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Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-08-10T02:19:35Z

Charriere: /* Royal Marine reinforcements */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during May 27, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British SAS hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN) under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29, Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS in the form of 'Mountain Troop' engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak in the clash with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream some 200 metres away.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

First Battle of El Alamein

2022-08-10T02:01:59Z

Charriere: /* Ruweisat */

{{War
| image =
| conflict = [[Second World War]]
| date = July 1–26, 1942
| campaign = North African Campaign
| combatant1 = [[British 8th Army]]
| combatant2 = [[Afrika Korps]]
| commander1 = [[Claude Auchinleck]] Lieutenant General, British Army
| commander2 = [[Erwin Rommel]] Field Marshal, German Army
| strength1 = 195,000
| strength2 = 150,000
| casualties1 = 13,250 Killed: 4,500 Wounded: 8,000 Missing or captured: 1,000|
| casualties2 = 62,800 Killed: 3,300 Wounded: 17,500 Captured: 7,700
}}

The '''First Battle of El Alamein''' took place near railway depot near the [[Mediterranean Sea]], between July 1 and 27. The British Commonwealth forces, under General [[Claude John Eyre Auchinleck]], emerged victorious in the battle, having stopped the [[Afrika Korps]] under Field Marshal [[Erwin Rommel]] in Egypt. The battle marked the end of several Axis victories obtained at Gazala, Tobruk, Mersa Matruh, Fuka and elsewhere, and was the first in a series of battles which would result in the liberation of French Algeria and Tunisia from Axis forces, and the invasion of Italy.

The Afrika Korps had been successfully fighting their way ever closer to the Egyptian border. Italian "battleship convoys" personally commanded by Admiral [[Angelo Iachino]], and good solid intelligence from the Italian Military Information Service (Servizio Informazione Militare or SIM) obtained through theft of secret documents from the US Embassy in Rome, had greatly assisted Rommel in winning battles at Benghazi, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh.<ref>"...this time with crucial Italian - not German - intelligence giving him the daily British order of battle, and with the new self-propelled Semovente 75/18mm which gave the Marcks Group a powerful Italian punch." The American Experience in World War II, Walter L. Hixson, p.255, Taylor & Francis, 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.historynet.com/intercepted-communications-for-field-marshal-erwin-rommel.htm Intercepted Communications for Field Marshal Erwin Rommel]</ref> Unfortunately for Rommel, the British discovered this security breach and the deciphered daily reports to Washington coming from Colonel [[Bonner Fellers]] (US military attache in Cairo), stopped almost a week after the fall of Tobruk. To make matters worse, his divisions were now running very low on fuel. The scenario was soon set for a major Allied counteroffensive, that aimed to completely break through the Italian divisions and the panzer divisions sent forward to assist them.

==El Mreir==

On July 1 1942, the Axis forces commenced their advance. However, the Afrika Korps encountered disorganized but spirited resistance from the Indians and South Africans, forcing the ''Trento'' Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment to take up defensive positions, and defeating the attacks from the 21st Panzer Division and 90th Light Division.

On July 3, the 4th New Zealand Brigade, supported by four artillery batteries, attacked the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division forward positions, taking 350 prisoners and capturing or destroying 24 field guns and six or eight tanks. Rommel lambasted the performance of the ''Ariete'' and in a report to General [[Albert Kesselring]], would falsely claim the Italian armoured division had lost one-hundred tanks in the New Zealand infantry attack.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

Determined to encircle and capture the rest of the ''Ariete'', the New Zealander infantry attacked again on July 5, but were repelled by heavy fire from the ''Brescia'' Division dug in near El Mreir.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

The Allied attacks continued, and the Indian 5th Infantry Division in the form of the 9th Brigade and 7th Motorised Brigade, pushed north into Rommel's flank and in three days of fighting almost reached Deir el Shein. A Maori battalion from the 2nd New Zealand Division overran part of the ''Brescia'', but were counterattacked by the ''Pavia'' Division and forced to retreat. The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' confirms that ''"enemy forces seeping south threatened to outflank the Division"'' but brushes off the incident.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

During the initial fighting, Major [[Terence O'Brien-Butler]] from the 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, displayed enormous control when surrounded by German armour, saving his battery from capture and winning the [[Military Cross]] (MC) for his courage.

==Tel el Eisa==

On the night of July 10/11, the Australian 9th Division attacked the 60th ''Sabratha'' Infantry Division defending Tel el Eisa, very close to the Afrika Korps' Command Post. The German 621st Radio Intercept Company and 835 Italians from the ''Sabratha'' are captured. The attacking 2nd/48th Battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Heathcote Hammer, had been greatly assisted by the supporting fire from 100 artillery guns.<ref>"The advance to the next triangulation point on the ridge, Point 23, 2,000 yards further on, was not so easy against the now alerted defence but soon the rifle and machine-gun fire of the Italian defenders was drowned out by the drone of hundreds of shells. The guns of all three Australian field regiments and both South African field regiments as well as the 7th Medium Regiment, amounting to more than 100 25-pounder field guns, 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch medium guns in all, began firing their artillery programme in support of the attack". Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p.105, Random House, 2010</ref> The night, the South Africans also attacked and captured Tel el Makh Khad.

The next morning, a battalion from the [[7th Bersaglieri Regiment]], under Lieutenant-Colonel Ugo Scirocco, counterattacks and recaptures part of Tel el Eisa along with thirteen Australians after overrunning the 2nd/48th Battalion's forward company.<ref>According to the 2nd/48th Battalion War Diary: ''"[a]t approx 2000 hrs enemy tks-number unknown-and inf attacked D Coy front. They overrun posn and enemy inf forced D Coy to withdraw and occupied their psn."''</ref> The Bersaglieri suffers heavy casualties, but their attack allows the arrival of several tanks from the 15th Panzer Division and permits the Italians to send forward a company of tanks, under Captain Vittorio Bulgarelli, from the ''Trieste'' Division that halts the Australians.<ref>"That afternoon Italian tanks counter-attacked both Australian battalions in an attempt to retake Hill 33 near the coast. Maj. Gabriele Verri, commanding 11th Armd. Bn. of the Trieste Motorised Division, sent a company of M13 and M14 tanks into the assault under Capt. Vittorio Bulgarelli." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, p.367, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On July 14, Colonel Erminio Angelozzi's 1st Battalion (85th Infantry Regiment) from the ''Sabratha'', counterattacks the Australians dug in on Tel el Eisa and succeeded in recapturing the position. The defending battalion withdraws, but the 2nd/23rd Battalion and the British 8th Royal Tank Regiment (8 RTR) counterattack on 16 July, overrunning a good part of the ''Sabratha'' and German 382nd Regiment<ref>"Next day, the 16th July, the British attacked again, but this time only locally. After intensive artillery preparation, the Australians attacked in the early hours of the morning with tank support and took several strong-points held by the Sabratha.“ History of the Second World War, Volume 3, p.1074, Purnell and Sons Limited, 1967</ref> before being forced to withdraw again.<ref>"On Tell el Eisa the situation was now too hot for the Australians. The area was swept by fire, and they had no artillery, no Vickers guns and no anti-tank guns, and casualties were mounting. They withdrew again.“ Dance of War: The Story of the Battle of Egypt, p.165, Peter Bates, Pen and Sword, 1992</ref><ref>"The enemy was close at hand, their patrols and armored cars were all over the road. Without hesitation the battery commander, Captain Comi, opened fire at minimum elevation ... handling his massive 149s as if they were machine guns. The space before the leveled guns was clear in no time. The ground was plowed up in front of the guns for a distance close on 20 yards....The guns became red-hot, and many of the handlers were burnt....The area in front of Comi was deserted, except for blazing vehicles and dead Australians." Rommel's Desert War, Samuel W. Mitcham, pp. 118-119, Stackpole Books, 2007</ref>

On July 17, the 9th Division resumed the advance in the Tel el Eisa sector, overrunning a good part of the ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Division,<ref>"On 16 July, the Australians had broken through the remnants of Sabratha, and on the 17th through the Trento and Trieste Divisions, but each time had been repulsed by elements of the German 164th Division." Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre, J. Lee Ready, p. 118, McFarland, 1985</ref> but the 3rd Battalion (62nd Regiment) from the ''Trento'' Division launches an unexpected counterattack with a column of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's,11th Armoured Battalion, capturing 200 Australians from the 2nd/32nd Battalion.<ref>"Soon the companies had seized the enemy positions on the ridge, but, in the dark, the men of A Company overshot their objective, Point 22, by 1,500 yards. By the time they realised their mistake they were under such heavy fire that they could not withdraw. By 08.00 hours Italian tanks and infantry began to encircle their positions and eventually forced the entire company to surrender." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p. 148, Random House, 2010</ref><ref>"The attack began on 17 July at 2.30 am. The 2/32nd captured the Trig 22 and linked with the 2/43rd but the Germans resisted fiercely and counter-attacked with tanks. The 2/32nd suffered heavily: nearly half its number were either killed or wounded and nearly 200 became prisoners of war. [https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U56075/ 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion]</ref> Although the commanding officer of the 2nd/32nd Battalion claims the attacking force was "German", the Australian historian Mark Johnston reports that German records prove that Italians were responsible for overrunning and capturing the Australian rifle company.<ref>"There were some courageous efforts by Italian units against Australians at Alamein, but these have gone largely unnoticed in Australian writings ... In wartime and published Australian accounts of Alamein actions, it is not always possible to determine whether "the enemy" referred to was German or Italian ... However, the lack of credit probably derives more from a desire to inflate Australian achievements, and an unwillingness to acknowledge reverses against Italians." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, pp. 12-13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref> Barton Maughan, Australia's official historian that covered the battles of El Alamein, minimizes the Axis success, writing that ''"two forward platoons of the 2/32nd's left company were overrun, 22 men were taken prisoner"'' and implies that the attackers belonged to the German 164th Division.<ref>"However, the official history mentions the capture of only twenty-two men and implies they were captured by Germans; the battalion history states that 101 men were captured by Germans. German records indicate that Italians of the Trento Division were responsible." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, p. 13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref>

On July 22, the Australian 9th Infantry Division finally wins complete control of Tel el Eisa after much fierce fighting, almost lasting a fortnight. In the final action, Private [[Arthur Stanley Gurney]] from the 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion wins posthumously the [[Victoria Cross]] for eliminating three German machine-gun posts holding up the Australian advance.

