Battle of Alam el Halfa
Alam el Halfa Ridge, south of El Alamein, Egypt
What happened
The British Eighth Army under Bernard Montgomery fought the German and Italian army of Erwin Rommel. Rommel tried to get around the British army through its lightly held southern sector. Montgomery had left that gap on purpose and dug in his tanks on Alam el Halfa Ridge. The Axis attacks on the ridge failed, and short of fuel and supplies, Rommel pulled back.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the last major Axis attack in the Western Desert campaign. After it, the Axis lost the initiative in North Africa.
What came next
Montgomery did not counter-attack at once but built up his forces for the Second Battle of El Alamein in October. The campaign ended with the Axis surrender in Tunisia in May 1943.
Did you know?
Rommel didn't know that the Allies had decoded his plans through secret intercepts known as 'Ultra'.
Timeline
- 11 June 1940The Western Desert campaign begins.
- July 1942The First Battle of El Alamein halts the Axis.
- 30 August-5 September 1942The Battle of Alam el Halfa.
- 23 October 1942The Second Battle of El Alamein begins.
- May 1943Axis forces surrender in Tunisia.