El Alamein.
Soldiers pay their respects to those lost at El Alamein.
- El (Al) Alamein was a small, coastal railway town about 150 miles outside of Cairo. It was in this town that Claude Auchinleck, the British Commander-in-Chief, decided to place the main defensive post for the Allies during the Axis offensive, headed by German officer Erwin Rommel. This particular location was chosen largely due to its position relative to the nearby Qattara Depression, which would have inhibited the Axis forces' flanking, forcing them to take a route deep into the Sahara. The first commander of the Eighth Army had given way to Rommel's last significant victory at the Battle of Mersa Matruh. Auchinleck, commander was replaced by Bernard Montgomery. On August 30, 1942 the Afrika Korps, led by Rommel, attacked at Alam el Halfal and was defeated by the British, who later were sent to reinforce their defensive line located between the Qattara Depression and the Coast. The Germans were unable to make any further advances at this point. It was at this point that the availability of supplies was a tremendous advantage to the Allied forces. Montgomery took advantage of the German's inability to advance by stocking up on weapons to ensure that when Rommel did attack, the British would have the advantage of firepower. On October 23, the British launched the largest artillery strike in the war while Rommel was on leave in Austria. Rommel's replacement died of heart-attack the day after the onslaught. Another replacement was enlisted by the Fuhrer Hitler after he ordered Rommel to return to the battlefield. Montgomery ordered the Eighth Army's departure from the attack due to lack of progress. Rommel returned and launched a counter-offensive, putting the British back on the defensive lines. On November 1, 1942, the Afrika Korps was attacked by Montgomery's battalion at Kidney Ridge; Rommel was forced to retreat because of his lack of provisions. Hitler did not agree with his commander's reasoning and ordered his return to the fight. When the Germans returned to the battle, they were overwhelmed by the British, and Rommel was forced to retreat, leaving his men on the front lines where many of them were taken prisoner. With only the aid of a hindering rain-storm, the Germans were able to evade the Eighth Army and retreat to the Egypt-Libya border with their remaining provisions. At about the same time, General Dwight D. Eisenhower led the invasion of Morocco and Algeria, pitting the Germans against two Allied forces on the North African Campaign. The British would soon retake Tobruk virtually ending the battle at El Alamein, a pivotal point during the Second World War.