the battle of el alamein

By 15:00, the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment and part of 21st Panzer Division from the north and 33rd Reconnaissance Regiment and the Baade Group comprising elements from 15th Panzer Division from the south were in place under Lieutenant-General (General der Panzertruppe) Walther Nehring. [101], On 26/27 July, Auchinleck launched Operation Manhood in the northern sector in a final attempt to break the Axis forces. Dates: 23 October to 4 November 1942. He ordered his tanks north and he was then helped by nature. [73], The attack commenced at 23:00 on 14 July. Mussolini has given explicit orders that Italy's forces were to reach the city first. 4th New Zealand Brigade were still short of support weapons and also, by this time, ammunition. The Eighth Army had suffered over 13,000 casualties in July, including 4,000 in the 2nd New Zealand Division, 3,000 in the 5th Indian Infantry Division and 2,552 battle casualties in the 9th Australian Division but had taken 7,000 prisoners and inflicted heavy damage on Axis men and machines. The cause of the Italian defeat had its roots in the whole Italian military state and system, in their poor armament and in the general lack of interest in the war by many Italians, both officers and statesmen. A small column of armour, motorised infantry, and guns then set off to raid Deir el Abyad and caused a battalion of Italian infantry to surrender. This Italian failure frequently prevented the realisation of my plans. [60][61] The next day, 21. Panzer Army Africa Battle Report dated 29 June 1942 K.T.B. Variation exists due to sources and classifications. At first light, a detachment from 15th Panzer division's 8th Panzer Regiment launched a counter-attack against New Zealand 4th Brigade's 22nd Battalion. He expected to have to remain on the defensive for at least two weeks. On 29 June, he ordered XXX Corps—the 1st South African, 5th and 10th Indian divisions—to take the coastal sector on the right of the front and XIII Corps—the 2nd New Zealand Division and 4th Indian divisions—to be on the left. The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis forces (Germany and Italy) of the Panzer Army Africa (Panzerarmee Afrika) (which included the Afrika Korps under Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) Erwin Rommel) and Allied (British Imperial and Commonwealth) forces (Britain, British India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) of the Eighth Army (General Claude Auchinleck). Panzerdivision launched an attack against Point 33 and South African positions in the El Alamein box. Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy. "[72], The intention was for the 4th New Zealand Brigade and 5th New Zealand Brigade (on 4th Brigade's right) to attack north-west to seize the western part of the ridge and on their right the Indian 5th Infantry Brigade to capture the eastern part of the ridge in a night attack. [8] The 1st Armored Division had taken over 4th and 22nd Armoured Brigades from 7th Armoured Division which by this time had only three tank regiments (battalions) between them.[9]. [95] The 23rd Armoured Brigade was destroyed, with the loss of 40 tanks destroyed and 47 badly damaged. During the period 1 to 27 June the Desert Air Force flew nearly 15,400 sorties. [110], The battle was a stalemate, but it had halted the Axis advance on Alexandria (and then Cairo and ultimately the Suez Canal). [62] The attack was halted by intense artillery fire from the defenders. Then 2nd Armoured Brigade would pass through the centre of the infantry objectives to exploit toward Deir el Shein and the Miteirya Ridge. [16], Alamein itself was an inconsequential railway station on the coast. View production, box office, & company info. The Battle of El Alamein ended on 11 November 1942. [32] Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force (RAF) made heavy air attacks on the Axis units. [12] As the 21st Panzer moved on Minqar Qaim, the 2nd New Zealand Division found itself surrounded but broke out on the night of 27/28 June without serious losses and withdrew east. On the Axis side, numbers are more uncertain. Fought in Egypt, close to Alexandria, El Alamein was the first decisive, irreversible British victory over German ground forces, which, together with their Italian allies, were forced to retreat 1,500 miles to Tunisia.Rommel, short of fuel and against British air superiority, could not fight a mobile battle to balance Montgomery's superiority in combat troops. [18] Lieutenant-General William Norrie (General officer commanding [GOC] XXX Corps) organised the position and started to construct three defended "boxes". The two New Zealand brigades shortly before dawn on 15 July took their objectives, but minefields and pockets of resistance created disarray among the attackers. The fighting for Tel el Eisa was costly, but by the afternoon the Australians