Preceden

Battle of El Alamein Timeline

(1–27 July 1942 (First Battle), 30 August – 5 September 1942 (Battle of Alam Halfa), 23 October – 11 November 1942 (Second Battle))

The Battle of El Alamein was a decisive World War II campaign fought in Egypt's Western Desert between the British Eighth Army, commanded by General Bernard Montgomery, and the German-Italian Panzer Army led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Comprising three phases—First Battle of El Alamein, Battle of Alam Halfa, and the Second Battle of El Alamein—it marked the turning point of the North African Campaign by halting Axis advances toward the Suez Canal and forcing their eventual retreat from Egypt and Libya. Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Intelligence and Signals

Rommel receives intelligence from US attache Fellers

Jan 1, 1942 - Jun 30, 1942

Until June 1942, Rommel had been receiving detailed information about the strength and movement of British forces from reports sent to Washington by Colonel Bonner Fellers, the U.S. military attache in Cairo, whose cables were being read by German signals intelligence.

Image source: Second Battle of El Alamein

Rommel receives intelligence from US attache Fellers

Australians capture German 621st Signal Battalion

Jul 10, 1942

Suspicion that Rommel's intelligence code was compromised was confirmed when the 9th Australian Division captured the German 621st Signal Battalion in July 1942, cutting off a key Axis source of information on British forces.

Background and Prelude

Hitler and Mussolini press Rommel to advance

Jan 1, 1942 - Oct 22, 1942

According to Maurice Remy (2002), Hitler and Mussolini put pressure on Rommel to advance, the importance to them being the need to capture the Suez Canal and seize the Middle East and Persian oil fields, driving the Axis deeper into Egypt despite supply concerns.

Panzer Army Africa advances into Egypt after Gazala

May 26, 1942 - Jun 21, 1942

Panzer Army Africa (Panzerarmee Afrika/Armata Corazzata Africa) under Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, composed of German and Italian tank and infantry units and subordinated to the new Italian command structure Delease (North African Command Delegation, Lieutenant-General Curio Barbasetti), advanced into Egypt following its success at the Battle of Gazala (26 May - 21 June 1942), setting the stage for confrontation at El Alamein.

Axis forces repulsed at Alam el Halfa ridge

Aug 30, 1942

On 30 August 1942, during the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the two armoured divisions of the Afrika Korps and the reconnaissance units of Panzerarmee Afrika led the Axis attack but were repulsed at the Alam el Halfa ridge and Point 102; the Axis forces retired to their start lines.

Image source: Battle of Alam el Halfa

Axis forces repulsed at Alam el Halfa ridge

Second Battle of El Alamein

British forces sustain heavy casualties at Alamein

Oct 23, 1942 - Nov 4, 1942

During the fighting, the British Forces sustained 2,000 casualties, the Australians 1,000, the New Zealanders 1,000 and the South Africans 600, reflecting the cost borne by Commonwealth troops in Montgomery's set-piece offensive.

Second Battle of El Alamein fought in Egypt

Oct 23, 1942 - Nov 4, 1942

The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October - 4 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. It marked a turning point in the Western Desert Campaign, forcing the Axis into a long retreat westward.

Montgomery opens Eighth Army offensive at El Alamein

Oct 23, 1942

In October 1942, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery, commander of the British Eighth Army, opened his offensive against the Axis forces near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein, launching the decisive assault of the North African campaign.

Image source: First Battle of El Alamein

Montgomery opens Eighth Army offensive at El Alamein

Aftermath and Legacy

El Alamein ends Axis threat to Middle East

Nov 4, 1942

The battle ended the Axis threat to the Middle East and Iran and revived the morale of the western Allies, being their first large success against the Axis since Operation Crusader in late 1941.

Churchill prepares Lord Mayor's Banquet address

Nov 10, 1942

Churchill was due to address the Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Mansion House on 10 November 1942, where he famously proclaimed that this was 'not the end... but perhaps the end of the beginning' following the victory at El Alamein.

Run for Tunis fails for the First Army

Dec 1, 1942 - Dec 31, 1942

The failure of the Run for Tunis by the First Army in December 1942 led the North African campaign to last longer, as Axis forces established themselves in Tunisia rather than being expelled from Africa immediately after El Alamein.

Image source: Tunisian campaign

Run for Tunis fails for the First Army

51st Highland and 7th Armoured attack Axis line

Jan 15, 1943

On 15 January 1943, the 51st (Highland) Division made a frontal attack while the 2nd New Zealand Division and the 7th Armoured Division drove around the inland flank of the Axis line, continuing the pursuit begun after El Alamein.

Axis forces in North Africa capitulate

May 13, 1943

Following the prolonged pursuit from El Alamein across Libya and into Tunisia, the Italian-German forces in North Africa capitulated in May 1943, ending the North African campaign and securing the Mediterranean for the Allies.

Churchill reflects on Alamein victory in memoirs

Jan 1, 1950

Looking back in 1950, Churchill wrote in his memoirs that 'It may almost be said, "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat."', cementing the battle's reputation as a turning point of the war.

Hinsley assesses the Panzer Army's intelligence loss

Jan 1, 1981

Harry Hinsley, the official historian of British intelligence, wrote in 1981 that 'The Panzer Army...', reflecting on how the compromise of Allied communications had shaped the course of the desert war and the battles around El Alamein.

Van Creveld notes warnings about Axis supply lines

Jan 1, 1997

In 1997, Martin van Creveld wrote that Rommel had been advised by the German and Italian staffs that his army could not properly be supplied so far from the ports of Tripoli and Benghazi, a logistical weakness that would prove fatal at El Alamein.

Barr questions reliability of Axis casualty figures

Jan 1, 2005

In 2005, Niall Barr wrote that the 36,939 Panzerarmee casualties was very uncertain because of the chaos of the Axis retreat, highlighting how difficult it is to establish precisely what losses the Germans and Italians suffered at El Alamein.

Key Facts

  1. The Second Battle of El Alamein began on 23 October 1942 with one of the largest artillery bombardments since World War I, involving over 800 guns firing on Axis positions.
  2. General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Eighth Army just weeks before the battle, replacing General Claude Auchinleck, who had halted Rommel at First El Alamein in July 1942.
  3. Allied forces enjoyed overwhelming superiority at the Second Battle, fielding roughly 195,000 troops, over 1,000 tanks, and complete air dominance against approximately 116,000 Axis soldiers with about 550 tanks.
  4. The battle was the first major Allied land victory against Germany in WWII; Winston Churchill famously said 'Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.'
  5. Axis fuel shortages were critical to their defeat—Rommel's supply lines across the Mediterranean were devastated by Allied attacks on tankers, leaving his panzers immobilized during key moments of the fighting.

Source

This Battle of El Alamein timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free