The Campaign For North Africa: The Battle Of El Alamein Essay, Research Paper

The Campaign for North Africa: The Battle of El Alamein

& # 8220 ; Strategically and psychologically, El Alamein ranks as a decisive conflict of World War II. It initiated the Axis diminution. The triumph saved the Suez Canal, was a curtain-raiser for the Anglo-American invasion of North Africa 4 yearss subsequently, and was a preliminary to the fiasco of Stalingrad. Allied morale soared, peculiarly in the British Empire, proud to hold at long last a winning ground forces and general ; Axis morale correspondingly dipped. Hitler? s order that Rommel should stand fast ( rescinded 48 hours subsequently, after the? Desert Fox? had already started to retreat ) contributed to the ruin of Rommel? s army. & # 8221 ;

El Alamein appears to be nil but an inconsequential small town ; an undistinguished waypoint across the waste desert landscape of North Africa. Yet, the apparently irrelevant piece of land would come to witness the individual greatest conflict of the North African run? a conflict that ranks among the greatest of World War II.

The clip is 1942- the past two old ages have seen the progress of Axis powers across North Africa. Allied forces suffered loss after loss as the Germans and Italians pushed easterly towards the gem of North Africa: Egypt. Egypt marked the gateway to the rich oil resources of the Middle East? if Field Marshall Rommel, Commander of Panzerarmee Afrika, could destruct the Allied forces, Egypt would be in Hitler? s custodies. The oil resources of the Middle East were of peculiar importance to Hitler, whose supplies were dwindling. They were so despairing for oil that every bit good as act uponing their tactical determinations, ? the Germans were holding to eke out their reserve by bring forthing fuel synthetically from coal. If the Nazi? s could prehend control of the great oil reservoirs of Iraq and Iran, the balance could switch overnight. ?

Oil was non the lone award for an Axis triumph, nevertheless. Suppressing Egypt would divide Britain? s direct sea line to India. Because the Suez Canal was so strategically of import, ? Japan, winning in southeast Asia, could conceivably fall in forces with a German ground forces in control of the Middle East. Indeed, triumph here and now might good make up one’s mind the whole war. ? The effects of a German-Japanese controlled Middle East were baleful: Axis forces could conceivably go around the Russians and heartily get the better of them.

El Alamein is located 50 stat mis west of Alexandria, on the coastal railroad of Mersa Matruh. El Alamein marks the northern boundary of the 40-mile broad 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 fen 400 pess below sea degree that stretches southwesterly towards Siwa for 200 stat mis. Stretching south and west from Siwa is the Great Sand Sea, filled with dunes that make it virtually impassible. The countries unusual topography made for a constriction consequence: most experts thought El Alamein to be the last defensible topographic point in the Western Desert. Indeed, west of Alamein, the desert opens up and is extremely trafficable.

The conditions of the Western Desert is what one would anticipate: daytime temperatures are highly high ( near 120 grades Fahrenheit ) , but nighttime temperatures are every bit low as 50 grades. The intense heat of the afternoon causes mirages and hence, makes reconnaissance inaccurate or impossible. Dust storms are common, normally jumping up about an hr before sunset. The deficiency of important landmarks, combined with the absence of visible radiation, made pilotage highly hard and was known to do freak out and fright. It is relevant to observe here, that the soldiers who participated in the North African run were rationed 1 gallon of H2O a twenty-four hours. This H2O was to be used for cookery, cleansing, vehicles, and what was left was for imbibing.

Supply played an indispensable function in the conflict. The Axis powers? supply path went from Sicily or Italy to the chief base in Tripoli with small opposition from the Royal Navy. The Axis forces, nevertheless, were at a disadvantage as they moved westerly across the desert: El Alamein was 1,400 stat mis from their chief base. The length of the supply path began to do logistical jobs and influenced Rommel? s tactical determinations. For case, Rommel knew that until he had sufficient gasolene and supply caches, he would hold to stay on the defensive, which entailed that he non utilize the sweeping flanking manuevers which had made him successful. On October 23, 1942, the Axis had available 104,000 soldiers, 489 armored combat vehicles, 1219 guns, and 198 planes. This equaled eight foot and four armoured divisions. Fuel, ammo, and other supplies were highly short. Additionally, the Axis powers lacked any forces capable of step ining. Hitler was at the same time profoundly committed in Russia and would non perpetrate extra forces in Egypt.