controlled the feature. George Armstrong Custer's love of the heroic traditions of the Calvary and his distaste with the coming of industrialization leads him to his destiny at the Little Big Horn. El Alamein 1942 is the story of exactly how a seemingly beaten and demoralized army turned near-defeat into victory in a little over four months of protracted and bloody fighting in the harsh North African desert and of the repercussions of the battle for the participants, for historians and in popular culture. At dusk, Nehring broke off the action. Auchinleck—although believing he could stop Rommel at Alamein—felt he could not ignore the possibility that he might once more be outmanoeuvred or outfought. A consensus lists 35,000 men captured, 15,000 wounded, and between 9,000-12,000 dead. [5][67] In his appreciation of 27 July, Auchinleck wrote that the Eighth Army would not be ready to attack again until mid-September at the earliest. The Second Battle of El Alamein, compared to previous desert battles, was conducted under unusual circumstances. [102][107] Meanwhile, 50th RTR supporting the Australians was having difficulty locating the minefield gaps made by Australian 2/24th Battalion. [76], Early on 16 July, Nehring renewed his attack. Having been driven east by Axis forces in 1942, the British had established a strong defensive line at El Alamein… The Australian 9th Division, led by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, … But it also shows how 'Alamein culture' saturated the post-war world, when archival sources mingled with film, novels, magazines, popular histories, and the rest of Alamein… 88–93 and p. 97, Panzer Army Africa Battle Report dated 22 July 1942 K.T.B. [7] Inland from X Corps would be XIII Corps with 5th Indian Infantry Division (with only one infantry brigade, 29th Indian, and two artillery regiments) around Sidi Hamza about 20 mi (32 km) inland, and the newly arrived 2nd New Zealand Division (short one brigade, the 6th, which had been left out of combat in case the division was captured and it would be needed to serve as the nucleus of a new division) at Minqar Qaim (on the escarpment 30 mi (48 km) inland) and 1st Armored Division in the open desert to the south. German Panzer tanks were severely hit by these and the rest were held up and became sitting targets for Allied fighter planes that could easily pick off tank after tank. [67], After seven days of fierce fighting, the battle in the north for Tel el Eisa salient petered out. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? [57] During the day, more than 1,000 Italian prisoners were taken. As it subsided, the troops began their advance. [96][99][100], Once more, the Eighth Army had failed to destroy Rommel's forces, despite its overwhelming superiority in men and equipment. [81], To relieve pressure on Ruweisat ridge, Auchinleck ordered the Australian 9th Division to make another attack from the north. The opening prologue states : June 1942, as general Erwin Rommel swept toward the Nile , the fall of Egypt and the capture of the Suez canal seems inevitable . Rommel was still determined to drive the British forces from the northern salient. At daylight, two British armoured brigades—2nd Armoured Brigade and the fresh 23rd Armoured Brigade—would sweep through the gap created by the infantry. [35] On 3 July, the RAF flew 780 sorties. Although it was a tactical victory, the battle was not the flashy victory that Churchill wanted and needed after near constant defeats in Europe and Africa since the beginning of the war. The First Battle of El Alamein was a battle in the Second World War. He concluded that his inferiority in armour after the Gazala defeat, meant he would be unable to prevent Rommel either breaking through his centre or enveloping his open left flank to the south in the same way he had at Gazala. The 15th Panzer were blocked by 4th Armoured and 7th Motor Brigades, but the 21st Panzer were ordered on to attack Minqar Qaim. [71] Signals intelligence was giving Auchinleck clear details of the Axis order of battle and force dispositions. Once again, however, a critical situation for the Axis forces was retrieved by vigorous counter-attacks from hastily assembled German and Italian forces, which forced the Australians to withdraw back to their start line with 300 casualties. [76] At 17:00, Nehring launched his counter-attack. Supplies remained a problem because the Axis staff had originally expected a pause of six weeks after the capture of Tobruk. The Bab el Qattara box—some 20 mi (32 km) from the coast and 8 mi (13 km) south-west of the Ruweisat Ridge—had been dug but had not been wired or mined, while at the Naq Abu Dweis box (on the edge of the Qattara Depression), 34 mi (55 km) from the coast, very little work had been done. 18th Indian Infantry Brigade—supported by 23 25-pounder gun-howitzers, 16 of the new 6-pounder anti-tank guns and nine Matilda tanks—held out the whole day in desperate fighting but by evening the Germans succeeded in over-running them. It took place in El Alamein, Egypt. German air units were also exhausted and providing little help against the RAF's all-out attack on the Axis supply lines which, with the arrival of United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) heavy bombers, could reach as far as Benghazi. [23] Although captured supplies proved useful, water and ammunition were constantly in short supply, while a shortage of transport impeded the distribution of the supplies that the Axis forces did have.