The+Battle+of+El+Alamein

Battle of El Alamein
Jared Debruyckere

The Axis powers were about to take the crucial area of El Alamein. If the Axis took the area, Alexandria would be just 60 miles away, and Africa would eventually collapse. The area could not be surrounded, or surprised. It would have to meet the enemy head on for a victory. The Axis knew this, but they were confident that they would win. The Axis powers in Berlin and Rome were already celebrating their victory to come. It was supposed to be an easy victory. In the desert, there were always supply shortages. The troops definitely needed water. The British troops had enough water, but the Axis didn't. Every well around El Alamein was destroyed so the Axis had to transport their water to the area. Gasoline was also needed and vehicles and ammunition were necessities. It was a grudge match. . . Whoever could get the most supplies in would win. The British needed to keep their position there in El Alamein to thwart off German and Italian troops from the rest of Africa. The troops couldn't "dig" themselves in. The desert was to rough. The soldiers had to improvise with hiding behind walls and other land barriers. The Royal Air Force also played a key role in the battle. The RAF taunted the enemy from above. They met little resistance due to the fact that the German Luftwaffe was trying to hold off Russia. The RAF constantly dropped supplies to the British troops, and destroyed supply routes for the German and Italian soldiers. Lieutenant General Bernard L. Montgomery was head of the troops at El Alamein. Montgomery replaced Lieutenant General Gott, who was killed in a plane crash. The battle was about to begin. The enemy was lead by General Rommel, nicknamed the Desert Fox. He was a brilliant General, and so was Montgomery. The Germans booby trapped the areas around El Alamein and heavily mined the area. It was called the Devil's Garden. Montgomery decided to camouflage Sherman tanks and set up huge guns. He wanted surprise, and he didn't want the enemy to know what he was doing. On August of 1942, the defenses and offenses would be put to the test. General Rommel attacked. General Rommel's forces would break through the Qattara Depression... they would then head for Suez. The RAF 7th Armored Division attacked Rommel's ground forces. When Montgomery set up his camouflaged tanks, he hoped that Generel Rommel would run into his trap. General Rommel did. To the south of Alam el Halfa, the sand was looser, and the tanks stalled. The General finally threw his forces back to the original lines. On October 23, 1942, Montgomery decided to go on the offensive. At 9:40 p.m., the offensive started. The Battle of El Alamein was about to start. Thousands of shells were rained onto German positions. It was a perfect surprise attack, which caught the Germans and Italians completely off guard. The British had driven through the Axis lines eventually with light armor at the aid. Montgomery sent his armored and infantry divisions forward, leaving a reserve to stay behind just in case. Tons of Axis tanks lay in ruin and Italian planes were crumped by the British. The Italians found no means of escape. The Axis was in full retreat by November 4, 1942.