==Ruweisat==

On July 14 and July 22, General Auchinleck attacks Ruweisat Ridge in the centre. In the fist attack, the New Zealand 2nd Division and Indian 5th Division attack under the cover of darkness and capture 2,000 Italians, but are unable to completely break though the remaining defensive positions of the ''Pavia'' and ''Brescia'' Divisions due to unexpected fierce resistance from the Italians. With the arrival of daylight, reinforcements from the 15th Panzer Division counterattack and capture 1,600 Allied troops, the majority from the 4th New Zealand Brigade. In the battle, Captain [[Charles Upham]] from the New Zealand 20th Battalion, wins the Victoria Cross for the second time (winning his first VC during the Battle of Crete) after attacking a German truck with reinforcements, using a hand-grenade.

Soon after the first battle, the 4th/6th Rajputana Rifles ambush an approaching reinforced German armoured column, accounting for a large number of tanks, armoured cars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns.

In the second battle for Ruweisat Ridge, Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini's 65th Regiment along with Colonel Umberto Zanetti's 66th Regiment from the ''Trieste'' Division along with part of the ''Brescia'' Division play a very important role in containing the attack of the New Zealand 2nd Division, long enough to allow the 21st Panzer Division to arrive and deliver a devastating counterattack.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref>
In the German attack, the British 23rd Armoured Brigade attempts to regroup, but runs into a minefield. The 5th Panzer Regiment, under Colonel [[Gerhard Mueller]], destroys more than forty British tanks. The rest of the Panzer division joins in the fighting and complete the destruction of the British armoured brigade.

The failure of British armour to reach the infantry in time results in the loss of 800 men. More than 2,300 New Zealanders were killed, wounded, or captured in the two battles. Both Vaiarini de Piacenza and Zanetti were killed in the fighting and posthumously decorated (Gold and Silver Medals respectively) for their bravery.<ref>"Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini de Piacenza, commanding the 65th Trieste Infantry, was killed; he met his death with such gallantry that he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal ... The Trieste's other infantry colonel, Umberto Zanetti, commanding the 66th, was also killed - on July 22nd. " Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 83, Allen & Unwin, 1966
</ref> In the same action, Private [[Günter Halm]] from the 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment wins the Knights Cross and a commission, for single-handedly putting out of action half a dozen British tanks or more, before his captured Russian 76.2mm anti-tank gun was destroyed in the counter fire.

==Miteiriya==

General Auchinleck is determined to retain the initiative and orders another two brigade-sized attacks on the night of July 26/27, with Major Lew McCarter's 2nd/28th Battalion tasked with pushing through the supposedly demoralized Italian defenders on Sanyet el Miteiriya/Ruin Ridge,<ref>"The aim was to breach a section of line held by Italian troops, the more brittle element in Rommel's army." [https://www.awm.gov.au/talks-speeches/1942-ruin-ridge/ Remembering 1942: Ruin Ridge]</ref> also known as Ruin Ridge. However, the Australian attack against Miteiriya Ridge meets unexpected tough resistance from machine-gunners and anti-tank gunners from the ''Trento'' Division<ref>"We could see the Australians and British advancing rather spread out, about 750 yards in front of us, all in groups corresponding with their units. We ceased fire with the machine-guns — there was still plenty of time for them — but continued with our 47/32s ... When they got within 300 yards, we opened up with everything. The noise was terrific; you could only tell a gun was firing by the smoke and powder coming out of its muzzle. It was almost eleven o’clock. My tommy-gun broke down after about 3,000 rounds — ejector broken! The machine-gun also played up a bit after 5,000 rounds. But by that time the attack was beginning to peter out. The British artillery had packed it in. By midday it was all over. After the withdrawal, followed by our counterattack, the ambulances returned to start ferrying back the dead and wounded, but we got suspicious after an hour or so because they seemed to be hanging about too much. We fired a few shots over their heads to let them know it was time to break it up. They took the hint and went — and didn’t come back." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 87, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> and the attack is halted soon after dawn, with Australian intelligence officer (Lieutenant Walker) reporting Major McCarter's battalion surrounded by armoured cars,<ref>"The Bn was completely surrounded by ARMORED CARS which worked forward under cover of fire from enemy tanks further back, while 20mm, MMG and mortar fire kept the heads of our own troops well down. In this manner the enemy was able to cut off and dispose of sections and platoons one by one, until at 1030 hrs Bn HQ area was occupied by several ARMORED CARS and surviving personnel taken prisoner. An effort had been made to hinder the enemy armored vehicles by bringing Arty fire to bear on them before they dispersed. Unfortunately the only communication with Bde was by one wireless set WT repaired by Sigs, after about eight hours work. Messages reporting the situation were sent immediately once this set was capable of functioning, i.e., about 0930 hrs onwards. Last message was “All up, overrun!”." [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1026672/?image=5 July 1942 Diary by Lieutenant S. A. Walker]</ref> that arrived from the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"The names of certain units were on everyone’s lips up and down the line following particularly brilliant actions, among them the reconnaissance Group of the Trieste. It had been set up some time previously: it was hardly a homogeneous unit on the German pattern, but did reflect admirably the Italian genius of improvisation. They had no more than nine vehicles–Morrises, Fords, Dingos and Jeeps, all captured from the enemy–armed with small caliber guns and machine-guns of all descriptions, British, Italian and German, together with two British 88 guns and their carriages, and two small supply lorries." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 79, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> Supporting British armour runs into a minefield that is not cleared in time by South African engineers, and the Australians are forced to surrender to the Italians.<ref>"Assuming that the Italians were demoralized and easy pickings was a mistake, which the 9th Australian Division, the heroes of the defense of Tobruk in 1941, learned to its regret. A night attack against the Trento and Trieste Divisions, after some initial success, was bloodily repulsed, one entire battalion of Australian infantry being overrun." Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel, Daniel Allen Butler, p. 352, Casemate, 2015</ref><ref>"Il contrattacco sviluppato da un battaglione di secondo scaglione della divisione «Trieste» e da un battaglione della «Trento», era riuscito ad impedire il dilagare della penetrazione, con la cattura di 500 prigionieri e stroncando ogni ulteriore possibilità di avanzata nemica verso ovest." Seconda Controffensiva Italo-Tedesca in Africa Settentrionale da El Agheila a El Alamein, p. 181,Tipografia regionale, 1951</ref>The Australian battalion loses 65 men killed and 490 captured in the attack against the Italian strongpoint with the Australians captured ending up in prisoner of war camps in Italy.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160313133931/https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/world-war-2-m-o.php The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial]</ref>The war diary of the 2nd/28th Battalion would be declared lost, and many shocked survivors in the unit would later claim they surrendered to panzers from Battle Group ''Briehl''. According to Sergeant Bill Rudd's version of the Australian attack:{{cquote|The German guns on the right flank were having a field day, and the German voices were close enough to be understandable ... The false dawn revealed us spread over the top of the ridge for about a quarter of a square mile. There was an anti-tank gun set up on our right flank and we could hear the rumble of approaching tanks, and the sounds of machine guns. But as the sky brightened and the tanks closed in, their German crosses became only too visible. There was not a sign of any British tanks, which had apparently failed to start on time and never reached the site of the battle.<ref>[http://www.anzacpow.com/part_4__nominal_roll_all_evades/chapter_4__ninth_division/24th_brigade ANZAC POW]</ref>}}

The British attack had also been unsuccessful, and about 600 were captured in a German counterattack with tanks and infantry that arrive in trucks.

The 8th Army is now completely exhausted, and by July 31 General Auchinleck orders an end to offensive operations in favor of strengthening the defense lines to be able to meet any future counter-offensive.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

First Battle of El Alamein

2022-08-10T01:49:19Z

Charriere: /* El Mreir */

{{War
| image =
| conflict = [[Second World War]]
| date = July 1–26, 1942
| campaign = North African Campaign
| combatant1 = [[British 8th Army]]
| combatant2 = [[Afrika Korps]]
| commander1 = [[Claude Auchinleck]] Lieutenant General, British Army
| commander2 = [[Erwin Rommel]] Field Marshal, German Army
| strength1 = 195,000
| strength2 = 150,000
| casualties1 = 13,250 Killed: 4,500 Wounded: 8,000 Missing or captured: 1,000|
| casualties2 = 62,800 Killed: 3,300 Wounded: 17,500 Captured: 7,700
}}

The '''First Battle of El Alamein''' took place near railway depot near the [[Mediterranean Sea]], between July 1 and 27. The British Commonwealth forces, under General [[Claude John Eyre Auchinleck]], emerged victorious in the battle, having stopped the [[Afrika Korps]] under Field Marshal [[Erwin Rommel]] in Egypt. The battle marked the end of several Axis victories obtained at Gazala, Tobruk, Mersa Matruh, Fuka and elsewhere, and was the first in a series of battles which would result in the liberation of French Algeria and Tunisia from Axis forces, and the invasion of Italy.

