The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented the Axis from advancing further into Egypt. The Allied victory was the beginning of the end of the Western Desert Campaign, eliminating the Axis threat to Egypt, the Suez Canal and the Middle Eastern and Persian oil fields. The battle revived the morale of the Allies, being the first big success against the Axis since Operation Crusader in late 1941. The end of the battle coincided with the Allied invasion of French North Africa in Operation Torch on 8 November, which opened a second front in North Africa.

High-level orders of battle

Allies

Middle East Command: Lieutenant-General Harold Alexander British Eighth Army Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery

Axis

Delegazione Africa Settentrionale (Delease): Generale di Corpo D' Armata Curio Barbasetti Panzerarmee Afrika Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel

Allies

Middle East Command Lieutenant-General Harold Alexander British Eighth Army Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery Under direct Army command Army troops

British XXX Corps

XXX Corps occupied the northern sector of the Allied front. Divisions deployed north to south

British XIII Corps

XIII Corps occupied the southern sector of the Allied front. Divisions deployed north to south

British X Corps

X Corps supplied reserve divisions behind the main Allied line. Divisions deployed north to south

Axis

Delegazione Africa Settentrionale (Delease) Generale di Corpo D'Armata Curio Barbasetti

Panzerarmee Afrika

Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel Divisions deployed north to south

Deutsches Afrika Korps

Generalleutnant Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma German 90th Light Afrika Division

Italian XXI Army Corps

Generale di Corpo d'Armata Enea Navarini Generale di Divisione Alessandro Gloria (Thru 26 October)

Italian XX Army Corps

Generale di Divisione Giuseppe De Stefanis Northern Sector Southern Sector

Italian X Army Corps

Generale di Divisione Federico Ferrari Orsi (KIA 18 October) Generale di Divisione Enrico Frattini (thru 26 October) Generale di Divisione Edoardo Nebbia (from 27 October, POW 7 November) Reserve Divisions during the Battle

Sources

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