The Allied supplied path, nevertheless was much longer. Supplies were shipped from the British Isles through the southern path: 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, nevertheless, it was but a speedy excursion to Alamein. At the oncoming of the conflict, the Allies had three Army Corps: seven foot and three armored divisions with seven extra armoured brigades. This equaled approximately 220,000 work forces, 1350 armored combat vehicles, 2311 guns and more than 1,000 planes. Fuel and ammo were plentiful. It is obvious that the Allies had the numerical advantage.

In add-on to the numerical advantage that the Allies possessed, they besides had better equipment. The American Grant and Sherman armored combat vehicles were immensely 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 armored combat vehicles, but they were rendered inconsequential by the numerical disparities.

General Montgomery was the Commander of the British Commonwealth? s 8th Army, under General Alexander, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East. General Montgomery had replaced Claude Auchinleck at the behest of Winston Churchill who believed that Auchinleck? s public presentation had been unacceptable. Besides under the protections of the 8th Army were New Zealand, Australian, Indian, and South African divisions.

Field Marshall Rommel, Commander of Panzerarmee Afrika, had become sick instantly before the conflict, and had flown back to Germany for medical intervention. General Hans Stumme, who had temporarily replaced Rommel, was hence in charge at the oncoming of the conflict.

The Battle of El Alamein was carefully planned by General Montgomery, who, after the Battle of Alam Halfa, refused to establish a counter-attack until the 8th Army was stabilized. Montgomery, hence, was forced to prorogue the conflict until after September 1942. Montgomery besides required that the operation must happen in concurrence with a full Moon, ? in order to give visible radiation for dark operations in perforating German defenses. ? The following full Moon was to happen on October 24, so Montgomery planned Operation Lightfoot for 23 October, in order to hold every bit many moony darks as possible. The Operation would besides co-occur with General Eisenhower? s assault of Gallic North Africa, pod

e-named? Torch. ? During the readyings for the conflict, the Royal Air Force established complete air high quality and subjected Axis forces to escalating penalty.

General Montgomery planned the conflict in three phases: the interruption in, the dogfight, and the interruption out. Montgomery planned to utilize diversionary tactics to bespeak that he would assail in the South, pulling forces off from the strongly held North, so massing Allied forces in the North. On 23 October, the break-in stage of the conflict began when 1000 British guns opened up along a six stat mi forepart in the North.

Twenty proceedingss subsequently, at about 10 PM local clip, the 30 struck the North, while to the South, the 13th Corps began a diversionary onslaught near the Qattara Depression. Four hours subsequently, the 10th Armored Corps advanced through two corridors in the minefields that had been cleared by the 30 Corps Infantry. The Italians resisted, and the 15th Panzer Division launched a counter-attack that about wholly halted British advancement. Although, the diversionary tactics of the violative had succeeded in binding up the 21st Panzer Division in the South, the aims of the operation had non been wholly met. Several minefields remained ill-defined throughout the dark:

When daytime came on the forenoon of October 24th, the British had bitten a deep ball out of the enemy defence zone, but they had failed their intent, which was to acquire through to the unfastened desert on the other side of Miteiriya Ridge. For that ground, lanes could non be cleared right through the minefields for the tenth Corps. Alternatively, the Corps? armored combat vehicles and trucks found themselves stuck in dead-end waies behind the foot. All through the daytime hours, the tenth Corps land easy frontward along the narrow waies in the minefields? radiators boiling, vehicles jammed together under barbarous German fire.

The Germans had won the first portion of the conflict. Yet, during the stage, General Hans Stumme, moving Commander of Panzerarmee Afrika, died of a bosom onslaught and Rommel flew back and resumed bid. Soon after returning ( October 27th ) , Rommel launched an assault when the Sun was low in the West and would blind the British artillerymans. This assault was bootless, nevertheless as the 21st and 15th Panzer Divisions fell prey to the Royal Air Force? s incessant bombardment. This was considered the turning point of the conflict.