The Afrika Korps had been successfully fighting their way ever closer to the Egyptian border. Italian "battleship convoys" personally commanded by Admiral [[Angelo Iachino]], and good solid intelligence from the Italian Military Information Service (Servizio Informazione Militare or SIM) obtained through theft of secret documents from the US Embassy in Rome, had greatly assisted Rommel in winning battles at Benghazi, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh.<ref>"...this time with crucial Italian - not German - intelligence giving him the daily British order of battle, and with the new self-propelled Semovente 75/18mm which gave the Marcks Group a powerful Italian punch." The American Experience in World War II, Walter L. Hixson, p.255, Taylor & Francis, 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.historynet.com/intercepted-communications-for-field-marshal-erwin-rommel.htm Intercepted Communications for Field Marshal Erwin Rommel]</ref> Unfortunately for Rommel, the British discovered this security breach and the deciphered daily reports to Washington coming from Colonel [[Bonner Fellers]] (US military attache in Cairo), stopped almost a week after the fall of Tobruk. To make matters worse, his divisions were now running very low on fuel. The scenario was soon set for a major Allied counteroffensive, that aimed to completely break through the Italian divisions and the panzer divisions sent forward to assist them.

==El Mreir==

On July 1 1942, the Axis forces commenced their advance. However, the Afrika Korps encountered disorganized but spirited resistance from the Indians and South Africans, forcing the ''Trento'' Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment to take up defensive positions, and defeating the attacks from the 21st Panzer Division and 90th Light Division.

On July 3, the 4th New Zealand Brigade, supported by four artillery batteries, attacked the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division forward positions, taking 350 prisoners and capturing or destroying 24 field guns and six or eight tanks. Rommel lambasted the performance of the ''Ariete'' and in a report to General [[Albert Kesselring]], would falsely claim the Italian armoured division had lost one-hundred tanks in the New Zealand infantry attack.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

Determined to encircle and capture the rest of the ''Ariete'', the New Zealander infantry attacked again on July 5, but were repelled by heavy fire from the ''Brescia'' Division dug in near El Mreir.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

The Allied attacks continued, and the Indian 5th Infantry Division in the form of the 9th Brigade and 7th Motorised Brigade, pushed north into Rommel's flank and in three days of fighting almost reached Deir el Shein. A Maori battalion from the 2nd New Zealand Division overran part of the ''Brescia'', but were counterattacked by the ''Pavia'' Division and forced to retreat. The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' confirms that ''"enemy forces seeping south threatened to outflank the Division"'' but brushes off the incident.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

During the initial fighting, Major [[Terence O'Brien-Butler]] from the 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, displayed enormous control when surrounded by German armour, saving his battery from capture and winning the [[Military Cross]] (MC) for his courage.

==Tel el Eisa==

On the night of July 10/11, the Australian 9th Division attacked the 60th ''Sabratha'' Infantry Division defending Tel el Eisa, very close to the Afrika Korps' Command Post. The German 621st Radio Intercept Company and 835 Italians from the ''Sabratha'' are captured. The attacking 2nd/48th Battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Heathcote Hammer, had been greatly assisted by the supporting fire from 100 artillery guns.<ref>"The advance to the next triangulation point on the ridge, Point 23, 2,000 yards further on, was not so easy against the now alerted defence but soon the rifle and machine-gun fire of the Italian defenders was drowned out by the drone of hundreds of shells. The guns of all three Australian field regiments and both South African field regiments as well as the 7th Medium Regiment, amounting to more than 100 25-pounder field guns, 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch medium guns in all, began firing their artillery programme in support of the attack". Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p.105, Random House, 2010</ref> The night, the South Africans also attacked and captured Tel el Makh Khad.

The next morning, a battalion from the [[7th Bersaglieri Regiment]], under Lieutenant-Colonel Ugo Scirocco, counterattacks and recaptures part of Tel el Eisa along with thirteen Australians after overrunning the 2nd/48th Battalion's forward company.<ref>According to the 2nd/48th Battalion War Diary: ''"[a]t approx 2000 hrs enemy tks-number unknown-and inf attacked D Coy front. They overrun posn and enemy inf forced D Coy to withdraw and occupied their psn."''</ref> The Bersaglieri suffers heavy casualties, but their attack allows the arrival of several tanks from the 15th Panzer Division and permits the Italians to send forward a company of tanks, under Captain Vittorio Bulgarelli, from the ''Trieste'' Division that halts the Australians.<ref>"That afternoon Italian tanks counter-attacked both Australian battalions in an attempt to retake Hill 33 near the coast. Maj. Gabriele Verri, commanding 11th Armd. Bn. of the Trieste Motorised Division, sent a company of M13 and M14 tanks into the assault under Capt. Vittorio Bulgarelli." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, p.367, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On July 14, Colonel Erminio Angelozzi's 1st Battalion (85th Infantry Regiment) from the ''Sabratha'', counterattacks the Australians dug in on Tel el Eisa and succeeded in recapturing the position. The defending battalion withdraws, but the 2nd/23rd Battalion and the British 8th Royal Tank Regiment (8 RTR) counterattack on 16 July, overrunning a good part of the ''Sabratha'' and German 382nd Regiment<ref>"Next day, the 16th July, the British attacked again, but this time only locally. After intensive artillery preparation, the Australians attacked in the early hours of the morning with tank support and took several strong-points held by the Sabratha.“ History of the Second World War, Volume 3, p.1074, Purnell and Sons Limited, 1967</ref> before being forced to withdraw again.<ref>"On Tell el Eisa the situation was now too hot for the Australians. The area was swept by fire, and they had no artillery, no Vickers guns and no anti-tank guns, and casualties were mounting. They withdrew again.“ Dance of War: The Story of the Battle of Egypt, p.165, Peter Bates, Pen and Sword, 1992</ref><ref>"The enemy was close at hand, their patrols and armored cars were all over the road. Without hesitation the battery commander, Captain Comi, opened fire at minimum elevation ... handling his massive 149s as if they were machine guns. The space before the leveled guns was clear in no time. The ground was plowed up in front of the guns for a distance close on 20 yards....The guns became red-hot, and many of the handlers were burnt....The area in front of Comi was deserted, except for blazing vehicles and dead Australians." Rommel's Desert War, Samuel W. Mitcham, pp. 118-119, Stackpole Books, 2007</ref>

On July 17, the 9th Division resumed the advance in the Tel el Eisa sector, overrunning a good part of the ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Division,<ref>"On 16 July, the Australians had broken through the remnants of Sabratha, and on the 17th through the Trento and Trieste Divisions, but each time had been repulsed by elements of the German 164th Division." Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre, J. Lee Ready, p. 118, McFarland, 1985</ref> but the 3rd Battalion (62nd Regiment) from the ''Trento'' Division launches an unexpected counterattack with a column of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's,11th Armoured Battalion, capturing 200 Australians from the 2nd/32nd Battalion.<ref>"Soon the companies had seized the enemy positions on the ridge, but, in the dark, the men of A Company overshot their objective, Point 22, by 1,500 yards. By the time they realised their mistake they were under such heavy fire that they could not withdraw. By 08.00 hours Italian tanks and infantry began to encircle their positions and eventually forced the entire company to surrender." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p. 148, Random House, 2010</ref><ref>"The attack began on 17 July at 2.30 am. The 2/32nd captured the Trig 22 and linked with the 2/43rd but the Germans resisted fiercely and counter-attacked with tanks. The 2/32nd suffered heavily: nearly half its number were either killed or wounded and nearly 200 became prisoners of war. [https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U56075/ 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion]</ref> Although the commanding officer of the 2nd/32nd Battalion claims the attacking force was "German", the Australian historian Mark Johnston reports that German records prove that Italians were responsible for overrunning and capturing the Australian rifle company.<ref>"There were some courageous efforts by Italian units against Australians at Alamein, but these have gone largely unnoticed in Australian writings ... In wartime and published Australian accounts of Alamein actions, it is not always possible to determine whether "the enemy" referred to was German or Italian ... However, the lack of credit probably derives more from a desire to inflate Australian achievements, and an unwillingness to acknowledge reverses against Italians." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, pp. 12-13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref> Barton Maughan, Australia's official historian that covered the battles of El Alamein, minimizes the Axis success, writing that ''"two forward platoons of the 2/32nd's left company were overrun, 22 men were taken prisoner"'' and implies that the attackers belonged to the German 164th Division.<ref>"However, the official history mentions the capture of only twenty-two men and implies they were captured by Germans; the battalion history states that 101 men were captured by Germans. German records indicate that Italians of the Trento Division were responsible." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, p. 13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref>

On July 22, the Australian 9th Infantry Division finally wins complete control of Tel el Eisa after much fierce fighting, almost lasting a fortnight. In the final action, Private [[Arthur Stanley Gurney]] from the 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion wins posthumously the [[Victoria Cross]] for eliminating three German machine-gun posts holding up the Australian advance.

