First Battle of El Alamein

The First Battle of El Alamein took place near railway depot near the sea, between 1 and 27 July. The British Commonwealth forces, under General Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, emerged victorious in the battle, having stopped the Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel in Egypt. The battle marked the end of several Axis victories obtained at Gazala, Tobruk, Mersa Matruh, Fuka and elsewhere, and was the first in a series of battles which would result in the liberation of French Algeria and Tunisia from Axis forces, and the invasion of Italy.

The Afrika Korps had been successfully fighting their way ever closer to the Egyptian border. Italian "battleship convoys" personally commanded by Admiral Angelo Iachino, and good solid intelligence from the Italian Military Information Service (Servizio Informazione Militare or SIM) obtained through theft from the US Embassy in Rome, had greatly assisted Rommel in winning battles at Benghazi, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh. Unfortunately for Rommel, the British discovered this and the deciphered daily reports to Washington coming from Colonel Bonner Fellers (US military attache in Cairo), stopped almost a week after the fall of Tobruk. To make matters worse, his divisions were now running very low on fuel. The scenario was soon set for a major Allied counteroffensive, that aimed to completely break through the Italian divisions and the panzer divisions sent forward to assist them.

El Mreir

On 1 July 1942, the Axis forces commenced their advance. However, the Afrika Korps encountered disorganized but spirited resistance from the Indians and South Africans, forcing the Trento Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment to take up defensive positions, and defeating the attacks from the 21st Panzer Division and 90th Light Division.

On 3 July, the 4th New Zealand Brigade, supported by four artillery batteries, attacked the Ariete Armoured Division forward positions, taking 350 prisoners and capturing or destroying 24 field guns and six or eight tanks. Rommel lambasted the performance of the Ariete and in a report to General Albert Kesselring, would claim the Italian armoured division had lost one-hundred tanks in the New Zealand infantry attack.

Determined to encircle and capture the rest of the Ariete, the New Zealander infantry attacked again on 5 July, but were repelled by heavy fire from the Brescia Division dug in near El Mreir.

The Allied attacks continued, and the Indian 5th Infantry Division in the form of the 9th Brigade and 7th Motorised Brigade, pushed north into Rommel's flank and in three days of fighting almost reached Deir el Shein. A Maori battalion from the 2nd New Zealand Division overran part of the Brescia, but were unexpectedly counterattacked by the Pavia Division and forced to retreat. The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War confirms that "enemy forces seeping south threatened to outflank the Division" but reveals nothing else.

During the initial fighting, Major Terence O'Brien-Butler from the 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, displayed enormous control when surrounded by German armour, saving his battery from capture and winning the Military Cross (MC) for his courage.

Tel el Eisa

On the night of 10/11 July, the Australian 9th Division attacked the 60th Sabratha Infantry Division defending Tel el Eisa. The German 621st Radio Intercept Company and 835 Italians from the Sabratha are captured. The attacking 2nd/48th Battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Heathcote Hammer, had been greatly assisted by the supporting fire from 100 artillery guns. The next day, a battalion from the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Ugo Scirocco, counterattacks and recaptures part of Tel el Eisa along with thirteen Australians. The Bersaglieri suffers heavy casualties, but their attack allows the Trieste Infantry Division to send forward a company of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's 11th Armoured Battalion that halts the Australians.

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First Battle of El Alamein

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1stAlameinBritDefense British soldier looking over the battlefield as his comrades take position The First Battle of El Alamein took place near the El Alamein train station almost by the sea, between 1 and 27 July. The British Commonwealth forces emerged victorious in the battle, having stopped Rommel's Italo-German forces in Egypt. The battle marked the end of several Axis victories obtained at Gazala, Tobruk, Mersa Matruh, Fuka and elsewhere, and was the first in a series of battles which would result in the liberation of French Tunisia from Axis forces and the invasion of Italy.

