Changes

On 14 July, Colonel Erminio Angelozzi's 1st Battalion (85th Infantry Regiment) from the ''Sabratha'', counterattacks the Australians dug in on Tel el Eisa and succeeded in recapturing the position. The defending battalion withdraws, but the 2nd/23rd Battalion and the British 8th Royal Tank Regiment (8 RTR) attack on 16 July, overrunning a good part of the ''Sabratha'' and German 382nd Regiment<ref>"Next day, the 16th July, the British attacked again, but this time only locally. After intensive artillery preparation, the Australians attacked in the early hours of the morning with tank support and took several strong-points held by the Sabratha.“ History of the Second World War, Volume 3, p.1074, Purnell and Sons Limited, 1967</ref>before being forced to withdraw.<ref>"On Tell el Eisa the situation was now too hot for the Australians. The area was swept by fire, and they had no artillery, no Vickers guns and no anti-tank guns, and casualties were mounting. They withdrew again.“ Dance of War: The Story of the Battle of Egypt, p.165, Peter Bates, Pen and Sword, 1992</ref>

On 14 July, Colonel Erminio Angelozzi's 1st Battalion (85th Infantry Regiment) from the ''Sabratha'', counterattacks the Australians dug in on Tel el Eisa and succeeded in recapturing the position. The defending battalion withdraws, but the 2nd/23rd Battalion and the British 8th Royal Tank Regiment (8 RTR) attack on 16 July, overrunning a good part of the ''Sabratha'' and German 382nd Regiment<ref>"Next day, the 16th July, the British attacked again, but this time only locally. After intensive artillery preparation, the Australians attacked in the early hours of the morning with tank support and took several strong-points held by the Sabratha.“ History of the Second World War, Volume 3, p.1074, Purnell and Sons Limited, 1967</ref>before being forced to withdraw.<ref>"On Tell el Eisa the situation was now too hot for the Australians. The area was swept by fire, and they had no artillery, no Vickers guns and no anti-tank guns, and casualties were mounting. They withdrew again.“ Dance of War: The Story of the Battle of Egypt, p.165, Peter Bates, Pen and Sword, 1992</ref>

On 17 July, the 9th Division resumed the advance in the Tel el Eisa sector, overrunning a good part from the ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Division<ref>"On 16 July, the Australians had broken through the remnants of Sabratha, and on the 17th through the Trento and Trieste Divisions, but each time had been repulsed by elements of the German 164th Division."  Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre, J. Lee Ready, p. 118, McFarland, 1985</ref>, but the 3rd Battalion (62nd Trento Regiment) launches an unexpected counterattack with a column of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's,11th Armoured Battalion, capturing 200 Australians from the 2nd/32nd Battalion.<ref>"Soon the companies had seized the enemy positions on the ridge, but, in the dark, the men of A Company overshot their objective, Point 22, by 1,500 yards. By the time they realised their mistake they were under such heavy fire that they could not withdraw. By 08.00 hours Italian tanks and infantry began to encircle their positions and eventually forced the entire company to surrender." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p. 148, Random House, 2010</ref><ref>"The attack began on 17 July at 2.30 am. The 2/32nd captured the Trig 22 and linked with the 2/43rd but the Germans resisted fiercely and counter-attacked with tanks. The 2/32nd suffered heavily: nearly half its number were either killed or wounded and nearly 200 became prisoners of war. [https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U56075/ 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion]</ref>Although the commanding officer of the 2nd/32nd Battalion claims the attacking force was "German", the Australian historian Mark Johnston reports that German records prove that Italians were responsible for overrunning and capturing the Australian rifle company.<ref>"There were some courageous efforts by Italian units against Australians at Alamein, but these have gone largely unnoticed in Australian writings ... In wartime and published Australian accounts of Alamein actions, it is not always possible to determine whether "the enemy" referred to was German or Italian ... However, the lack of credit probably derives more from a desire to inflate Australian achievements, and an unwillingness to acknowledge reverses against Italians." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, pp. 12-13, Cambridge University Press, 2006]</ref>Barton Maughan, Australia's official historian that covered the battles of El Alamein, minimizes the Axis success, writing that ''"two forward platoons of the 2/32nd's left company were overrun, 22 men were taken prisoner"'' and implying the attackers belonged to the German 164th Division.<ref>"However, the official history mentions the capture of only twenty-two men and implies they were captured by Germans; the battalion history states that 101 men were captured by Germans. German records indicate that Italians of the Trento Division were responsible." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, p. 13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref>

On 17 July, the 9th Division resumed the advance in the Tel el Eisa sector, overrunning a good part from the ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Division<ref>"On 16 July, the Australians had broken through the remnants of Sabratha, and on the 17th through the Trento and Trieste Divisions, but each time had been repulsed by elements of the German 164th Division."  Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre, J. Lee Ready, p. 118, McFarland, 1985</ref>, but the 3rd Battalion (62nd Trento Regiment) launches an unexpected counterattack with a column of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's,11th Armoured Battalion, capturing 200 Australians from the 2nd/32nd Battalion.<ref>"Soon the companies had seized the enemy positions on the ridge, but, in the dark, the men of A Company overshot their objective, Point 22, by 1,500 yards. By the time they realised their mistake they were under such heavy fire that they could not withdraw. By 08.00 hours Italian tanks and infantry began to encircle their positions and eventually forced the entire company to surrender." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p. 148, Random House, 2010</ref><ref>"The attack began on 17 July at 2.30 am. The 2/32nd captured the Trig 22 and linked with the 2/43rd but the Germans resisted fiercely and counter-attacked with tanks. The 2/32nd suffered heavily: nearly half its number were either killed or wounded and nearly 200 became prisoners of war. [https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U56075/ 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion]</ref>Although the commanding officer of the 2nd/32nd Battalion claims the attacking force was "German", the Australian historian Mark Johnston reports that German records prove that Italians were responsible for overrunning and capturing the Australian rifle company.<ref>"There were some courageous efforts by Italian units against Australians at Alamein, but these have gone largely unnoticed in Australian writings ... In wartime and published Australian accounts of Alamein actions, it is not always possible to determine whether "the enemy" referred to was German or Italian ... However, the lack of credit probably derives more from a desire to inflate Australian achievements, and an unwillingness to acknowledge reverses against Italians." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, pp. 12-13, Cambridge University Press, 2006]</ref>Barton Maughan, Australia's official historian that covered the battles of El Alamein, minimizes the Axis success, writing that ''"two forward platoons of the 2/32nd's left company were overrun, 22 men were taken prisoner"'' and implies that the attackers belonged to the German 164th Division.<ref>"However, the official history mentions the capture of only twenty-two men and implies they were captured by Germans; the battalion history states that 101 men were captured by Germans. German records indicate that Italians of the Trento Division were responsible." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, p. 13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref>

On 22 July, the Australian 9th Infantry Division finally wins complete control of Tel el Eisa after much fierce fighting, almost lasting a fortnight. In the final action, Private [[Arthur Stanley Gurney]] from the 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion wins posthumously the [[Victoria Cross]] for eliminating three machine-gun posts holding up the Australian advance.

On 22 July, the Australian 9th Infantry Division finally wins complete control of Tel el Eisa after much fierce fighting, almost lasting a fortnight. In the final action, Private [[Arthur Stanley Gurney]] from the 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion wins posthumously the [[Victoria Cross]] for eliminating three machine-gun posts holding up the Australian advance.