==Ruweisat==

On July 14 and July 22, General Auchinleck attacks Ruweisat Ridge in the centre. In the fist attack, the New Zealand 2nd Division and Indian 5th Division attack under the cover of darkness and capture 2,000 Italians, but are unable to completely break though the remaining defensive positions of the ''Pavia'' and ''Brescia'' Divisions due to unexpected resistance from the Italians. With the arrival of daylight, reinforcements from the 15th Panzer Division counterattack and capture 1,600 Allied troops, the majority from the 4th New Zealand Brigade. In the battle, Captain [[Charles Upham]] from the New Zealand 20th Battalion, wins the Victoria Cross for the second time (winning his first VC during the Battle of Crete) after attacking a German truck with reinforcements, using a hand-grenade.

Soon after the first battle, the 4th/6th Rajputana Rifles ambush an approaching reinforced German armoured column, accounting for a large number of tanks, armoured cars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns.

In the second battle for Ruweisat Ridge, Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini's 65th Regiment along with Colonel Umberto Zanetti's 66th Regiment from the ''Trieste'' Division along with part of the ''Brescia'' Division play a very important role in containing the attack of the New Zealand 2nd Division, long enough to allow the 21st Panzer Division to arrive and deliver a devastating counterattack.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref>
In the German attack, the British 23rd Armoured Brigade attempts to regroup, but runs into a minefield. The 5th Panzer Regiment, under Colonel [[Gerhard Mueller]], destroys more than forty British tanks. The rest of the Panzer division joins in the fighting and complete the destruction of the British armoured brigade.

The failure of British armour to reach the infantry in time results in the loss of 800 men. More than 2,300 New Zealanders were killed, wounded, or captured in the two battles. Both Vaiarini de Piacenza and Zanetti were killed in the fighting and posthumously decorated (Gold and Silver Medals respectively) for their bravery.<ref>"Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini de Piacenza, commanding the 65th Trieste Infantry, was killed; he met his death with such gallantry that he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal ... The Trieste's other infantry colonel, Umberto Zanetti, commanding the 66th, was also killed - on July 22nd. " Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 83, Allen & Unwin, 1966
</ref> In the same action, Private [[Günter Halm]] from the 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment wins the Knights Cross and a commission, for single-handedly putting out of action half a dozen British tanks or more, before his captured Russian 76.2mm anti-tank gun was destroyed in the counter fire.

==Miteiriya==

General Auchinleck is determined to retain the initiative and orders another two brigade-sized attacks on the night of July 26/27, with Major Lew McCarter's 2nd/28th Battalion tasked with pushing through the supposedly demoralized Italian defenders on Sanyet el Miteiriya/Ruin Ridge,<ref>"The aim was to breach a section of line held by Italian troops, the more brittle element in Rommel's army." [https://www.awm.gov.au/talks-speeches/1942-ruin-ridge/ Remembering 1942: Ruin Ridge]</ref> also known as Ruin Ridge. However, the Australian attack against Miteiriya Ridge meets unexpected tough resistance from machine-gunners and anti-tank gunners from the ''Trento'' Division<ref>"We could see the Australians and British advancing rather spread out, about 750 yards in front of us, all in groups corresponding with their units. We ceased fire with the machine-guns — there was still plenty of time for them — but continued with our 47/32s ... When they got within 300 yards, we opened up with everything. The noise was terrific; you could only tell a gun was firing by the smoke and powder coming out of its muzzle. It was almost eleven o’clock. My tommy-gun broke down after about 3,000 rounds — ejector broken! The machine-gun also played up a bit after 5,000 rounds. But by that time the attack was beginning to peter out. The British artillery had packed it in. By midday it was all over. After the withdrawal, followed by our counterattack, the ambulances returned to start ferrying back the dead and wounded, but we got suspicious after an hour or so because they seemed to be hanging about too much. We fired a few shots over their heads to let them know it was time to break it up. They took the hint and went — and didn’t come back." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 87, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> and the attack is halted soon after dawn, with Australian intelligence officer (Lieutenant Walker) reporting Major McCarter's battalion surrounded by armoured cars,<ref>"The Bn was completely surrounded by ARMORED CARS which worked forward under cover of fire from enemy tanks further back, while 20mm, MMG and mortar fire kept the heads of our own troops well down. In this manner the enemy was able to cut off and dispose of sections and platoons one by one, until at 1030 hrs Bn HQ area was occupied by several ARMORED CARS and surviving personnel taken prisoner. An effort had been made to hinder the enemy armored vehicles by bringing Arty fire to bear on them before they dispersed. Unfortunately the only communication with Bde was by one wireless set WT repaired by Sigs, after about eight hours work. Messages reporting the situation were sent immediately once this set was capable of functioning, i.e., about 0930 hrs onwards. Last message was “All up, overrun!”." [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1026672/?image=5 July 1942 Diary by Lieutenant S. A. Walker]</ref> that arrived from the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"The names of certain units were on everyone’s lips up and down the line following particularly brilliant actions, among them the reconnaissance Group of the Trieste. It had been set up some time previously: it was hardly a homogeneous unit on the German pattern, but did reflect admirably the Italian genius of improvisation. They had no more than nine vehicles–Morrises, Fords, Dingos and Jeeps, all captured from the enemy–armed with small caliber guns and machine-guns of all descriptions, British, Italian and German, together with two British 88 guns and their carriages, and two small supply lorries." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 79, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> Supporting British armour runs into a minefield that is not cleared in time by South African engineers, and the Australians are forced to surrender to the Italians.<ref>"Assuming that the Italians were demoralized and easy pickings was a mistake, which the 9th Australian Division, the heroes of the defense of Tobruk in 1941, learned to its regret. A night attack against the Trento and Trieste Divisions, after some initial success, was bloodily repulsed, one entire battalion of Australian infantry being overrun." Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel, Daniel Allen Butler, p. 352, Casemate, 2015</ref><ref>"Il contrattacco sviluppato da un battaglione di secondo scaglione della divisione «Trieste» e da un battaglione della «Trento», era riuscito ad impedire il dilagare della penetrazione, con la cattura di 500 prigionieri e stroncando ogni ulteriore possibilità di avanzata nemica verso ovest." Seconda Controffensiva Italo-Tedesca in Africa Settentrionale da El Agheila a El Alamein, p. 181,Tipografia regionale, 1951</ref>The Australian battalion loses 65 men killed and 490 captured in the attack against the Italian strongpoint with the Australians captured ending up in prisoner of war camps in Italy.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160313133931/https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/world-war-2-m-o.php The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial]</ref>The war diary of the 2nd/28th Battalion would be declared lost, and many shocked survivors in the unit would later claim they surrendered to panzers from Battle Group ''Briehl''. According to Sergeant Bill Rudd's version of the Australian attack:{{cquote|The German guns on the right flank were having a field day, and the German voices were close enough to be understandable ... The false dawn revealed us spread over the top of the ridge for about a quarter of a square mile. There was an anti-tank gun set up on our right flank and we could hear the rumble of approaching tanks, and the sounds of machine guns. But as the sky brightened and the tanks closed in, their German crosses became only too visible. There was not a sign of any British tanks, which had apparently failed to start on time and never reached the site of the battle.<ref>[http://www.anzacpow.com/part_4__nominal_roll_all_evades/chapter_4__ninth_division/24th_brigade ANZAC POW]</ref>}}

The British attack had also been unsuccessful, and about 600 were captured in a German counterattack with tanks and infantry that arrive in trucks.

The 8th Army is now completely exhausted, and by July 31 General Auchinleck orders an end to offensive operations in favor of strengthening the defense lines to be able to meet any future counter-offensive.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

First Battle of El Alamein

2022-08-10T01:45:30Z

Charriere:

{{War
| image =
| conflict = [[Second World War]]
| date = July 1–26, 1942
| campaign = North African Campaign
| combatant1 = [[British 8th Army]]
| combatant2 = [[Afrika Korps]]
| commander1 = [[Claude Auchinleck]] Lieutenant General, British Army
| commander2 = [[Erwin Rommel]] Field Marshal, German Army
| strength1 = 195,000
| strength2 = 150,000
| casualties1 = 13,250 Killed: 4,500 Wounded: 8,000 Missing or captured: 1,000|
| casualties2 = 62,800 Killed: 3,300 Wounded: 17,500 Captured: 7,700
}}

The '''First Battle of El Alamein''' took place near railway depot near the [[Mediterranean Sea]], between July 1 and 27. The British Commonwealth forces, under General [[Claude John Eyre Auchinleck]], emerged victorious in the battle, having stopped the [[Afrika Korps]] under Field Marshal [[Erwin Rommel]] in Egypt. The battle marked the end of several Axis victories obtained at Gazala, Tobruk, Mersa Matruh, Fuka and elsewhere, and was the first in a series of battles which would result in the liberation of French Algeria and Tunisia from Axis forces, and the invasion of Italy.