Erwin Rommel's Panzerarmee Afrika had been successfully fighting their way ever closer to the Suez Canal and the oil-rich fields of Egypt. Italian "battleship convoys" under Admiral Angelo Iachino, and good solid intelligence from the Italian Military Information Service (Servizio Informazione Militare or SIM) obtained from the US Embassy in Rome[1], had greatly assisted in the Axis victories obtained at Gazala, Tobruk, Mersa Matruh and Fuka. Unfortunately for Rommel, the deciphered daily reports to Washington coming from Colonel Bonner Fellers (US military attache in Cairo)[2], stopped almost a week after the fall of Tobruk. To make matters worse, his divisions were now very low on fuel. The scenario was soon set for a major Allied counteroffensive, that aimed to completely destroy the forward Italian divisions and the panzer divisions sent forward to assist.

Contents[hide] El Mreir Tel el Eisa Ruweisat Miteiriya Aftermath References El MreirEdit On 29 June 1942, Rommel started a drive from Mersa Matruh that brought him to El Alamein. Many of his soldiers were worn down by two years of constant strain and combat but on 15th, 22nd and 27th July, the Brescia, Trieste and Trento succeeded in pinning the 2nd New Zealand, 5th Indian, 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions. These divisions were pinned between the Italian strong points and German armor and brought another series of disastrous defeats for the British commanders.

On 1 July 1942, the attack into El Alamein begin. However, the whole German advance was constantly attacked by Indians and South Africans, with the Indians managing to destroy eighteen German tanks and stopped the 21st Panzer Division. [3]

The Germans managed to overrun the Indians by the evening, however, and continued their advance. The 1st Armored Division clashes with the German 15th Panzer Division and drives them back west, somewhat hindering the German advance. Rommel ordered the offensive to be continued on 2 July 1942, but no significant gains were made and by the 5th, the Allies were regrouping and driving the Germans back.

On 3 July, the 4th New Zealand Brigade, supported by four artillery batteries, overrun the Ariete Armoured Division positions deployed inside a large depression. The Italians retreat to new positions, but lose 531 men (about 350 were prisoners), 24 artillery guns and six or eight tanks. In a report to his superiors, Rommel greatly exaggerates the Italian tank losses, in order to drive home the need for more German armour in North Africa. [4]

Determined to cut off the rest of the Ariete, the New Zealanders pushed on again on 5 July, but come under heavy fire from the Brescia Division at El Mreir.

The attacks by the New Zealand Division continued, and the remainder of the Indian 5th Infantry Division in the form of the 9th Brigade and 7th Motorised Brigade pushed north into Rommel's flank and in three days of fierce fighting almost reached Deir el Shein. A Maori battalion from the 2nd New Zealand Division made good progress in a night attack, but were unexpectedly counterattacked by the Pavia Division and forced to relinquish their gains. The New Zealand Official History confirms that "enemy forces seeping south threatened to outflank the Division" but reveals nothing more.[5]

During the initial fighting, Major Terence O'Brien-Butler of the 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery displayed enormous control when surrounded by German armour, saving his battery from capture ajnd winning the Military Cross (MC) as a result.

Tel el EisaEdit Having rebuilt his strength, Auchinleck attacked again on the night of 10/11 July at Tel el Eisa in the north with the newly-arrived 9th Australian Division from Syria. The German 621st Radio Intercept Company and 835 Italian troops from the Sabratha Division are captured by the Australian 2/48th Battalion under Lieutenant-Colonel Heathcote Hammer that advances under the covering fire from 100 artillery guns.[6]A battalion of the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Ugo Scirocco is rushed forward to plug the gap and initially recovers part of the lost ground at Tel el Eisa and even takes 13 prisoners. According to the 2/48th Battalion war diary: "[a]t approx 2000 hrs enemy tks-number unknown-and inf attacked D Coy front. They overrun posn and enemy inf forced D Coy to withdraw and occupied their psn."

While the Bersaglieri suffers heavy losses attacking the Australians, their sacrifice is not in vain and allows the Italian XXI Corps to send forward an infantry battalion and a company of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's 11th Armoured Battalion from the Trieste Division to the affected sector and seal of the Australian breakthrough.[7]

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 succeeds in recapturing the position. The defending battalion withdraws, but the 2nd/23rd Battalion attempts to push out the Italians on 16 July, overrunning a good part of the Sabratha before being forced to withdraw.