t 9.40pm on 23 October 1942 the largest artillery barrage ever seen in the desert war began. Over 800 artillery
pieces opened fire. The whole of the Alamein line was set alight by a thunderous fire. The Afrika Korp and Italian divisions
could only cower in their foxholes and endure this deliverance from hell. The Allied offensive on the Alamein line
had begun.The battle raged for thirteen days and can be broken down into three distinct phases as described by General Montgomery: the 'Break-in', the 'Dog Fight' and the 'Break-out and Pursuit'.
The day preceeding the battle had been no different to usual. Sporadic shelling had taken place, troop and transport movement had been normal. In other words there was nothing to indicate to the enemy that the attack would commence tonight.
The first phase lasted from 23-25 October and saw the Eighth Army launch a diversionary attack with 13th Corps in the south while the main Allied attack would be launched simultaneously in the north. The New Zealand Division's attack (in the north) was carried out under a full moon. Sapper units detonated explosives in the enemy wire and placed coloured electric lights to indicate the cleared paths. Heavy resistance was met in the form of mortar and machine gun fire however the tasks were accompished and the following infantry moved forward towards their initial objectives on Miteiriya Ridge. The ridge was taken by 7am the following morning while fighting still raged around strongpoints of heavily armed infantry and snipers. These had to eliminated one by one by means of the bayonet.
Although good progress had been made across the entire front, the most optimistic hopes had not been fulfilled. Numerous minefields had been found which could not be cleared until nightfall. Infantry penetrations had not driven far enough to completely pierce the enemy's deep defensive systems. The expected Axis counter-attacks came the day after the offensive in an attempt to regain lost ground. Attacks on the right of the New Zealand sector by panzers and infantry were turned back by artillery and supporting tank fire.
The diversionary tactics of the offensive had been successful. The 21st Panzer Division had been tied up in the southern sector with the attack by 13th Corps and the 90th Light Division was occupied with preparations on the coast for an expected seaborne landing which was never intended.
Over the next ten days the second phase of the battle, the 'Dog Fight' raged across the whole front. The Eighth Army made positional improvements and extended a deep wedge in the Axis lines. On the night of the 26th after the failure of his initial counter-attacks, Rommel re-grouped the 21st and 15th Panzer Divisions in preparation for a major counter-attack however the Allied Air Force now had dominance of the skies and so destroyed this attempt from the air.
The main Allied progress during this period was made on the coastal sector where the 9th Australian Division advanced with a series of skillful advances. These strong attacks lead Rommel to belive that the main thrust of the offensive was being made along the northern coastal road, so he moved his reserves to contain this threat. The Allies took advantage of this move and with a regrouped 10th Corps which included the New Zealand Division, embarked on plans for a major assault on the night of 1st November. The intention was to penetrate into the area below the Australian sector and then out into the open desert beyond the enemy's defences, thus dividing him in two. This plan was similar to the original 23 October attack but included even heavier artllery support. The assault itself was to be carried out by the 151st (Tyneside) brigade from the 50th British Division and the 152nd Highland Division while the New Zealand Division's Maori Batallion was to clear an enemy position on the flank. The remainder of the division was to hold the line while the assault was taking place.
At one o'clock on the morning of the 2nd November another tremendous artillery barrage opened up. This signalled the beginning of the third phase of the battle, the 'Break-out and Pursuit'. One hundred and fifty thousand rounds were fired on a 400 yard front over the next four and a half hours. This awesome event produced a great red glow in the sky. The first objectives were taken around 4am. Two hours later the final objectives had fallen and were being consolidated. The Maori Batallion had cleared the enemy flank positions with brutal bayonet charges and linked up with the Australians. The battlefield was shrouded with great clouds of dust that had been churned up by hundreds of vehicles moving at pace and the air was full of the acrid smell of cordite smoke. Just before dawn the three armoured regiments of the 9th Armoured Brigade passed through to carry on the attack. In spite of a strong anti-tank screen which inflicted crippling tank losses the enemy defensive line was decisively broken. A panzer counter-attack was launched in the afternoon but was met by the 1st and 10th British Armoured Divisions and repelled with heavy losses. At the end of the day approximately 50 Axis tanks and ten 88mm anti-tank guns had been destroyed. An armoured car regiment, the Royal Dragoons had even broken through the enemy lines and was now operating in the rear, cutting telephone wires and destrying supply dumps. The 10th Corps was victorious.
Throughout the night of the 2nd November and the morning of the 3rd the battle continued along the whole front, however the enemy resistance were crumbling and Rommel's forces were now beginning to retreat as fast as they could. The Allied divisions advanced their lines further and early on the 4th November they began the chase. Reconnaissance aircraft reported enemy traffic was nose to tail along the coastal road, all of it heading west. This desperate retreat provided good taget practice for the desert airforce and all efforts were made to inflict as much damage as possible.
The Battle of El Alamein had resulted in a resounding victory for the Allied forces. The Afrika Korps had sustained serious damage in both manpower and precious equipment but had managed to escape with a small force. The Italian divisions had been decimated. Thousands were captured or had capitulated.
Never again would Rommel threaten Libya or Egypt.