The Afrika Korps had been successfully fighting their way ever closer to the Egyptian border. Italian "battleship convoys" personally commanded by Admiral [[Angelo Iachino]], and good solid intelligence from the Italian Military Information Service (Servizio Informazione Militare or SIM) obtained through theft of secret documents from the US Embassy in Rome, had greatly assisted Rommel in winning battles at Benghazi, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh.<ref>"...this time with crucial Italian - not German - intelligence giving him the daily British order of battle, and with the new self-propelled Semovente 75/18mm which gave the Marcks Group a powerful Italian punch." The American Experience in World War II, Walter L. Hixson, p.255, Taylor & Francis, 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.historynet.com/intercepted-communications-for-field-marshal-erwin-rommel.htm Intercepted Communications for Field Marshal Erwin Rommel]</ref> Unfortunately for Rommel, the British discovered this security breach and the deciphered daily reports to Washington coming from Colonel [[Bonner Fellers]] (US military attache in Cairo), stopped almost a week after the fall of Tobruk. To make matters worse, his divisions were now running very low on fuel. The scenario was soon set for a major Allied counteroffensive, that aimed to completely break through the Italian divisions and the panzer divisions sent forward to assist them.

==El Mreir==

On July 1 1942, the Axis forces commenced their advance. However, the Afrika Korps encountered disorganized but spirited resistance from the Indians and South Africans, forcing the ''Trento'' Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment to take up defensive positions, and defeating the attacks from the 21st Panzer Division and 90th Light Division.

On July 3, the 4th New Zealand Brigade, supported by four artillery batteries, attacked the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division forward positions, taking 350 prisoners and capturing or destroying 24 field guns and six or eight tanks. Rommel lambasted the performance of the ''Ariete'' and in a report to General [[Albert Kesselring]], would falsely claim the Italian armoured division had lost one-hundred tanks in the New Zealand infantry attack.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

Determined to encircle and capture the rest of the ''Ariete'', the New Zealander infantry attacked again on July 5, but were repelled by heavy fire from the ''Brescia'' Division dug in near El Mreir.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

The Allied attacks continued, and the Indian 5th Infantry Division in the form of the 9th Brigade and 7th Motorised Brigade, pushed north into Rommel's flank and in three days of fighting almost reached Deir el Shein. A Maori battalion from the 2nd New Zealand Division overran part of the ''Brescia'', but were unexpectedly counterattacked by the ''Pavia'' Division and forced to retreat. The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' confirms that ''"enemy forces seeping south threatened to outflank the Division"'' but brushed off the incident.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

During the initial fighting, Major [[Terence O'Brien-Butler]] from the 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, displayed enormous control when surrounded by German armour, saving his battery from capture and winning the [[Military Cross]] (MC) for his courage.

==Tel el Eisa==

On the night of July 10/11, the Australian 9th Division attacked the 60th ''Sabratha'' Infantry Division defending Tel el Eisa, very close to the Afrika Korps' Command Post. The German 621st Radio Intercept Company and 835 Italians from the ''Sabratha'' are captured. The attacking 2nd/48th Battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Heathcote Hammer, had been greatly assisted by the supporting fire from 100 artillery guns.<ref>"The advance to the next triangulation point on the ridge, Point 23, 2,000 yards further on, was not so easy against the now alerted defence but soon the rifle and machine-gun fire of the Italian defenders was drowned out by the drone of hundreds of shells. The guns of all three Australian field regiments and both South African field regiments as well as the 7th Medium Regiment, amounting to more than 100 25-pounder field guns, 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch medium guns in all, began firing their artillery programme in support of the attack". Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p.105, Random House, 2010</ref> The night, the South Africans also attacked and captured Tel el Makh Khad.

The next morning, a battalion from the [[7th Bersaglieri Regiment]], under Lieutenant-Colonel Ugo Scirocco, counterattacks and recaptures part of Tel el Eisa along with thirteen Australians after overrunning the 2nd/48th Battalion's forward company.<ref>According to the 2nd/48th Battalion War Diary: ''"[a]t approx 2000 hrs enemy tks-number unknown-and inf attacked D Coy front. They overrun posn and enemy inf forced D Coy to withdraw and occupied their psn."''</ref> The Bersaglieri suffers heavy casualties, but their attack allows the arrival of several tanks from the 15th Panzer Division and permits the Italians to send forward a company of tanks, under Captain Vittorio Bulgarelli, from the ''Trieste'' Division that halts the Australians.<ref>"That afternoon Italian tanks counter-attacked both Australian battalions in an attempt to retake Hill 33 near the coast. Maj. Gabriele Verri, commanding 11th Armd. Bn. of the Trieste Motorised Division, sent a company of M13 and M14 tanks into the assault under Capt. Vittorio Bulgarelli." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, p.367, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On July 14, Colonel Erminio Angelozzi's 1st Battalion (85th Infantry Regiment) from the ''Sabratha'', counterattacks the Australians dug in on Tel el Eisa and succeeded in recapturing the position. The defending battalion withdraws, but the 2nd/23rd Battalion and the British 8th Royal Tank Regiment (8 RTR) counterattack on 16 July, overrunning a good part of the ''Sabratha'' and German 382nd Regiment<ref>"Next day, the 16th July, the British attacked again, but this time only locally. After intensive artillery preparation, the Australians attacked in the early hours of the morning with tank support and took several strong-points held by the Sabratha.“ History of the Second World War, Volume 3, p.1074, Purnell and Sons Limited, 1967</ref> before being forced to withdraw again.<ref>"On Tell el Eisa the situation was now too hot for the Australians. The area was swept by fire, and they had no artillery, no Vickers guns and no anti-tank guns, and casualties were mounting. They withdrew again.“ Dance of War: The Story of the Battle of Egypt, p.165, Peter Bates, Pen and Sword, 1992</ref><ref>"The enemy was close at hand, their patrols and armored cars were all over the road. Without hesitation the battery commander, Captain Comi, opened fire at minimum elevation ... handling his massive 149s as if they were machine guns. The space before the leveled guns was clear in no time. The ground was plowed up in front of the guns for a distance close on 20 yards....The guns became red-hot, and many of the handlers were burnt....The area in front of Comi was deserted, except for blazing vehicles and dead Australians." Rommel's Desert War, Samuel W. Mitcham, pp. 118-119, Stackpole Books, 2007</ref>

On July 17, the 9th Division resumed the advance in the Tel el Eisa sector, overrunning a good part of the ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Division,<ref>"On 16 July, the Australians had broken through the remnants of Sabratha, and on the 17th through the Trento and Trieste Divisions, but each time had been repulsed by elements of the German 164th Division." Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre, J. Lee Ready, p. 118, McFarland, 1985</ref> but the 3rd Battalion (62nd Regiment) from the ''Trento'' Division launches an unexpected counterattack with a column of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's,11th Armoured Battalion, capturing 200 Australians from the 2nd/32nd Battalion.<ref>"Soon the companies had seized the enemy positions on the ridge, but, in the dark, the men of A Company overshot their objective, Point 22, by 1,500 yards. By the time they realised their mistake they were under such heavy fire that they could not withdraw. By 08.00 hours Italian tanks and infantry began to encircle their positions and eventually forced the entire company to surrender." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p. 148, Random House, 2010</ref><ref>"The attack began on 17 July at 2.30 am. The 2/32nd captured the Trig 22 and linked with the 2/43rd but the Germans resisted fiercely and counter-attacked with tanks. The 2/32nd suffered heavily: nearly half its number were either killed or wounded and nearly 200 became prisoners of war. [https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U56075/ 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion]</ref> Although the commanding officer of the 2nd/32nd Battalion claims the attacking force was "German", the Australian historian Mark Johnston reports that German records prove that Italians were responsible for overrunning and capturing the Australian rifle company.<ref>"There were some courageous efforts by Italian units against Australians at Alamein, but these have gone largely unnoticed in Australian writings ... In wartime and published Australian accounts of Alamein actions, it is not always possible to determine whether "the enemy" referred to was German or Italian ... However, the lack of credit probably derives more from a desire to inflate Australian achievements, and an unwillingness to acknowledge reverses against Italians." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, pp. 12-13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref> Barton Maughan, Australia's official historian that covered the battles of El Alamein, minimizes the Axis success, writing that ''"two forward platoons of the 2/32nd's left company were overrun, 22 men were taken prisoner"'' and implies that the attackers belonged to the German 164th Division.<ref>"However, the official history mentions the capture of only twenty-two men and implies they were captured by Germans; the battalion history states that 101 men were captured by Germans. German records indicate that Italians of the Trento Division were responsible." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, p. 13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref>

On July 22, the Australian 9th Infantry Division finally wins complete control of Tel el Eisa after much fierce fighting, almost lasting a fortnight. In the final action, Private [[Arthur Stanley Gurney]] from the 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion wins posthumously the [[Victoria Cross]] for eliminating three German machine-gun posts holding up the Australian advance.

==Ruweisat==

On July 14 and July 22, General Auchinleck attacks Ruweisat Ridge in the centre. In the fist attack, the New Zealand 2nd Division and Indian 5th Division attack under the cover of darkness and capture 2,000 Italians, but are unable to completely break though the remaining defensive positions of the ''Pavia'' and ''Brescia'' Divisions due to unexpected resistance from the Italians. With the arrival of daylight, reinforcements from the 15th Panzer Division counterattack and capture 1,600 Allied troops, the majority from the 4th New Zealand Brigade. In the battle, Captain [[Charles Upham]] from the New Zealand 20th Battalion, wins the Victoria Cross for the second time (winning his first VC during the Battle of Crete) after attacking a German truck with reinforcements, using a hand-grenade.