[24]. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. The initial night attack went well, with 736 prisoners taken, mostly from the Italian Trento and Trieste motorised divisions. There are no approved quotes yet for this movie. The Second Battle of El Alamein was fought from October 23, 1942 to November 5, 1942 during World War II (1939-1945) and was the turning point of the campaign in the Western Desert. However, the Axis forces were too far from their base at Tripoli in Libya to remain at El Alamein indefinitely, which led both sides to accumulate supplies for more offensives, against the constraints of time and distance. [95], At 17:00, Gott ordered 5th Indian Infantry Division to execute a night attack to capture the western half of Ruweisat ridge and Deir el Shein. The tank unit had not been trained in close infantry support and failed to co-ordinate with the Australian infantry. It cost the Allies 13,560 dead and wounded while 300-500 tanks destroyed. The Italians are the good guys and the British are the bad guys , including a point blank execution of prisoners . The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented the Axis from advancing further into Egypt. [77][78], In three days' fighting, the Allies took more than 2,000 Axis prisoners, mostly from the Italian Brescia and Pavia Divisions; the New Zealand division suffered 1,405 casualties. Three major battles occurred around El Alamein between July and November 1942, and were the turning point of the war in North Africa. They were then counter-attacked by 21st Panzer at 11:00 and forced to withdraw. The Italian was willing, unselfish and a good comrade, and, considering the conditions under which he served, had always given better than average. In 1854, during the Crimean War, poor planning leads to the British Light Brigade openly charging a Russian artillery position with tragic consequences. [74] Meanwhile, the 22nd Armoured Brigade had been engaged at Alam Nayil by 90th Light Division and the Ariete Armoured Division, advancing from the south. Montgomery promptly launched a fresh attack further south, forcing the German armour to react in what became a major tank battle . A German Captain and American Captain help each other survive the North African desert during WWII. The all-star-cast formed by known European actors give decent interpretations . [25][27] The 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions of the Afrika Korps were delayed by a sandstorm and then a heavy air attack. A crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program, having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during World War II, are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. There were also some Jewish soldiers from Palestine who were involved, but they weren’t the significant deciding force there. At 21:00 on 28 June, X Corps—organised into brigade groups—headed south. The first Battle of El Alamein occurred between July 1-27, 1942. GHQ Cairo estimated that the Axis could have as many as 519 serviceable tanks on 30 June although 339 was a more probable figure. The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis forces (Germany and Italy), and Allied (British Imperial and Commonwealth) forces (Britain, British India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand). If he could seize that city, then he would have been in a position to challenge the British and their control of the Suez Canal. [40] The RAF once again played its part, flying 900 sorties during the day. German commandos are dropped behind enemy lines in the Sahara Desert tasked with getting to Casablanca in an assassination attempt on allied leaders. The line the British chose to defend stretched between the sea and the Depression, which meant that Rommel could outflank it only by taking a significant detour to the south and crossing the Sahara Desert. 