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 Northern sector British XXX Corps (Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese) Australian 9th Division (Major-General Leslie Morshead) British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (Major-General Douglas Wimberley) New Zealand 2nd Division (Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg) South African 1st Infantry Division (Major-General Dan Pienaar) Indian 4th Infantry Division (Major-General Francis Tuker) Southern sector British XIII Corps (Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks) British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division (Major-General John Nichols) British 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division (Major-General Ivor Hughes) British 7th Armoured Division (Major-General John Harding) Reserve British X Corps (Lieutenant-General Herbert Lumsden) British 1st Armoured Division (Major-General Raymond Briggs) British 10th Armoured Division (Major-General Alexander Gatehouse) British 8th Armoured Division (Major-General Charles Henry Gairdner)
Axis Delegazione Africa Settentrionale (Delease): Generale di Corpo D' Armata Curio Barbasetti
Panzerarmee Afrika Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
Deutsches Afrika Korps Generalleutnant Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma 90th Light Afrika Division (Generalmajor Theodor Graf von Sponeck) 15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst) 21st Panzer Division (Generalmajor Heinz von Randow)
Italian XXI Army Corps Generale di Corpo d'Armata Enea Navarini; Generale di Divisione Alessandro Gloria 102nd Motorised Division "Trento" (Generale di Brigata Giorgio Masina) 25th Infantry Division "Bologna" (Generale di Divisione Alessandro Gloria)
Italian XX Army Corps Generale di Divisione Giuseppe De Stefanis 101st Motorised Division "Trieste" (Generale di Divisione Francesco La Ferla) 164th Light Africa Division (Generalleutnant Carl-Hans Lungershausen) 133rd Armoured Division "Littorio" (Generale di Divisione Gervasio Bitossi) 132nd Armoured Division "Ariete" (Generale di Divisione Francesco Antonio Arena)
Italian X Army Corps Generale di Divisione Federico Ferrari Orsi KIA 18 Oct Generale di Divisione Enrico Frattini thru 26 Oct Generale di Divisione Edoardo Nebbia from 27 Oct, POW 7 Nov 27th Infantry Division "Brescia" (Generale di Divisione Brunetto Brunetti) Ramcke Parachute Brigade (Generalmajor Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke) 185th Infantry Division "Folgore" (Generale di Divisione Enrico Frattini) 17th Infantry Division "Pavia" (Generale di Divisione Nazzareno Scattaglia)
Reserve 16th Motorised Division "Pistoia" (Generale di Divisione Giuseppe Falugi) 136th Armoured Division "Giovani Fascisti" (Generale di Divisione Ismaele Di Nisio)
Allies
L Middle East Command
Lieutenant-General Harold Alexander
British Eighth Army Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
Under direct Army command 1st Army Tank Brigade (Brigadier Thomas Price) 42nd Royal Tank Regiment 44th Royal Tank Regiment 1st Armoured Brigade (reforming) (Brigadier G.N. Todd) 4th Hussars (elements) 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars (elements) 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars 12th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (Brigadier Percy Calvert-Jones) 14th (West Lothian, Royal Scots) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 16th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 27th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 88th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 94th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 27th (London Electrical Engineers) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery (two troops) 2nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade (Brigadier Murray McIntyre) 2nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 69th (Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (199th and 261st batteries) 21st Indian Infantry Brigade (reforming) (Brigadier J.J. Purves) 1st Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles 3rd Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment 2nd Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles 9th Indian Field Company, Corps of Signals
Army troops B Squadron, 6th Royal Tank Regiment 6th South African Armoured Car Regiment (one troop) 566th Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers 588th Army Troops Company, Royal Engineers 25th Field Company, South African Engineers 27th Field Company, South African Engineers 31st Field Company, South African Engineers 8th Army Signals, Royal Corps of Signals
British XXX Corps
XXX Corps occupied the northern sector of the Allied front. Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese Under direct Corps command XXX Corps Defence Squadron C Squadron, 4th/6th South African Armoured Car Regiment 7th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery 64th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery 69th (Caernarvon & Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery 66th Mortar Company, Royal Engineers (two sections detached to 9th Australian Division) 11th Field Company, South African Engineers 13th Field Company, South African Engineers 22nd Field Park Company, South African Engineers XXX Corps Signals, Royal Corps of Signals
Divisions deployed north to south
Australian 9th Division Major-General Leslie Morshead Division-level units 9th Division Cavalry Regiment 2/2nd Machine Gun Battalion 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion 2/7th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery 2/8th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery 2/12th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery 3rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery 4th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery 2/3rd Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers 2/7th Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers 2/13th Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers 2/4th Field Park Company, Royal Australian Engineers 9th Australian Division Signals Australian 24th Brigade (Brigadier Arthur H.L. Godfrey) 2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion, Western Australia 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion, Victoria 2/43rd Australian Infantry Battalion, South Australia Australian 26th Brigade (Brigadier David A. Whitehead) 2/23rd Australian Infantry Battalion, Victoria 2/24th Australian Infantry Battalion, Victoria 2/48th Australian Infantry Battalion, SA Australian 20th Brigade (Brigadier Hugh Wrigley) 2/13th Australian Infantry Battalion, New South Wales 2/15th Australian Infantry Battalion, Queensland 2/17th Australian Infantry Battalion, New South Wales
