The Battle of El Alamein: The Turning Point in North Africa

The battles of El Alamein in Egypt in 1942 were the decisive turning point of the North African campaign. The First Battle of El Alamein in July 1942 halted Rommel's advance towards Cairo and the Suez Canal. The Second Battle in October–November 1942 — under the command of General Bernard Montgomery — drove the Afrika Korps into retreat, beginning the long Allied advance that would eventually sweep the Axis from North Africa.

The First Battle

By July 1942, Rommel's forces had advanced to within 60 miles of Alexandria. At El Alamein, a narrow gap between the Mediterranean Sea and the impassable Qattara Depression created a natural defensive position. The Eighth Army, under General Claude Auchinleck, held the line against repeated German and Italian attacks, preventing a breakthrough.

The Second Battle

Montgomery, who took command in August 1942, spent weeks building up overwhelming superiority in men, tanks, and aircraft. The attack began on 23 October with a massive artillery barrage — over 1,000 guns firing simultaneously. After 12 days of intense fighting, Rommel's forces were broken and began their long retreat westward.

Significance

Churchill famously said: "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat." While an overstatement, it captured the psychological importance of the battle — El Alamein proved that the German army could be beaten in a set-piece battle and gave the British public their first real cause for celebration.