812, Johnston and Stanley (2002), pp. [45] Ramsden tasked the Australian 9th Division with 44th Royal Tank Regiment under command with the Tel el Eisa objective and the South African 1st Division with eight supporting tanks, Tel el Makh Khad. The protagonists are two brothers , a tough lieutenant (Frederick Stafford) and a sergeant (Enrico Maria Salerno) fighting the British military . [95] However, XIII Corps commander—Lieutenant-General William Gott—rejected this and ordered the attack but on a centre line 1 mi (1.6 km) south of the original plan which he incorrectly believed was mine-free. Three major battles occurred around El Alamein between July and November 1942, and were the turning point of the war in North Africa. [5][h], Italian anti-aircraft battery at Marsa Matrouh in June of 1942, Second Battle of Ruweisat Ridge (El Mreir). The story of Helmut and Karl Hoffmann. About 350 New Zealanders were taken prisoner. [68] Possibly the most important feature of the battle, however, was that the Australians had captured Signals Intercept Company 621, which had provided Rommel with priceless intelligence from British radio communications. Alamein is a military history of the battle - showing how different it looks stripped of later cultural excrescences. Italian X Corps, meanwhile were to hold El Mreir. The Axis forces were exhausted and understrength. The bombardment was the heaviest barrage yet experienced in North Africa, which created panic in the inexperienced soldiers of the Italian 60th Infantry Division Sabratha who had only just occupied sketchy defences in the sector. [96] By 01:00 on 27 July, 24th Australian Infantry Brigade was to have captured the eastern end of the Miteirya ridge and would exploit toward the north-west. 1220. Once again, 90th Light failed to make progress so Rommel called the Afrika Korps to abandon its planned sweep southward and instead join the effort to break through to the coast road by attacking east toward Ruweisat Ridge. [104] The Australian 24th Brigade managed to take their objectives on Miteirya Ridge by 02:00[g] of 27 July. They failed to find a route through and in the process were caught by heavy fire and lost 13 tanks. They meet again a year later during combat operations in France. [88], Auchinleck's plan was for Indian Infantry 161st Brigade to attack along Ruweisat ridge to take Deir el Shein, while the New Zealand 6th Brigade attacked from south of the ridge to the El Mreir depression. In addition 902 tanks were in repair workshops behind the front, of which 34 were serviceable and many unrepairable. However, the supporting anti-tank units became lost in the darkness or delayed by minefields, leaving the attackers isolated and exposed when daylight came. The Battle of El Alamein was the final straw. The British prevented a second advance by the Axis forces into Egypt. [41], Rommel was by this time suffering from the extended length of his supply lines. Once again, the anti-tank defences were overwhelmed and about 380 New Zealanders were taken prisoner including Captain Charles Upham[76] who gained a second Victoria Cross for his actions including destroying a German tank and several guns and vehicles with grenades despite being shot through the elbow by a machine gun bullet and having his arm broken. Reported strength on 30 June (55 German and 15 Italian tanks). The two British armoured brigades started on 3 July with a total strength of 119 tanks, Barton Maughan—Australia's official historian—has written that "two forward platoons of the 2/32nd's left company were overrun, 22 men were taken prisoner", Playfair states that the "...timing soon fell behind, but by 3 am the Australians had taken their objective". Movie & TV guides. By 07:00, word was finally got to 2nd Armoured Brigade which started to move north west. On 25 June, General Claude Auchinleck—Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) Middle East Command—relieved Ritchie and assumed direct command of the Eighth Army himself. This FAQ is empty. Second Battle of El Alamein (23rd October 1942 – 11th November 1942) After Alam el Halfa, Rommel’s army had little option other than to dig in and waited for the Eighth Army to attack. While preparing the Alamein positions, Auchinleck fought strong delaying actions, first at Mersa Matruh on 26–27 June and then Fuka on 28 June. [43] Meanwhile, the Eighth Army was reorganising and rebuilding, benefiting from its short lines of communication. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_battle_of_el_alamein_1968 Having been badly defeated by Axis forces at Gazala in June 1942, the British Eighth Army retreated east into Egypt and assumed a defensive position near El Alamein. The British under the command of General Claude Auchenlik adopted a defensive posture and waited for the Germans at El Alamein. The plan was complicated and ambitious. La battaglia di El Alamein (original title) PG | 1h 36min | Action , Drama , History | 1971 (USA) World war two drama about the 1942 North Africa battle … Strength at the frontline on 1 July. [112] Dr Sadkovich points out that he would often out-run his logistics and squander valuable (mostly Italian) military hardware and resources in battle after battle without clear strategic goals and an appreciation of the limited logistics his Italian allies were desperately trying to provide him. Read 2 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Persia and Iraq were to be split from Middle East Command as a separate Persia and Iraq Command and Auchinleck was offered the post of C-in-C (which he refused). The Battle of El Alamein Quotes. LiamDaAussie93. The First Battle of El Alamein was fought July 1-27, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945). An unknown number of tanks were also in repair workshops behind the front. [102][106] Rommel launched an immediate counter-attack and the German armoured battlegroups overran the two forward battalions of 69th Brigade. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. [47][48][49][50] The Australian attack took more than 1,500 prisoners, routed an Italian Division and overran the German Signals Intercept Company 621. [114] Gott was killed on the way to take up his command when his aircraft was shot down. The brigade found itself mired in mine fields and under heavy fire. Although the Australian defenders had been forced back from Point 24, heavy casualties had been inflicted on 21st Panzer Division. His policy was to "...hit the Italians wherever possible in view of their low morale and because the Germans cannot hold extended fronts without them. A consensus lists 35,000 men captured, 15,000 wounded, and between 9,000-12,000 dead. Mussolini has given explicit orders that Italy's forces were to reach the city first. The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis forces (Germany and Italy), and Allied (British … By the time the battle of El Alamein started on October 23, 1942, the British and Empire forces had been fighting the Germans and Italians in North Africa for … The battle of El Alamein was clearly a turning point for the World War II in Africa. An Italian division was to attack the Alamein box from the west and another was to follow the 90th Light Division. [75] When the attack resumed late in the afternoon, it was repulsed. [113], In early August, Winston Churchill and General Sir Alan Brooke—the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS)—visited Cairo on their way to meet Joseph Stalin in Moscow. He reported to the German High Command that his three German divisions numbered just 1,200–1,500 men each and resupply was proving highly problematic because of enemy interference from the air. During WWII in Italy, a wine producing village hide a million bottles from the Germans. This was one of the worst war films I have ever viewed. The next campaign is the Battle of Kursk. [96] It was during this fighting that Arthur Stanley Gurney performed the actions for which he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. During WW2, an Italian-American commando outfit, disguised as an Italian Army unit, is parachuted behind Axis lines in North Africa. The 8th Army laid ma… The withdrawal of XIII Corps had left the southern flank of X Corps on the coast at Matruh exposed and their line of retreat compromised by the cutting of the coastal road 17 mi (27 km) east of Matruh. But there are many other claimants to the throne of being the pivotal battle … It was also the turning point of the WII in Africa Axis Side Leader: Erwin Rommel (A.K.A. First Battle of El Alamein (1st July 1942 – 27th July 1942) For five days, from the 1st July, Rommel attacked the British defensive position which held despite all his efforts. Australian Division attacked along the coastal road , drawing the Axis forces toward them . Barr.N, pp.179–181; Johnston.M and Stanley.P, pp.107–112; Bates.P, pp.224–225. The battles pitted the German Afrika Korps and their Italian allies, led by famed Field Marshal Erwin von Rommel, against the British, who were led by Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery in the Second Battle. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Rommel complained bitterly about the failure of important Italian convoys to get through to him desperately needed tanks and supplies, always blaming the Italian Supreme Command, never suspecting British code breaking. Written by At the same time, the fresh Indian 161st Infantry Brigade reinforced the depleted Indian 5th Infantry Division. [75], Seeing the Brescia and Pavia under pressure, Rommel rushed German troops to Ruweisat. [22], On 30 June, Rommel's Panzerarmee Afrika approached the Alamein position. The plan was that the New Zealand 2nd Division—with the remains of Indian 5th Division and 7th Motor Brigade under its command—would swing north to threaten the Axis flank and rear. [32] Robcol was able to buy time, and by late afternoon the two British armoured brigades joined the battle with 4th Armoured Brigade engaging 15th Panzer and 22nd Armoured Brigade 21st Panzer respectively. The result was that the infantry and armour advanced independently and having reached the objective 50th RTR lost 23 tanks because they lacked infantry support. The tide turned in the Allies' favour at the Second Battle