Second battle of El Alamein

Unfolding

Situation

The September 22nd, Rommel, too patient to continue to ensure the command of DAK, entrusts this one to the Général Stümme. The 23, Rommel take off of Derna bound for Rome where it must meet Benito Mussolini. After this Roman stopover, Rommel flies away for Berlin where it discusses this time with Führer then after that it leaves for the center hospitalization Semmering near Wiener Neustadt. Of this moment, Hitler at all does not think of returning Rommel in Libya but rather on the Russian face .

At the beginning of October, Rommel goes to Berlin to answer several interviews for the German press to which he announces that the Afrika Korps will reach soon Alexandria without however hiding the difficulties of supplies and the increasingly difficult advance. Its moral went up besides following the promise of Hitler to send very quickly tanks Tigre I to him from which Rommel comes to see the prototype . Rommel will be then acclaimed at the time of a meeting in its honor in the Sport hall of Berlin, where all the dignitaries Nazis are there to congratulate it. With the platform, Rommel will make a very optimistic speech on the continuation of the operations then tells anecdotes on the victories with the daily newspaper which it gains with the head of its troops.

In Africa during that time, the allied army reinforces its positions and in particular that of El-Alamein. Moreover engagements continue and they are mainly the Italians who support the weight of the engagements. Thus on October 2nd, the 10th battalion, of the commander Grossi, Folgore pushes back with him only an attack of the 6th New Zealand brigade by destroying 20 tanks Grant but loses its commander in this combat. The 12, it is the Ruspoli grouping which concerns the troops of Trieste Division in Himeimat and in particular coasts 103 and 125. There, the grouping deals with two enemies, the intolerable heat and the disease caused by this one, Dysenterie, Insolation S, Scorbut… and which make devastations in the Italian rows but also the allied armies which do not cease tackling the position. Despite everything, following the losses caused by the men of colonel Ruspoli but also in the living conditions in the British army several mutinies take place of which that of the Australian troops which quite simply refuse to turn over to the attack.

The battle

Mid-October Montgomery, with its 8 {{E}} armed British which lays out now of more than 220.000 men as well as 1.600 tanks, 1.400 anti-tank parts, a thousand of guns and a thousand of planes, prepares a great offensive on El-Alamein where 96.000 German-Italian are cut off having only 500 tanks (including only 200 German), of 750 anti-tank parts, 480 guns and 340 planes. Most of the troops is Italian. On 12 divisions, 8 are Italian (divisions Littorio, Trieste, Trento, Bologna, Brescia, Ariete, Folgore and Pavia) and 4 allemandes, (15 and 21e Panzerdivision S, 90e motorized division and 164e division of infantry), for which it is necessary to add a brigade parachutist under the command of Ramcke. In the night from October 22nd to 23rd the British offensive is started, but this one shows a failure. Continuous Folgore division as for it to make miracles and pushes back the repeated attacks of the 44e division of infantry and the 7th armor-plated division British, reinforced 1 {{Re}} free French Brigade, between the 23 and on October 25th.

Rommel although always in Germany is held despite everything informed from what occurs to Africa. The October 24th, it learns death from the Stumme general of an heart attack what decides it to take again the way of Africa as fast as possible. October 26th it arrives and gets informed about the situation with precision.

The November 3rd, Ariete division, equipped with M13/40 tanks launches out in a fight lost in advance against Sherman twice more powerful than its tanks. At the evening of the November 4th, there is no more division Ariete, this one was destroyed. But this is only one example of what arrives at the various regiments engaged in this keen fight.

Hitler had given the order to Rommel to resist until the end, in spite of that Rommel decides to give up the battle and unnecessarily not to sacrifice the troops and the material which remains to him. However, it has nothing any more but 32 tanks the November 4th when the engagements cease. He writes to be justified:

“ the battle turns badly. We all simplements are crushed by the weight of the enemy. I made an attempt to save at least part of the army, and I wonder even if it will succeed. I seek night and day a means of drawing from there our troops. We go towards the difficult days, most difficult, perhaps, that a man can cross. Deaths are happy, for them all is finished. The order of Führer requires the impossible one because a bomb can kill even the soldier more solved. It is obvious that Hitler did not include/understand anything with our situation in Egypt. ”

The retirement, more or less easy for the Germans who have of a great number of vehicles and thus a great mobility, is more delicate for Italian divisions. Trento division will be encircled on November 5th in the area of Fouka. Its general, Francesco Scotti, will be resigned to deposit the weapons not having more ammunition. More in the south they are the remainders of divisions Pavia, Brescia and Folgore which capitulate this same day. The generals Ferraro Orsi (10th body) and Priederi (Brescia) will be made kill with the combat. For Folgore, rendering is done with more the great honors, the Frattini general meets the major general Hugues (44e division of infantry). The two men greet then Hugues speaks: “ Divers reports/ratios forced me to believe that you had died. I note with relief that it of it is nothing. ” Then it adds: “ During all my career of soldier, I never met better soldiers that those of the folgore. ” Frattini has the tears with the eyes, Folgore counts nothing any more but 32 officers and 262 soldiers.

Catalog of films

The hard reality of the confrontations of the desert, seen with dimensions one of Pavia division, is presented in very good manners in Italian film El Alamein of Enzo Monteleone, left in 2002.

See too

War of the desert

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