck sought to renew the fighting at Ruweisat and solidify his hold on the Ridge, which offered a considerable advantage to the side that held it due to the altitude and opportunities for observation it offered. An attack by the New Zealand 6th Brigade on the 21st of July made considerable gains and captured several key positions, including the El Mreir depression but due to the failure of the British armoured support to arrive in time the Brigade suffered massive casualties in a German counterattack and was all but destroyed, a further 900 casualties for the NZ Division.
The next attack was made by the Australians on the 22nd of July as they attacked Tel el Eisa and Tel el Makh Khad for the second time, taking casualties as heavy as 50% but securing their objectives. Once again, however, the British tanks failed to follow through with promised support and a German counterattack overran the Allied positions. Rommel, however, knew that he had by this point lost the chance for a quick dash to the Delta, and the high rates of attrition meant that he was reluctant to pursue further attacks. It was the 27th of July, and the First Battle of El Alamein had come to an end.