Soon after the first battle, the 4th/6th Rajputana Rifles ambush an approaching reinforced German armoured column, accounting for a large number of tanks, armoured cars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns.

In the second battle for Ruweisat Ridge, Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini's 65th Regiment along with Colonel Umberto Zanetti's 66th Regiment from the ''Trieste'' Division along with part of the ''Brescia'' Division play a very important role in containing the attack of the New Zealand 2nd Division, long enough to allow the 21st Panzer Division to arrive and deliver a devastating counterattack.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref>
In the German attack, the British 23rd Armoured Brigade attempts to regroup, but runs into a minefield. The 5th Panzer Regiment, under Colonel [[Gerhard Mueller]], destroys more than forty British tanks. The rest of the Panzer division joins in the fighting and complete the destruction of the British armoured brigade.

The failure of British armour to reach the infantry in time results in the loss of 800 men. More than 2,300 New Zealanders were killed, wounded, or captured in the two battles. Both Vaiarini de Piacenza and Zanetti were killed in the fighting and posthumously decorated (Gold and Silver Medals respectively) for their bravery.<ref>"Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini de Piacenza, commanding the 65th Trieste Infantry, was killed; he met his death with such gallantry that he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal ... The Trieste's other infantry colonel, Umberto Zanetti, commanding the 66th, was also killed - on July 22nd. " Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 83, Allen & Unwin, 1966
</ref> In the same action, Private [[Günter Halm]] from the 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment wins the Knights Cross and a commission, for single-handedly putting out of action half a dozen British tanks or more, before his captured Russian 76.2mm anti-tank gun was destroyed in the counter fire.

==Miteiriya==

General Auchinleck is determined to retain the initiative and orders another two brigade-sized attacks on the night of July 26/27, with Major Lew McCarter's 2nd/28th Battalion tasked with pushing through the supposedly demoralized Italian defenders on Sanyet el Miteiriya/Ruin Ridge,<ref>"The aim was to breach a section of line held by Italian troops, the more brittle element in Rommel's army." [https://www.awm.gov.au/talks-speeches/1942-ruin-ridge/ Remembering 1942: Ruin Ridge]</ref> also known as Ruin Ridge. However, the Australian attack against Miteiriya Ridge meets unexpected tough resistance from machine-gunners and anti-tank gunners from the ''Trento'' Division<ref>"We could see the Australians and British advancing rather spread out, about 750 yards in front of us, all in groups corresponding with their units. We ceased fire with the machine-guns — there was still plenty of time for them — but continued with our 47/32s ... When they got within 300 yards, we opened up with everything. The noise was terrific; you could only tell a gun was firing by the smoke and powder coming out of its muzzle. It was almost eleven o’clock. My tommy-gun broke down after about 3,000 rounds — ejector broken! The machine-gun also played up a bit after 5,000 rounds. But by that time the attack was beginning to peter out. The British artillery had packed it in. By midday it was all over. After the withdrawal, followed by our counterattack, the ambulances returned to start ferrying back the dead and wounded, but we got suspicious after an hour or so because they seemed to be hanging about too much. We fired a few shots over their heads to let them know it was time to break it up. They took the hint and went — and didn’t come back." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 87, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> and the attack is halted soon after dawn, with Australian intelligence officer (Lieutenant Walker) reporting Major McCarter's battalion surrounded by armoured cars,<ref>"The Bn was completely surrounded by ARMORED CARS which worked forward under cover of fire from enemy tanks further back, while 20mm, MMG and mortar fire kept the heads of our own troops well down. In this manner the enemy was able to cut off and dispose of sections and platoons one by one, until at 1030 hrs Bn HQ area was occupied by several ARMORED CARS and surviving personnel taken prisoner. An effort had been made to hinder the enemy armored vehicles by bringing Arty fire to bear on them before they dispersed. Unfortunately the only communication with Bde was by one wireless set WT repaired by Sigs, after about eight hours work. Messages reporting the situation were sent immediately once this set was capable of functioning, i.e., about 0930 hrs onwards. Last message was “All up, overrun!”." [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1026672/?image=5 July 1942 Diary by Lieutenant S. A. Walker]</ref> that arrived from the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"The names of certain units were on everyone’s lips up and down the line following particularly brilliant actions, among them the reconnaissance Group of the Trieste. It had been set up some time previously: it was hardly a homogeneous unit on the German pattern, but did reflect admirably the Italian genius of improvisation. They had no more than nine vehicles–Morrises, Fords, Dingos and Jeeps, all captured from the enemy–armed with small caliber guns and machine-guns of all descriptions, British, Italian and German, together with two British 88 guns and their carriages, and two small supply lorries." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 79, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> Supporting British armour runs into a minefield that is not cleared in time by South African engineers, and the Australians are forced to surrender to the Italians.<ref>"Assuming that the Italians were demoralized and easy pickings was a mistake, which the 9th Australian Division, the heroes of the defense of Tobruk in 1941, learned to its regret. A night attack against the Trento and Trieste Divisions, after some initial success, was bloodily repulsed, one entire battalion of Australian infantry being overrun." Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel, Daniel Allen Butler, p. 352, Casemate, 2015</ref><ref>"Il contrattacco sviluppato da un battaglione di secondo scaglione della divisione «Trieste» e da un battaglione della «Trento», era riuscito ad impedire il dilagare della penetrazione, con la cattura di 500 prigionieri e stroncando ogni ulteriore possibilità di avanzata nemica verso ovest." Seconda Controffensiva Italo-Tedesca in Africa Settentrionale da El Agheila a El Alamein, p. 181,Tipografia regionale, 1951</ref>The Australian battalion loses 65 men killed and 490 captured in the attack against the Italian strongpoint with the Australians captured ending up in prisoner of war camps in Italy.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160313133931/https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/world-war-2-m-o.php The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial]</ref>The war diary of the 2nd/28th Battalion would be declared lost, and many shocked survivors in the unit would later claim they surrendered to panzers from Battle Group ''Briehl''. According to Sergeant Bill Rudd's version of the Australian attack:{{cquote|The German guns on the right flank were having a field day, and the German voices were close enough to be understandable ... The false dawn revealed us spread over the top of the ridge for about a quarter of a square mile. There was an anti-tank gun set up on our right flank and we could hear the rumble of approaching tanks, and the sounds of machine guns. But as the sky brightened and the tanks closed in, their German crosses became only too visible. There was not a sign of any British tanks, which had apparently failed to start on time and never reached the site of the battle.<ref>[http://www.anzacpow.com/part_4__nominal_roll_all_evades/chapter_4__ninth_division/24th_brigade ANZAC POW]</ref>}}

The British attack had also been unsuccessful, and about 600 were captured in a German counterattack with tanks and infantry that arrive in trucks.

The 8th Army is now completely exhausted, and by July 31 General Auchinleck orders an end to offensive operations in favor of strengthening the defense lines to be able to meet any future counter-offensive.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

First Battle of El Alamein

2022-08-09T22:30:44Z

Charriere: /* Miteiriya */

{{War
| image =
| conflict = [[Second World War]]
| date = July 1–26, 1942
| campaign = North African Campaign
| combatant1 = [[British 8th Army]]
| combatant2 = [[Afrika Korps]]
| commander1 = [[Claude Auchinleck]] Lieutenant General, British Army
| commander2 = [[Erwin Rommel]] Field Marshal, German Army
| strength1 = 195,000
| strength2 = 150,000
| casualties1 = 13,250 Killed: 4,500 Wounded: 8,000 Missing or captured: 1,000|
| casualties2 = 62,800 Killed: 3,300 Wounded: 17,500 Captured: 7,700
}}

The '''First Battle of El Alamein''' took place near railway depot near the [[Mediterranean Sea]], between 1 and 27 July. The British Commonwealth forces, under General [[Claude John Eyre Auchinleck]], emerged victorious in the battle, having stopped the [[Afrika Korps]] under Field Marshal [[Erwin Rommel]] in Egypt. The battle marked the end of several Axis victories obtained at Gazala, Tobruk, Mersa Matruh, Fuka and elsewhere, and was the first in a series of battles which would result in the liberation of French Algeria and Tunisia from Axis forces, and the invasion of Italy.

The Afrika Korps had been successfully fighting their way ever closer to the Egyptian border. Italian "battleship convoys" personally commanded by Admiral [[Angelo Iachino]], and good solid intelligence from the Italian Military Information Service (Servizio Informazione Militare or SIM) obtained through theft of secret documents from the US Embassy in Rome, had greatly assisted Rommel in winning battles at Benghazi, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh.<ref>"...this time with crucial Italian - not German - intelligence giving him the daily British order of battle, and with the new self-propelled Semovente 75/18mm which gave the Marcks Group a powerful Italian punch." The American Experience in World War II, Walter L. Hixson, p.255, Taylor & Francis, 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.historynet.com/intercepted-communications-for-field-marshal-erwin-rommel.htm Intercepted Communications for Field Marshal Erwin Rommel]</ref> Unfortunately for Rommel, the British discovered this security breach and the deciphered daily reports to Washington coming from Colonel [[Bonner Fellers]] (US military attache in Cairo), stopped almost a week after the fall of Tobruk. To make matters worse, his divisions were now running very low on fuel. The scenario was soon set for a major Allied counteroffensive, that aimed to completely break through the Italian divisions and the panzer divisions sent forward to assist them.

