Battles & Wars › World War II › World War II
Second Battle of El Alamein
October 23 – November 11, 1942· Battle· Middle East & Africa
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
The autumn 1942 battle in Egypt where Montgomery's British Eighth Army defeated Rommel's German-Italian army, ending the Axis threat to Suez.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
Rommel's forces had advanced to El Alamein, about 100 km west of Alexandria, threatening the Suez Canal and Middle East oil. Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery built up a large edge in men, tanks and supplies, many from the US. His attack opened with a massive artillery barrage on October 23 and ground slowly through deep minefields. By November 4 Rommel, short of fuel and tanks, was retreating against Hitler's orders. Four days later, US and British troops landed in Morocco and Algeria (Operation Torch).
Why it matters
It was Britain's first major land victory over Germany. Churchill later wrote: 'Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.'
How we know
British and German war diaries, decrypts of Axis supply signals (Ultra), Montgomery's and Rommel's papers, and the large Commonwealth, German and Italian war cemeteries at El Alamein.
Still debated
Historians debate how much credit goes to Montgomery's generalship versus Ultra intelligence, Allied material superiority and Axis fuel shortages caused by sunk tankers.
Connections (3)
▸Second Battle of El Alamein turned the tide in North Africa in World War IIWell documented
The connection
El Alamein ended the Axis threat to Egypt, the Suez Canal and Middle East oil. Combined with the Torch landings days later, it squeezed Axis forces in North Africa, leading to the surrender of about 250,000 German and Italian troops in Tunisia in May 1943 and opening the way to Italy.
When and how
El Alamein, Egypt, October–November 1942; the Axis armies in North Africa surrendered in Tunisia on May 13, 1943.
How we know
Military records and the Tunisia surrender are clear; Axis supply records show their North African position collapsing after Alamein.
Debates and open questions
Compared with the Soviet battles the forces were small; some historians see North Africa as a sideshow that mattered mainly for Britain and the Mediterranean.
▸Second Battle of El Alamein came weeks before the Soviet counterstroke at Battle of StalingradWell documented
The connection
The two battles fell in the same autumn: Rommel's retreat began November 4, 1942, and Operation Uranus encircled Stalingrad from November 19. With the Torch landings on November 8, they made November 1942 the month Axis momentum broke. German transport planes rushed to Tunisia after Torch were unavailable for the Stalingrad airlift.
When and how
Egypt and southern Russia, October–November 1942: Montgomery in the desert; Zhukov and Vasilevsky planning Uranus.
How we know
The dates are well documented; the link is mainly timing and combined strain on Germany rather than direct cause.
Debates and open questions
How much fighting in North Africa drew German strength away from the Eastern Front is debated, since the forces involved there were far smaller.
▸Bletchley Park and Ultra codebreaking tracked Rommel's supply ships before the Second Battle of El AlameinMostly agreed
The connection
Ultra decrypts revealed the sailing times and cargoes of Axis convoys to North Africa, letting British aircraft and submarines based on Malta sink fuel tankers. Rommel's army was starved of fuel before and during the battle. Before Alam Halfa in August 1942, Ultra also revealed his plan of attack, and Montgomery prepared for it.
When and how
Mediterranean and Egypt, mid-1942 to November 1942; Bletchley Park, RAF and Royal Navy units on Malta, and Montgomery's Eighth Army.
How sure are we?
Harry Hinsley's official intelligence history and the decrypts themselves, released from the 1970s, link specific sinkings to Ultra.
Debates and open questions
How decisive Ultra was at El Alamein itself, compared with Allied superiority in tanks, guns and aircraft, is debated.