BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN

The Second Battle of El Alamein 1942

The Second Battle of El Alamein 1942

Introduction

The Second Battle of El Alamein was the turning point of war in North Africa during World War II. The battle was a continuation of the First Battle of El Alamein, which had stopped the advancing forces of the Afrika Korps. General Bernard Montgomery had taken command of the British Eighth Army, displacing Claude Auchinleck in August 1942. Preparation for the Battle of El Alamein began in autumn 1942, when Italian-German troops were not far from Suez and Alexandria. Italian-German Panzer Army "Africa", under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, E. could not go on the offensive, as needed in recruiting personnel, materiel, weapons, ammunition, fuel. However, the German High Command because of heavy fighting ensued on the Soviet-German front would go to Africa only a small number of weapons and equipment, and the small number of transports, which is directed from the Italian ports in North Africa, was subjected to continuous impact of Anglo-American Aviation. The essay will seek to answer the thesis statement that significant force ration is essential to break a fortified line.

During September, only two thirds of Italian ships arrived in the Mediterranean Sea to the destination in October - only one-third, with a single tanker. In Powers of troops of the "axis" of fuel tanks possessed by three gas stations, but not 30, as expected. Meanwhile, the British 8th Army through the Suez Canal to receive people and materiel. In October, when the 8th Army was preparing to strike at the enemy army of Rommel consisted of 8 and 4 Italian-German divisions, including four tanks and two motorized brigades and a parachute. In total, there were about 80 thousand people, 540 tanks, including 280 old Italian, 1219 guns and 350 aircraft. The army kept the 60 kilometer line southwest of El Alamein. With these forces, Rommel opposed the 10th, which was Lt. Gen. H. Lumsden, 12th Lieutenant-General B. Horrocks, 30th Lieutenant-General Oleg Liz Corps British 8th Army - 10 divisions and 4 individual teams, including three armored divisions and two armored brigades. The paper will discuss key events of the battle, their causes and effects, lessons learned and current doctrine.

Discussion

Montgomery had planned to deliver the main blow to the law, maritime flank. Main group of the army was to break through enemy defenses on a 9-kilometer stretch of the 30 Corps, which had in the first echelon of four divisions, and then typing in the second echelon of the Army battle - the 10th Corps, to develop the success and in conjunction with the compounds 30 - Corps to complete the rout of the main forces of the army "Africa" (Vivian, 2000). Auxiliary blow was delivered by the right wing of the Italian-German troops by the 13th Corps, and the 7th Armored Division, to tie down the 21 Panzer Division and the enemy to mislead it regarding the main attack, even before the attack to deceive the enemy Montgomery built ...