==El Mreir==

On July 1 1942, the Axis forces commenced their advance. However, the Afrika Korps encountered disorganized but spirited resistance from the Indians and South Africans, forcing the ''Trento'' Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment to take up defensive positions, and defeating the attacks from the 21st Panzer Division and 90th Light Division.

On July 3, the 4th New Zealand Brigade, supported by four artillery batteries, attacked the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division forward positions, taking 350 prisoners and capturing or destroying 24 field guns and six or eight tanks. Rommel lambasted the performance of the ''Ariete'' and in a report to General [[Albert Kesselring]], would falsely claim the Italian armoured division had lost one-hundred tanks in the New Zealand infantry attack.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

Determined to encircle and capture the rest of the ''Ariete'', the New Zealander infantry attacked again on July 5, but were repelled by heavy fire from the ''Brescia'' Division dug in near El Mreir.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

The Allied attacks continued, and the Indian 5th Infantry Division in the form of the 9th Brigade and 7th Motorised Brigade, pushed north into Rommel's flank and in three days of fighting almost reached Deir el Shein. A Maori battalion from the 2nd New Zealand Division overran part of the ''Brescia'', but were unexpectedly counterattacked by the ''Pavia'' Division and forced to retreat. The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' confirms that ''"enemy forces seeping south threatened to outflank the Division"'' but brushed off the incident.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

During the initial fighting, Major [[Terence O'Brien-Butler]] from the 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, displayed enormous control when surrounded by German armour, saving his battery from capture and winning the [[Military Cross]] (MC) for his courage.

==Tel el Eisa==

On the night of July 10/11, the Australian 9th Division attacked the 60th ''Sabratha'' Infantry Division defending Tel el Eisa, very close to the Afrika Korps' Command Post. The German 621st Radio Intercept Company and 835 Italians from the ''Sabratha'' are captured. The attacking 2nd/48th Battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Heathcote Hammer, had been greatly assisted by the supporting fire from 100 artillery guns.<ref>"The advance to the next triangulation point on the ridge, Point 23, 2,000 yards further on, was not so easy against the now alerted defence but soon the rifle and machine-gun fire of the Italian defenders was drowned out by the drone of hundreds of shells. The guns of all three Australian field regiments and both South African field regiments as well as the 7th Medium Regiment, amounting to more than 100 25-pounder field guns, 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch medium guns in all, began firing their artillery programme in support of the attack". Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p.105, Random House, 2010</ref> The night, the South Africans also attacked and captured Tel el Makh Khad.

The next morning, a battalion from the [[7th Bersaglieri Regiment]], under Lieutenant-Colonel Ugo Scirocco, counterattacks and recaptures part of Tel el Eisa along with thirteen Australians after overrunning the 2nd/48th Battalion's forward company.<ref>According to the 2nd/48th Battalion War Diary: ''"[a]t approx 2000 hrs enemy tks-number unknown-and inf attacked D Coy front. They overrun posn and enemy inf forced D Coy to withdraw and occupied their psn."''</ref> The Bersaglieri suffers heavy casualties, but their attack allows the arrival of several tanks from the 15th Panzer Division and permits the Italians to send forward a company of tanks, under Captain Vittorio Bulgarelli, from the ''Trieste'' Division that halts the Australians.<ref>"That afternoon Italian tanks counter-attacked both Australian battalions in an attempt to retake Hill 33 near the coast. Maj. Gabriele Verri, commanding 11th Armd. Bn. of the Trieste Motorised Division, sent a company of M13 and M14 tanks into the assault under Capt. Vittorio Bulgarelli." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, p.367, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On July 14, Colonel Erminio Angelozzi's 1st Battalion (85th Infantry Regiment) from the ''Sabratha'', counterattacks the Australians dug in on Tel el Eisa and succeeded in recapturing the position. The defending battalion withdraws, but the 2nd/23rd Battalion and the British 8th Royal Tank Regiment (8 RTR) counterattack on 16 July, overrunning a good part of the ''Sabratha'' and German 382nd Regiment<ref>"Next day, the 16th July, the British attacked again, but this time only locally. After intensive artillery preparation, the Australians attacked in the early hours of the morning with tank support and took several strong-points held by the Sabratha.“ History of the Second World War, Volume 3, p.1074, Purnell and Sons Limited, 1967</ref> before being forced to withdraw again.<ref>"On Tell el Eisa the situation was now too hot for the Australians. The area was swept by fire, and they had no artillery, no Vickers guns and no anti-tank guns, and casualties were mounting. They withdrew again.“ Dance of War: The Story of the Battle of Egypt, p.165, Peter Bates, Pen and Sword, 1992</ref><ref>"The enemy was close at hand, their patrols and armored cars were all over the road. Without hesitation the battery commander, Captain Comi, opened fire at minimum elevation ... handling his massive 149s as if they were machine guns. The space before the leveled guns was clear in no time. The ground was plowed up in front of the guns for a distance close on 20 yards....The guns became red-hot, and many of the handlers were burnt....The area in front of Comi was deserted, except for blazing vehicles and dead Australians." Rommel's Desert War, Samuel W. Mitcham, pp. 118-119, Stackpole Books, 2007</ref>

On July 17, the 9th Division resumed the advance in the Tel el Eisa sector, overrunning a good part of the ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Division,<ref>"On 16 July, the Australians had broken through the remnants of Sabratha, and on the 17th through the Trento and Trieste Divisions, but each time had been repulsed by elements of the German 164th Division." Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre, J. Lee Ready, p. 118, McFarland, 1985</ref> but the 3rd Battalion (62nd Regiment) from the ''Trento'' Division launches an unexpected counterattack with a column of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's,11th Armoured Battalion, capturing 200 Australians from the 2nd/32nd Battalion.<ref>"Soon the companies had seized the enemy positions on the ridge, but, in the dark, the men of A Company overshot their objective, Point 22, by 1,500 yards. By the time they realised their mistake they were under such heavy fire that they could not withdraw. By 08.00 hours Italian tanks and infantry began to encircle their positions and eventually forced the entire company to surrender." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p. 148, Random House, 2010</ref><ref>"The attack began on 17 July at 2.30 am. The 2/32nd captured the Trig 22 and linked with the 2/43rd but the Germans resisted fiercely and counter-attacked with tanks. The 2/32nd suffered heavily: nearly half its number were either killed or wounded and nearly 200 became prisoners of war. [https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U56075/ 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion]</ref> Although the commanding officer of the 2nd/32nd Battalion claims the attacking force was "German", the Australian historian Mark Johnston reports that German records prove that Italians were responsible for overrunning and capturing the Australian rifle company.<ref>"There were some courageous efforts by Italian units against Australians at Alamein, but these have gone largely unnoticed in Australian writings ... In wartime and published Australian accounts of Alamein actions, it is not always possible to determine whether "the enemy" referred to was German or Italian ... However, the lack of credit probably derives more from a desire to inflate Australian achievements, and an unwillingness to acknowledge reverses against Italians." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, pp. 12-13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref> Barton Maughan, Australia's official historian that covered the battles of El Alamein, minimizes the Axis success, writing that ''"two forward platoons of the 2/32nd's left company were overrun, 22 men were taken prisoner"'' and implies that the attackers belonged to the German 164th Division.<ref>"However, the official history mentions the capture of only twenty-two men and implies they were captured by Germans; the battalion history states that 101 men were captured by Germans. German records indicate that Italians of the Trento Division were responsible." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, p. 13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref>

On July 22, the Australian 9th Infantry Division finally wins complete control of Tel el Eisa after much fierce fighting, almost lasting a fortnight. In the final action, Private [[Arthur Stanley Gurney]] from the 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion wins posthumously the [[Victoria Cross]] for eliminating three German machine-gun posts holding up the Australian advance.

==Ruweisat==

On July 14 and July 22, General Auchinleck attacks Ruweisat Ridge in the centre. In the fist attack, the New Zealand 2nd Division and Indian 5th Division attack under the cover of darkness and capture 2,000 Italians, but are unable to completely break though the remaining defensive positions of the ''Pavia'' and ''Brescia'' Divisions due to unexpected resistance from the Italians. With the arrival of daylight, reinforcements from the 15th Panzer Division counterattack and capture 1,600 Allied troops, the majority from the 4th New Zealand Brigade. In the battle, Captain [[Charles Upham]] from the New Zealand 20th Battalion, wins the Victoria Cross for the second time (winning his first VC during the Battle of Crete) after attacking a German truck with reinforcements, using a hand-grenade.

Soon after the first battle, the 4th/6th Rajputana Rifles ambush an approaching reinforced German armoured column, accounting for a large number of tanks, armoured cars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns.

In the second battle for Ruweisat Ridge, Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini's 65th Regiment along with Colonel Umberto Zanetti's 66th Regiment from the ''Trieste'' Division along with part of the ''Brescia'' Division play a very important role in containing the attack of the New Zealand 2nd Division, long enough to allow the 21st Panzer Division to arrive and deliver a devastating counterattack.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref>
In the German attack, the British 23rd Armoured Brigade attempts to regroup, but runs into a minefield. The 5th Panzer Regiment, under Colonel [[Gerhard Mueller]], destroys more than forty British tanks. The rest of the Panzer division joins in the fighting and complete the destruction of the British armoured brigade.

