| 23 October – 4 November 1942 The Battle of El Alamein |
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| Ever since January 1942 German and Italian forces under the command
of General Erwin Rommel had been on the offensive in North Africa, and by the end of June they
had penetrated deep into British-held Egypt. Rommel’s brilliant string of successes stirred up
fears that the Axis might capture the Suez Canal, a critical Allied supply line between Europe
and Asia. Worse, an Axis conquest of Egypt could give the Germans access to the precious oil reserves
of the Middle East, and even opened up the possibility of combined German-Japanese operations against
India. Clearly, British military planners concluded, Rommel had to be stopped.
Allied fortunes began to change in mid-August, after General Bernard Law Montgomery took command of British Eighth Army in Egypt. By this time the Eighth Army had formed a defensive perimeter near the town of El Alamein, and at the end of August Rommel launched the first of several attempts to dislodge them. After these ended in failure Rommel, who had been suffering from health problems, flew to Europe for a rest. In his absence Montgomery launched a full-scale attack against the Germans and Italians. Rommel rushed back to resume command over his forces, but the initiative had clearly passed to the British. By the end of October the Axis was in full retreat, and early the next month the Germans and Italians were driven out of Egypt altogether. History: Campaign Map: Photographs: |
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