of El Alamein in 1942. Neither side can be said to have won , but the British had the strategic advantage of short supply lines and so could reinforce faster than Germans . Add the first question. Each is determined to outwit and outfight the other in a bloody battle … There is no doubt that the achievement of every Italian unit, especially of the motorised forces, far surpassed anything that the Italian Army had done for a hundred years. XXX Corps was reinforced with 1st Armoured Division (less 22nd Armoured Brigade), 4th Light Armoured Brigade, and 69th Infantry Brigade. Confusion in communication led the division withdrawing immediately to the El Alamein position. The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. Bullard. Having been driven east by Axis forces in 1942, the British had established a strong defensive line at El Alamein, Egypt. [69][70], As the Axis forces dug in, Auchinleck—having drawn a number of German units to the coastal sector during the Tel el Eisa fighting—developed a plan—codenamed Operation Bacon—to attack the Italian Pavia and Brescia Divisions in the centre of the front at the Ruweisat ridge. The remains of the 1st Armoured Division and the 7th Armoured Division were to be held as a mobile army reserve. They ran into 15th Panzer Division just south of Deir el Shein and drove it west. [46][52][53] That afternoon and evening, tanks from the German 15th Panzer and Italian Trieste Divisions launched counter-attacks against the Australian positions, the counter-attacks failing in the face of overwhelming Allied artillery and the Australian anti-tank guns. Slick Private Investigator Mike Murphy (Burt Reynolds) and tough Police Lieutenant Speer (Clint Eastwood), once partners, now bitter enemies, reluctantly team up to investigate a murder. Italian and German scouts race towards Alexandria. [54][55], At first light on 11 July, the Australian 2/24th Battalion supported by tanks from 44th Royal Tank Regiment attacked the western end of Tel el Eisa hill (Point 24). List of German military equipment of World War II, List of Italian military equipment in World War II, List of British military equipment of World War II, List of World War II North Africa Airfields, "Perimeters in Paragraphs: The Axis Invades Egypt", First Battle of El Alamein, from Italian "Comando Supremo", Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Rape during the Soviet occupation of Poland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Battle_of_El_Alamein&oldid=1015933792, Battles of World War II involving Australia, Land battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom, Battles of World War II involving New Zealand, Battles and operations of World War II involving India, Battles and operations of World War II involving South Africa, Battles of World War II involving Germany, Tank battles involving the United Kingdom, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 96,000 troops (56,000 Italian, 40,000 German), This page was last edited on 4 April 2021, at 12:26. [10] He decided not to seek a decisive confrontation at the Mersa Matruh position. A sandstorm blew up which gave his tanks much needed cover from marauding British fighters. Major-General Gatehouse—commanding 1st Armoured Division—had been unconvinced that a path had been adequately cleared in the minefields and had suggested the advance be cancelled. Battle of El Alamein - a pitched battle in World War II (1942) resulting in a decisive Allied victory by British troops under Montgomery over German troops under Rommel. Second Battle of El Alamein. [29] The time they bought allowed Auchinleck to organise the defence of the western end of Ruweisat Ridge. tanks, and 55 trucks. At 9.40pm on Friday 23 October 1942, the Battle of El Alamein began with a four-hour ground and air bombardment launched by Britain and its allies. In fact the actual number on 26 June was 104 compared with 155 tanks in Eighth Army. Rommel was later to blame the failure to break through to the Nile on how the sources of supply to his army had dried up and how: then the power of resistance of many Italian formations collapsed. [13], Auchinleck had planned a second delaying position at Fuka, some 30 mi (48 km) east of Matruh, and at 21:20 he issued the orders for a withdrawal to Fuka. He was also hampered by supply issues particularly fuel. Italian and German advance units raced toward Alejandria . It was part of the Western Desert Campaign. World war two drama about the 1942 North Africa battle at El Alamein between the Allies and the Axis forces. The 5th Indian Infantry Brigade pushed them back but it was clear from intercepted radio traffic that a further attempt would be made. The Battle of Okinawa gave the allies airfields not far from the Japanese mainland. Pavia under pressure, Rommel 's Panzerarmee Afrika approached the Alamein position able... 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