WWII Stations--Station 6: WWII in the Colonies

Location (same place)

 

Directions

  1. Take notes on the significant events below.

 

Second Battle of El Alamein

The commander of the British Eighth Army facing Rommel was Bernard Montgomery. "Monty" was a cautious commander who was in his element at El Alamein. The battle line ran between the Mediterranean Sea and the Quattra Depression, so there was no open desert flank for Rommel to exploit. Montgomery planned a set-piece battle, which would make use of the British superiority in artillery, tanks and air power. He resisted attempts by Winston Churchill to attack before he was ready and waited until the darkness of the new moon. On the night of October 23, he began his attack.

Montgomery feinted toward the southern part of the line to tie down German mobile reserves. He then sent a heavy infantry attack toward the northern part of the Axis line, where the defenses were strongest. The artillery bombardment was reminiscent of World War I. Four British infantry divisions went in to clear lanes through the defenses for two armored divisions, which would exploit the breakthrough. None of the initial attacks went as planned. The British stalled in the minefields but continued to pound the Axis defenses. On the other side, things were worse. Gen. Georg Stumme, replacing Rommel, died of a heart attack on the second day of the battle. He was replaced by Wilhelm von Thoma, and Rommel was recalled from Germany.

Montgomery refused to give up. He used his superiority in aircraft, artillery, and supplies to wage a battle of attrition. He referred to the process as "crumbling." Rommel returned on October 26 and shifted all his reserves to the northern part of the front. He mounted a counterattack that was defeated. Rommel considered a retreat but delayed, hoping that Montgomery would tire of the attack. By November 2, the fighting had reached a new height of intensity, as Montgomery brought in fresh infantry and tanks. In one assault, he lost 200 tanks, but by then Rommel had only 35 tanks left. On November 3, Rommel ordered a slow withdrawal for his army, but Adolf Hitler demanded he stand and fight. That night, the British broke through the Axis line and opened a 15-mile gap. Their armored divisions poured through. Rommel was forced to retreat as quickly as possible. Most of the Italian troops were not mechanized and were captured. Many German troops got away, but around half the Afrika Korps was killed, wounded, or captured. The British lost about 15,000 men. Montgomery was later criticized for not pursuing more aggressively and for letting Rommel get away. Still, Rommel abandoned Libya and Tripoli to the British and did not stop his retreat until he reached Tunis, 1,400 miles away.

 

Use of colonial troops

Colonies, Colonials, & WWII Links to an external site.

 

Works Cited

  • Sherwood, Marika. “History - World Wars: Colonies, Colonials and World War Two.” BBC, BBC, 30 Mar. 2011, www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/colonies_colonials_01.shtml.

  • Watts, Tim. "Battle of El Alamein." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2020, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/309487. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.