- Title: FILE/EL ALAMEIN ANNIVERSARY: Seventieth anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein
- Date: 18th October 2012
- Summary: PLEASE NOTE THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL UNKNOWN LOCATION (FILE) (4:3) (REUTERS) GAUMONT BRITISH NEWS IDENT SLATE INFORMATION: "8TH ARMY OFFENSIVE" NORTH AFRICA (FILE - OCTOBER 1942) ( GAUMONT BRITISH NEWSREEL REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ALLIED TANKS IN DESERT WITH VOICEOVER SHELLS BEING LOADED ON TO TANKS ANTI-AIRCRAFT ROUNDS EXPLODING AROUND THEM BOMBS DROPPING FROM PLANES, EXPLOSIONS VISIBLE ON THE GROUND VARIOUS GROUND TROOPS OF THE 8TH ARMY GENERAL BERNARD MONTGOMERY AND AIR VICE-MARSHAL ARTHUR CONYNGHAM 8TH ARMY TROOPS READY VARIOUS OF EXPLOSIONS FROM HEAVY ARTILLERY LIGHTING UP NIGHT SKY VARIOUS OF HEAVY ARTILLERY FIRING SHELLS VARIOUS OF TROOPS RUNNING AND TANKS FIGHTING PRISON CAMP FENCING VARIOUS OF GERMAN PRISONERS VARIOUS OF SHELLS BEING LOADED AND FIRED OBSERVATION POST VARIOUS OF GERMAN PRISONERS BATTLEFIELD VARIOUS OF RED CROSS TRUCKS AND STRETCHER BEARERS GAUMONT NEWS SLATE COMMEMORATING START OF FILM ABOUT THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF ALAMEIN EL ALAMEIN, EGYPT (FILE - OCTOBER 1943 FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE) (GAUMONT BRITISH NEWSREEL REUTERS) EL ALAMEIN, RAILWAY STATION ALAMEIN SIGN RAILWAY SIGNAL PEOPLE WAITING ON PLATFORM AS TRAIN COMES IN VARIOUS OF HUNDREDS OF TANKS AND ARMOURED CARS LINED UP VARIOUS OF BATTLEFIELD, SANDBAGS, EQUIPMENT, BARBED WIRE, MINEFIELD SIGN VARIOUS OF ALLIED GRAVEYARD AND GRAVESTONES OF ALLIES, GERMAN AND ITALIANS
- Embargoed: 2nd November 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Egypt
- City:
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Conflict,History
- Reuters ID: LVA2AYQK1JGB29J8GXI4BJAUMAF4
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: The battle of El Alamein, fought 70 years ago in the deserts of North Africa, was a pivotal turning point in World War II.
The Battle of El Alamein, a pivotal turning point in the North African Campaign in the Second World War, started 70 years ago on October 23.
While much of his focus had been on the war in Europe during 1942, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was becoming increasingly impatient with progress in the Western Desert against German and Italian forces. As a result, in early August that year, Churchill arrived in Cairo and handed over command to General Bernard Montgomery.
Under Montgomery's leadership, the 8th Army stationed in Africa was beefed up and re-organised.
German Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel attempted an attack between August 30 and September 7, 1942 but the 8th Army held its ground.
Montgomery planned his own attack in two phases. The first, Operation Lightfoot, consisted of a powerful artillery bombardment followed by an attack by the infantry divisions of 30th Corps in the north, and 13th Corps in the south. They opened paths in the minefield through which the armoured divisions of 10th Corps would pass.
The bombardment started on the night of October 23, but crumbling the German defences proved more difficult than expected. There was heavy fighting and the 8th Army slowly made headway.
On 25 October 1942, Rommel arrived back in Africa having had to return to Germany due to illness.
On the night of November 1, Monty launched the second phase of his attack, Operation Supercharge, which broke through the last part of the German defences, clearing the way for the armoured divisions. Rommel, his army depleted and his petrol almost finished, decided the battle was lost.
The next day Rommel warned Hitler his army faced annihilation. The Allies intercepted his message and Montgomery had the deciphered note in his hands by the next morning.
Hitler ordered Rommel to 'stand and die', but the Panzerarmee had already begun to retreat by the time the order was received. At midday on 4 November, Rommel's last defences caved in and that evening he received orders from Hitler to withdraw.
The Second Battle of El Alamein was a turning point in the North African campaign. It ended the long fight for the Western Desert, and was the only great land battle won by the British and Commonwealth forces without direct American participation. The victory also persuaded the French to start cooperating in the North African campaign.
In news reel footage filmed and produced by Gaumont, which was one of the main sources of information for people in Britain, soldiers can be seen in the battlefields of El Alamein.
In the British-produced newsreel the tanks of the Desert Rats 7th Armoured Division are seen ploughing through the rough and sandy terrain of the desert. Heavy artillery weapons are seen firing countless shells at enemy positions.
The footage shows hundreds of German soldiers being captured, creating the need for the construction of large prisoner of war campaigns under the desert sun.
In another Gaumont film, produced to mark the battle's first anniversary, a peaceful Alamein is depicted. However, despite the 12 months which had elapsed, there was still a mass of military hardware in the region including dozens of tanks and armoured cars, miles of barbed wire and trenches and countless graves of allied, German and Italian soldiers.
Some 32,000 Germans and Italians died in the two-week battle, as did 13,500 men of the Eighth Army, which included Britons, Australians, New Zealanders. Greeks, French and Canadian troops. - Copyright Holder: GAUMONT BRITISH NEWSREEL (REUTERS)
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