First Battle of El Alamein

The First Battle of El Alamein 1–27 July 1942 was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought between Axis forces commanded by Erwin Rommel, and Allied forces commanded by Claude Auchinleck. The battle halted the second (and final) advance by the Axis forces into Egypt, El Alamein being only 66 miles from Alexandria. Following the defeat at the Battle of Gazala in June 1942, the Eighth Army had retreated from the Gazal... more

The First Battle of El Alamein 1–27 July 1942 was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought between Axis forces commanded by Erwin Rommel, and Allied forces commanded by Claude Auchinleck. The battle halted the second (and final) advance by the Axis forces into Egypt, El Alamein being only 66 miles from Alexandria. Following the defeat at the Battle of Gazala in June 1942, the Eighth Army had retreated from the Gazala line to Mersa Matruh, roughly 100 miles inside the Egyptian border. General Neil Ritchie had decided not to hold the defenses on the Egyptian border because the defensive plan here relied on infantry holding defended localities while a strong armoured force was held back in reserve to strike any attempts to penetrate or out flank the fixed defenses. Since Ritchie had virtually no armoured units left fit to fight, the infantry positions would be defeated in detail. The Mersa defense plan also included an armoured reserve but in its absence... less