British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division Major-General Douglas Wimberley Division-level units 51st Battalion, Reconnaissance Regiment 1/7th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (machine gun battalion) 50th Royal Tank Regiment (attached from 23rd Armoured Brigade) 126th (Highland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 127th (Highland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 128th (Highland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 61st (West Highland) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery 40th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 51st (Highland) Divisional Engineers 274th Field Company, Royal Engineers 275th Field Company, Royal Engineers 276th Field Company, Royal Engineers 239th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers 51st Highland Division Signals, Royal Corps of Signals British 152nd Infantry Brigade (Brigadier George Murray) 2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders 5th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders 5th Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders British 153rd Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Douglas Graham) 5th Battalion, Black Watch 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders 5th/7th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders British 154th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Henry W. Houldsworth) 1st Battalion, Black Watch 7th Battalion, Black Watch 7th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
New Zealand 2nd Division Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg Division-level units 2nd New Zealand Division Cavalry Regiment 27th (Machine Gun) Battalion 4th Field Regiment, New Zealand Artillery 5th Field Regiment, New Zealand Artillery 6th Field Regiment, New Zealand Artillery 7th Anti-Tank Regiment, New Zealand Artillery 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, New Zealand Artillery 6th Field Company, New Zealand Engineers 7th Field Company, New Zealand Engineers 8th Field Company, New Zealand Engineers 5th Field Park Company, New Zealand Engineers New Zealand 2nd Division Signals New Zealand 5th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Howard Kippenberger) 21st Battalion, New Zealand Infantry 22nd Battalion, New Zealand Infantry 23rd Battalion, New Zealand Infantry 28th (Maori) Battalion, New Zealand Infantry
New Zealand 6th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier William Gentry) 24th Battalion, New Zealand Infantry 25th Battalion, New Zealand Infantry 26th Battalion, New Zealand Infantry British 9th Armoured Brigade (Brigadier John Currie) 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry Warwickshire Yeomanry 14th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters
South African 1st Infantry Division Major-General Dan Pienaar Division-level units 8th Royal Tank Regiment South African 3rd Armoured Car Reconnaissance Regiment Regiment President Steyn (machine gun battalion) 2nd Regiment Botha (in reserve until 31 October) 1st Field Regiment, Cape Field Artillery, South African Artillery 4th Field Regiment, South African Artillery 7th Field Regiment, South African Artillery 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, South African Artillery 1st Anti-Tank Regiment, South African Artillery 1st Field Company, South African Engineers 2nd Field Company, South African Engineers 3rd Field Company, South African Engineers 5th Field Company, South African Engineers 19th Field Park Company, South African Engineers South African 1st Division Signals South African 1st Infantry Brigade (Brigadier E.P. Hartshorn) 1st Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles 1st Royal Natal Carabineers 1st Transvaal Scottish South African 2nd Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Evered Poole) 1st Cape Town Highlanders 1st Natal Mounted Rifles 1st/2nd Field Force Battalion South African 3rd Infantry Brigade 1st Imperial Light Horse 1st Rand Light Infantry 1st Royal Durban Light Infantry
Indian 4th Infantry Division Major-General 'Francis Tuker Division-level Units Central India Horse (reconnaissance regiment) 5th Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles (machine gun battalion) 1st Field Regiment Royal Artillery 11th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 32nd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 149th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery 57th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 2nd Field Company, Bengal Sappers and Miners 4th Field Company, Bengal Sappers and Miners 12th Field Company, Madras Sappers and Miners 11th Field Park Company, Madras Sappers and Miners 4th Indian Division Signals Indian 5th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Dudley Russell) 1/4th Battalion, Essex Regiment 4th (Outram's) Battalion, 6th Rajputana Rifles 3rd (Queen Mary's Own) Battalion, 10th Baluch Regiment Indian 7th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Arthur Holworthy) 1st Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment 4th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment 1st Battalion, 2nd King Edward's Own Gurkha Rifles Indian 161st Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Francis E.C. Hughes) 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 1st Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment