1950-12-04 — Page 7

THE

THE CHINA ' MAIL,” MONDAY, DECEMBER 4,^160)

HISTORIC BATTLE OF ALAMEIN

By Winston

The Battle of Alainein began on the night of Oct. 23. 1942. Gen. Montgomery had so successfully con- sealed the massing of three armoured divisions and the equivalent of seven try divisions that the at- tack achieved complete sur- prise.

I

on

infan-

focus of an intense

struggle

with the enemy's 15th Panzer and Ariete armoured divisions, which made a series of violent front counter-attacks. On the of the XIIth Corps the attack was pressed no farther, in or- Armour- der to keep the 7th

ed Division intact for the <limax.

There had been serious de- N the full moon nearly

In congementa

the enemy's 1,000 guns opened up- command Rommel had gone

the

bat to hospital in Germany at the enemy

September, and his teries for 20 minutes, and cad of

Gen. then turned on to their infantry positions. this concentration of deepened by bombing from the air, the XXXth Leese) and XIIIth

place

Under fire,

was taken by Stumme. Within 24 hours the start of the battle Stumme Rom- aled of a heart attack.

of

(Gen. Corps (Gen. Horrocks) advanced.

Jeft mel, at Hitler's request, hospital and resumed bis com- mand late on the 25th.

Attacking on a front of

four divisions, the

whole

Hard fighting

Hard fighting continued

along the XXXth Corps sought to cut Oct. 20 all

the bulge so far forced Into two corridors through

Be enemy line, enemy's fortificationa.

again at. Kidney

Churchill

weapons was facing them along a long the Rahman track. In engagement. the

On Oct. 27 came a big armour- ed counter-attack in the old

brigade suf- tyle. Five times they at- tacked with alt available fered. severely, but the currt- both German and dor behind was held open, and tanks, Italian, but gained no ground the 1st British Armoured Divi- through and suffered heavy and, sion moved forward worse still, disproportionate it.

Our for

tanks, defensive,

casualties, aghting on the suffered but lightly. On Oct.

Then came the last clash of

care- remaining enemy tanks attack- all the cd our salient on either flank,

weak

cak and were repulsed. Here was

the final decision; but anti-

even

28 [the enemy] come again, armour in the battle. All the fafter] prolonged and fal recommaissance morning, to find the spots and locate our tank guns, followed by smashing

concentrated fack in the afternoon the setting sun behind

next day, the 3rd. when

OUT the air reports indicated that at-

had bc- with enemy's retirement

gun, his covering rearguard on him.

the Rahman track still held the of our armou nt main body

less bay.

old Lanks

Bagaland minefleks „British divisione V

Carilish armour. 1. German divisions German armour Italian divisiona Kallari armour

MEDITERRANEAN

이이야

SEA

ElDuba

Raliman

(90th

Trieste

JSP2.

Kidney Ruly

El Alamein

Littorio y

IS.A.

Ind. Rusdiar Ridos Greek Bide.

517

Land 10 Arad.

21 P.

Aricte

QAT TARA

DEPRESSION

10

13

ZOPELES

“Atam. "HalfaRidge

Direl Munasib

7Armd. 44

"Qudret et Himeout

Free French

com"

THE OPPOSING FORCES, OCT. 23, 1942 Throughout the 7th our pursuit namely, short and good

The 24-hour respite munications for the assailants, of artillery In its complete encircle the

concentration, heaviest

the Nevertheless four Ger-

"drumfire barrage" and the for- ward inrush of tanks,

The reconnaissance was successful than in the dinys, since both our and anti-tank

could An order came from Hitler Kuns engage him with longer forbidding any retreat, but the was halted. range. When the enemy at- suc was no longer in German prevented tempted to concentrate for hands. Only one more hole had ment the Anal attack the RAF to be punched. Very early on man divisions and eight Italian a Nov. 4, five miles south of Tel divisions had ceased to exist as once more intervened on devastating scale.

two el Aggagir, the 5th Indian In

fighting formations. Thirty

In all this Gen. Montgomery hours and a half

quickly bomber Brigade launched

thousand prisoners were taken, and his chief, Alexander, wera with enormous

of deeply versed by experience, _|~|~|~|~||~|~||~|~|~▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬+ material of all kinds. The ac- study and thought, Montgomery count of this rout may end with was a great artillerist. He be-

ងព

deep

and especially

Ridge.

the +++++

The In

this,

the

masses

der's telegram of Nov. 9,

into four stages:

of Napoleon, that "cannons kili men." Always wa shall see him three or four hundred guns into action under one concerted command, instead of the skirmishing of batteries

29th Chapter of his an extract from Gen. Alexan- lieved, as Bernard Shaw cald hind them the two armour- enemy Air Force, which had ed divisions of the Xth been quiescent on the previous fourth book of World War Two reminis-

de- cences, "The Hinge Of Fate," Britain's This great battle can be divided trying to bring Corps (Gen. Lumsden) fol- two days, now made its

finite challenge to Our Bir wartime Prime Minister tells how lowed to exploit success.

ruperiority. There were many combats, ending mostly in our the Eighth Army rolled back the The grouping and concentration which was the inevitabic ac-

of our fores for battle and companiment of swoops Strong advances were favour. The effort: of the famous German Afrika Korps

deception methods employed, armour in wide desert spaces. which gained for us surprise, that battle-winning faciat.

made under heavy fire, und XIIth Corps had delayed but by duwn deep inroads had could not prevent the move- been made. The engineers ment of the German had cleared the mines

ཕf-lཀར་ı-41-ཀའི4+1{{IfHI*4«ll!ift+4f4f {@q=}{{{*

armour

Was

of mounted attack which sorties dropped 80 tons bombs in his concentration completely successful. The bat- miles tle was now won, and the way arca, measuring three

Was

the

be to what they now knew

sector of their hind the leading troops. the decisive

movement, how- Farther south the 4th In- front. This diun Division launched ever, was severely smitten by

from the Ruweisat our Air Force. raids Ridge, while the 7th Arm-

At this moment a new the XIIIth Corps broke into fruitful thrust was made

oppo- the 9th the enemy defences

oured and 44th Divisions of

Deross

open

by two, and the enemy's at- finally cleared for our armour tack was defeated before he to pursue could forming up. This was

even

and

by

complete

his desert,

the

last occasion on which enemy attempted to take the initiative.

the

Australian Division, They site to them. This achieved under Gen. Morsheud.

from the its object of inducing the struck northwards

two bulge towards the sea. Mont- enemy to retain his

divisions for Komery was prompt to exploit 28 armoured

this notable success. He held vital importance were sunk by three days behind this part

of

of the front while the main back the New Zealanders from air attack, thus rewarding the

battle developed in north.

Deep system

their westward drivo and or long series of air operations the dered the Australians 10 con- which were an integral part of

tinue their

advance towards the land battle. the north. This threatened the

Congratulations

der.

In these days of Oct. 28 anki Prime Minister to Gen. Alezan-

tankers three enemy

4 Nov., '42. 1 send you my heartfelt con- gratulations on the splendid feat of arms achieved by the Eighth Army under the com mand of your brilliant lieu- tenant, Montgomery; la

Although Battle of Egypt. the fruits may take days or even weeks to gather it is evident that an event of the first magnitude has occurred which will play its part in the whole Luture course of the World War.

retreat of part of the German

Montgomery now made his infantry division on the north- plans and dispositions for ern flank. At the same time

the

lie now felt that the momentum decisive break-through (Opera-

So far, however, no hole of his main attack was begin- tion "Supercharge"). He took

been

in the ning to talter in the midst of out of the line the 2nd blown

had enemy's deep system

the

somo

minefields and defences. In therefore regathered his forces being in special need of reor- If the reasonable hopes of your

and revived assault.

of

and the minefields

anti-tank guns. posted

for a renewed and reserves

New strongly Zealand and the 1st British He Armoured Divisions, the latter

ganisation after

notable share in the repulse of the German armour at Kidney Ridge, The British 7th Armour- ed and 51st Divisions and "

44th of the

were

its

the small hours of the 25th Montgomery held a confer- ence of his senior comman- ders, at which he ordered the

to press for-

armour

Break-through

All through the 27th and the brigade

ward again before dawn in 28th a Berce conflict raged for, brought together and the whole a new reserve. accordane to his original Kidney Ridge against the re- welded into

be peated attacks of the 15th and The break-through was to instructions.

New Zealand 21st Panzer Divisions, now ar- ted by the 2nd

152nd sec- Division, the 151st and During the day more ground rived from the southern was indeed gained, after hard tor. Gen. Alexander has fighting; but the feature known scribed the struggle in as Kidney Ridge became the words:

British attacks

Enemy defensive zone

and minefields

TERRANE AN

S.E

El Daba

de British Infantry Brigades, and these the 0th British Armoured Bri-

gade. Meanwhile, in Alexan cer's wortis,

Forward drive

On the night of Oct. 28 again on Oct. 30 the

The break-in attack-that great

The turning

of

concentration of force of all Of course everything was on arms which punched a hote n for smaller scale than in deep into his defences, and France and Flanders.

We lost

by

created more disruption its

than

Inen 13,000 artificial flanks which gave us Alamein in 12 days and nearly further opportunities for ex- 80,000 on the first day of the

Somme. On the ploitation.

other hand, the re-power of the defensive had fearrully increased since the previous war, and in those days at was always considered that a

The thrust now here, now there, which arew off his forces and made him use up his reserves

in stopping holes and in re- concentration of two or three to peated counter-attacks.

one was required, not only in artillery, but men, to pierce and break a carefully fortified line,

The final thrust, which disrupted his last remaining line of ile-

and fence

broke

a wuy which through through

armoured and poured mobile formations.

*

Limited front

nothing

We had

like this The at Alamein. superiority enemy's front consisted not only lines of strong-

of successive

points and machine-gun posts,

but of a whole

deep area of

such a defensive system.

And

The Battle of Alamein differed in fruit of all there lay the from

all previous Desert. Tho

Aighting in tremendous shield off minefields front

was of a quality and density never known before. For theso of Alamein reasons the Battle

the the Limited, heavily forlifed, and telegramn [announcing break-through] are maln- held in strength. There was no

will ever make a glorious page A break-through in British military annals. tained, and wholesale cap flank to turn.

tures of the enemy und must be made by whoever was general retreat are apparent,

I propose to ring the bells the stronger and wished to take all over Britain for the first the offensive, In this way we time this war. Try to give art led back to the battles of the me the moment to do this in First World War on the Western the next few days. At least 20,000 prisoners

necessary.....

would

fact the

There is another. reason why survive. It marked in it will

turning of "the Hinge of Fate." It may almost be said, "Before Alamein we never had After Alameln we a victory. never had a defcat."

Front

be

We see repeated here in Egypt

of trial the same kind

of

presented at

World Copyright reserved. Repro- in uny duction, even partially, language. strictly prohibied.

Rommel was now in full re- treat, but there was transport strength as was and petrol for only a part of, Cambrai at the end of 1917, and his force, and the Germans in many of the battles of 1018, gave themselves priority in vehicles.

Many thousands

of

men from six Italian divisions were left stranded in the desert, and with little food or water, and no Aus- future but to be rounded up tralians attacked northwards into prison camps. The battle towards the coast, succeed- feld way strewn with masses of ing Onally in Isolating in the destroyed or useless tanks, guns pocket thun formed the four and vehicles. [German] battalions remala-

ing there. The enemy

been pear to have convinced that

ap-

The German Air Force had Armly given up the hopeless task of we intended combating our superior Air,

to strike up the road and which now operated almost un- railway, and he reacted to hindered, attacking with all its our thrust most vigorously. resources the great columns of men and vehicles struggling

He moved up his 21st Armour- westward, Rommel has him,cit tributo to the ed Division from its position paid notable west of our salient, added to great part played by the Royal It his 90th Light

Air Force. His army, had been Divin011,

the decisively beaten; his lieutenant, which

guarding WEB

was in our northern flank of the salient, Gen. von Thoma,

with nino Italian

e hands. en- generals. the

and put in both in furious attacks to relleva his circled troops. Into position vacated by the 31st Armoured Division he put the Trieste Division, bis Inst uncommitted rezervá forma- tion.

Good hopes

There seemed good hopes of turning the enemy's Ulsastor New Into annihilation. The Zooland Division was.' directed

The magnificent forward drive of tho Australians, achloved by ceaseless bitter on Fulta, but when they reached fighting, had swung the whole it on Nov. & the enemy had battle in our favour. At 1 am, already passed. There was sull on Nov. 2 "Supercharge be a chance tint they might be cut gan. Under a barrage of 800 off at Mersch Matruh, whither Buns the British: bri

the Tet and 7th Britists Armoires brigader tached to the New Zealand Divisions had been directed by Divinosi broke through the nightfall on the dth they were defonded zone and the 9th hearing their objective white the British Armoured Brigade enemy were still trying 19 -druge on ahead. May be found, mospe, from the closing trap.c sou however, that, a new, Dos of But then is one and forward »

E D

0

Ind.Ode.

md.&

(MORE TOMORROW)

British attacks and

pursuit

Enemy counter-oftacks Enamy defended zone and minetcids Enemy broken front

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