First Battle of El Alamein

First Battle of El Alamein
Part of the Western Desert Campaign of World War II

British infantry manning a sandbagged defensive position near El Alamein, 17 July 1942.
Date1–27 July 1942
Location
El Alamein, British-occupied Egypt
30°50′29″N 28°56′34″E / 30.84139°N 28.94278°E / 30.84139; 28.94278
Result Stalemate
Belligerents
 Italy
Nazi Germany Germany
 United Kingdom
British Raj India
 New Zealand
 Australia
Union of South Africa South Africa
Commanders and leaders
Fascist Italy Ettore Bastico
Nazi Germany Erwin Rommel
Nazi Germany Walther Nehring
Fascist Italy Benvenuto Gioda
Fascist Italy Giuseppe De Stefanis
Fascist Italy Enea Navarini
United Kingdom Claude Auchinleck
United Kingdom William Ramsden
United Kingdom William Gott
United Kingdom William Holmes
Strength
96,000 troops (56,000 Italian, 40,000 German)
70 tanks initially (585 tanks later)[a][1]
~500 planes
150,000 troops
179 tanks initially (1,114 tanks later)[b][2]
1,000+ artillery pieces
1,500+ planes
Casualties and losses
10,000 killed or wounded[3]
7,000 prisoners[4][5]
13,250 casualties[5]

The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis (German and Italian) forces of the Panzer Army Africa—which included the Afrika Korps under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel—and Allied (British Empire and Commonwealth) forces of the Eighth Army under General Claude Auchinleck.

The British prevented a second advance by the Axis forces into Egypt. Axis positions near El Alamein, only 106 km (66 mi) from Alexandria, were dangerously close to the ports and cities of Egypt, the base facilities of the Commonwealth forces and the Suez Canal. However, the Axis forces were too far from their base at Tripoli in Libya to remain at El Alamein indefinitely, which led both sides to accumulate supplies for more offensives, against the constraints of time and distance.

The battle and the Second Battle of El Alamein three months later remain important to some of the countries that took part.[6] Particularly in New Zealand, this is due to the country's significant contribution to the defence of El Alamein, especially the heavy role the Māori Battalion played.[7] Members of this battalion have been labelled war heroes since, such as commander Frederick Baker, James Henare and Eruera Te Whiti o Rongomai Love, the last of whom was killed in action.[8]


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  1. ^ Barr 2005, p. 39
  2. ^ Barr 2005, p. 40
  3. ^ Watson 2007, p. 6
  4. ^ Barr 2005, p. 184
  5. ^ a b Mackenzie 1951, p. 589
  6. ^ "Commemorations to mark 75th anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein | Ministry for Culture and Heritage". mch.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  7. ^ Wright, Tony (2 November 2021). "75 years since New Zealand handed Nazi Germany its first land defeat of WWII". Newshub. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  8. ^ Tso, Matthew (29 March 2021). "Street name honouring Māori Battalion commander a 'spiritual return' – Granddaughter says". Stuff. Retrieved 25 August 2021.