Rommel, excessively, acknowledged that the conflict was all but over. He informed Hitler that the best thing to make would be to withdraw every bit strategically as possible to avoid a decisive licking. In a now historical answer, Hitler ordered Rommel to support El Alamein: ? You can demo your military personnels no manner but the 1 that leads to triumph or decease. ?

By this clip, the 2nd stage of the conflict, codification named Operation Supercharge, was in full swing. The chief advancement of this stage was made by the 9th Australian Division in the coastal sector. The Australian menace was so great that Rommel was forced to perpetrate his militias to the North to incorporate them. The Allied forces took advantage of Rommel? s committedness and planned an assault for November 1st. The program was to perforate the country South of the Australian sector, and so split the Axis forces into two by traveling behind the enemy defenses into the unfastened desert. This onslaught was carried out by the 151st Brigade from the 50th British Division, and the 152nd Brigade, while the Maori ( New Zealand ) Battalion would unclutter an enemy place on the wing.

The concluding stage of the conflict began at one O? clock in the forenoon on 2 November. A enormous heavy weapon bombardment began as 150,000 unit of ammunitions were fired on a 400-yard forepart during the following four hours. This amazing event produced a great ruddy freshness in the sky. The battleground was shrouded with great clouds of dust that had been churned up by 100s of vehicles traveling, and the air was full of the pungent odor of cordite fume. The first aims were taken at about 4 am. Two hours subsequently the concluding aims had fallen and were being consolidated. The Maori Battalion had cleared the enemy flank places with barbarous bayonet charges, and had linked with the Australians. Just before morning, the three armored regiments of the 9th Armored Brigade passed through to go on the onslaught.

In malice of a strong anti-tank screen that inflicted heavy losingss, the enemy line was resolutely broken. A Panzer counter-attack was launched in the afternoon, but was met by the 1st and 10th British Armored Divisions and repelled with heavy losingss. An armoured auto regiment, the Royal Dragoons, had broken through the enemy lines and was runing in the rear, cutting telephone lines and destructing supply mopess. The tenth Corps was winning.

On November 2 and 3, the conflict continued, but Rommel? s forces were now get downing a headlong retreat contrary to Hitler? s orders. On 4 November, the Allies began to trail the Axis forces, while the Desert Air Force inflicted heavy losingss upon Axis convoys. Rommel was headed towards El Agheila, but was forced back to Tripoli after larning of Eisenhower? s North African landings. The landings meant that Rommel would hold to travel all the dorsum to Tripoli to support his base, and that the supplies and supports that he was in desperate demand of were diverted to Tunisia. In Rommel? s ain words, ? this spelled the terminal of the ground forces in Africa. ?

Indeed, the conflict of El Alamein was a decisive triumph for the Allies? the first such triumph of the war. The Axis forces suffered the loss of 59,000 work forces who were killed, wounded, or captured, 34,000 of who were German. Rommel besides lost 500 armored combat vehicles, 400 guns, and a great measure of vehicles. Conversely, the Allies had 13,000 work forces killed, wounded, or losing, while 432 armored combat vehicles were destroyed.

The Allied triumph opened the door for the invasions of Sicily and Italy ( conducted by the 8th Army ) , and ensured the success of Eisenhower? s North African landings. The triumph besides assured that the fuel supplies of the Germans would stay low ; the brilliant oil Fieldss of Iraq and Iran would non fall under Hitler? s control. The result besides prevented the autumn of India and of the full African continent.

El Alamein changed the balance of power in World War II. The conflict marked the beginning of the successful Allied runs and the diminution of the Axis powers. Analysis of Hitler? s order that Rommel remain in topographic point shows Hitler? s planetary over-commitment, and foreshadowed the result of the war. Indeed, the Battle of El Alamein was one of the most of import of World War II.

Bibliography

Plants Referenced

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2. Carver, Michael. El Alamein. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1962.

3. ? El Alamein. ?

4. Falla, P.S. Germany and the Second World War-Volume III: The Mediterranean, South-east Europe, and North Africa. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995.

5. Montgomery, Field Marshal The Viscount of Alamein. El Alamein to the River Sangro. London: Hutchinson & A ; Company, unknown day of the month.

6. Phillips, C.E. Lucas. Alamein. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1962.

7. Strawson, John. The Battle for North Africa. New York: Charles Scribner? s Sons, 1969.