The failure of British armour to reach the infantry in time results in the loss of 800 men. More than 2,300 New Zealanders were killed, wounded, or captured in the two battles. Both Vaiarini de Piacenza and Zanetti were killed in the fighting and posthumously decorated (Gold and Silver Medals respectively) for their bravery.<ref>"Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini de Piacenza, commanding the 65th Trieste Infantry, was killed; he met his death with such gallantry that he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal ... The Trieste's other infantry colonel, Umberto Zanetti, commanding the 66th, was also killed - on July 22nd. " Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 83, Allen & Unwin, 1966
</ref> In the same action, Private [[Günter Halm]] from the 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment wins the Knights Cross and a commission, for single-handedly putting out of action half a dozen British tanks or more, before his captured Russian 76.2mm anti-tank gun was destroyed in the counter fire.

==Miteiriya==

General Auchinleck is determined to retain the initiative and orders another two brigade-sized attacks on the night of July 26/27, with Major Lew McCarter's 2nd/28th Battalion tasked with pushing through the supposedly demoralized Italian defenders on Sanyet el Miteiriya/Ruin Ridge,<ref>"The aim was to breach a section of line held by Italian troops, the more brittle element in Rommel's army." [https://www.awm.gov.au/talks-speeches/1942-ruin-ridge/ Remembering 1942: Ruin Ridge]</ref> also known as Ruin Ridge. However, the Australian attack against Miteiriya Ridge meets unexpected tough resistance from machine-gunners and anti-tank gunners from the ''Trento'' Division<ref>"We could see the Australians and British advancing rather spread out, about 750 yards in front of us, all in groups corresponding with their units. We ceased fire with the machine-guns — there was still plenty of time for them — but continued with our 47/32s ... When they got within 300 yards, we opened up with everything. The noise was terrific; you could only tell a gun was firing by the smoke and powder coming out of its muzzle. It was almost eleven o’clock. My tommy-gun broke down after about 3,000 rounds — ejector broken! The machine-gun also played up a bit after 5,000 rounds. But by that time the attack was beginning to peter out. The British artillery had packed it in. By midday it was all over. After the withdrawal, followed by our counterattack, the ambulances returned to start ferrying back the dead and wounded, but we got suspicious after an hour or so because they seemed to be hanging about too much. We fired a few shots over their heads to let them know it was time to break it up. They took the hint and went — and didn’t come back." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 87, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> and the attack is halted soon after dawn, with Australian intelligence officer (Lieutenant Walker) reporting Major McCarter's battalion surrounded by armoured cars,<ref>"The Bn was completely surrounded by ARMORED CARS which worked forward under cover of fire from enemy tanks further back, while 20mm, MMG and mortar fire kept the heads of our own troops well down. In this manner the enemy was able to cut off and dispose of sections and platoons one by one, until at 1030 hrs Bn HQ area was occupied by several ARMORED CARS and surviving personnel taken prisoner. An effort had been made to hinder the enemy armored vehicles by bringing Arty fire to bear on them before they dispersed. Unfortunately the only communication with Bde was by one wireless set WT repaired by Sigs, after about eight hours work. Messages reporting the situation were sent immediately once this set was capable of functioning, i.e., about 0930 hrs onwards. Last message was “All up, overrun!”." [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1026672/?image=5 July 1942 Diary by Lieutenant S. A. Walker]</ref> that arrived from the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"The names of certain units were on everyone’s lips up and down the line following particularly brilliant actions, among them the reconnaissance Group of the Trieste. It had been set up some time previously: it was hardly a homogeneous unit on the German pattern, but did reflect admirably the Italian genius of improvisation. They had no more than nine vehicles–Morrises, Fords, Dingos and Jeeps, all captured from the enemy–armed with small caliber guns and machine-guns of all descriptions, British, Italian and German, together with two British 88 guns and their carriages, and two small supply lorries." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 79, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> Supporting British armour runs into a minefield that is not cleared in time by South African engineers, and the Australians are forced to surrender to the Italians.<ref>"Assuming that the Italians were demoralized and easy pickings was a mistake, which the 9th Australian Division, the heroes of the defense of Tobruk in 1941, learned to its regret. A night attack against the Trento and Trieste Divisions, after some initial success, was bloodily repulsed, one entire battalion of Australian infantry being overrun." Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel, Daniel Allen Butler, p. 352, Casemate, 2015</ref><ref>"Il contrattacco sviluppato da un battaglione di secondo scaglione della divisione «Trieste» e da un battaglione della «Trento», era riuscito ad impedire il dilagare della penetrazione, con la cattura di 500 prigionieri e stroncando ogni ulteriore possibilità di avanzata nemica verso ovest." Seconda Controffensiva Italo-Tedesca in Africa Settentrionale da El Agheila a El Alamein, p. 181,Tipografia regionale, 1951</ref>The Australian battalion loses 65 men killed and 490 captured in the attack against the Italian strongpoint with the Australians captured ending up in prisoner of war camps in Italy.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160313133931/https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/world-war-2-m-o.php The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial]</ref>The war diary of the 2nd/28th Battalion would be declared lost, and many shocked survivors in the unit would later claim they surrendered to panzers from Battle Group ''Briehl''. According to Sergeant Bill Rudd's version of the Australian attack:{{cquote|The German guns on the right flank were having a field day, and the German voices were close enough to be understandable ... The false dawn revealed us spread over the top of the ridge for about a quarter of a square mile. There was an anti-tank gun set up on our right flank and we could hear the rumble of approaching tanks, and the sounds of machine guns. But as the sky brightened and the tanks closed in, their German crosses became only too visible. There was not a sign of any British tanks, which had apparently failed to start on time and never reached the site of the battle.<ref>[http://www.anzacpow.com/part_4__nominal_roll_all_evades/chapter_4__ninth_division/24th_brigade ANZAC POW]</ref>}}

The British attack had also been unsuccessful, and about 600 were captured in a German counterattack with tanks and infantry that arrive in trucks.

The 8th Army is now completely exhausted, and by July 31 General Auchinleck orders an end to offensive operations in favor of strengthening the defense lines to be able to meet any future counter-offensive.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

First Battle of El Alamein

2022-08-09T22:03:26Z

Charriere: /* Miteiriya */

{{War
| image =
| conflict = [[Second World War]]
| date = July 1–26, 1942
| campaign = North African Campaign
| combatant1 = [[British 8th Army]]
| combatant2 = [[Afrika Korps]]
| commander1 = [[Claude Auchinleck]] Lieutenant General, British Army
| commander2 = [[Erwin Rommel]] Field Marshal, German Army
| strength1 = 195,000
| strength2 = 150,000
| casualties1 = 13,250 Killed: 4,500 Wounded: 8,000 Missing or captured: 1,000|
| casualties2 = 62,800 Killed: 3,300 Wounded: 17,500 Captured: 7,700
}}

The '''First Battle of El Alamein''' took place near railway depot near the [[Mediterranean Sea]], between 1 and 27 July. The British Commonwealth forces, under General [[Claude John Eyre Auchinleck]], emerged victorious in the battle, having stopped the [[Afrika Korps]] under Field Marshal [[Erwin Rommel]] in Egypt. The battle marked the end of several Axis victories obtained at Gazala, Tobruk, Mersa Matruh, Fuka and elsewhere, and was the first in a series of battles which would result in the liberation of French Algeria and Tunisia from Axis forces, and the invasion of Italy.

The Afrika Korps had been successfully fighting their way ever closer to the Egyptian border. Italian "battleship convoys" personally commanded by Admiral [[Angelo Iachino]], and good solid intelligence from the Italian Military Information Service (Servizio Informazione Militare or SIM) obtained through theft of secret documents from the US Embassy in Rome, had greatly assisted Rommel in winning battles at Benghazi, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh.<ref>"...this time with crucial Italian - not German - intelligence giving him the daily British order of battle, and with the new self-propelled Semovente 75/18mm which gave the Marcks Group a powerful Italian punch." The American Experience in World War II, Walter L. Hixson, p.255, Taylor & Francis, 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.historynet.com/intercepted-communications-for-field-marshal-erwin-rommel.htm Intercepted Communications for Field Marshal Erwin Rommel]</ref> Unfortunately for Rommel, the British discovered this security breach and the deciphered daily reports to Washington coming from Colonel [[Bonner Fellers]] (US military attache in Cairo), stopped almost a week after the fall of Tobruk. To make matters worse, his divisions were now running very low on fuel. The scenario was soon set for a major Allied counteroffensive, that aimed to completely break through the Italian divisions and the panzer divisions sent forward to assist them.

==El Mreir==

On July 1 1942, the Axis forces commenced their advance. However, the Afrika Korps encountered disorganized but spirited resistance from the Indians and South Africans, forcing the ''Trento'' Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment to take up defensive positions, and defeating the attacks from the 21st Panzer Division and 90th Light Division.

On July 3, the 4th New Zealand Brigade, supported by four artillery batteries, attacked the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division forward positions, taking 350 prisoners and capturing or destroying 24 field guns and six or eight tanks. Rommel lambasted the performance of the ''Ariete'' and in a report to General [[Albert Kesselring]], would falsely claim the Italian armoured division had lost one-hundred tanks in the New Zealand infantry attack.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

Determined to encircle and capture the rest of the ''Ariete'', the New Zealander infantry attacked again on July 5, but were repelled by heavy fire from the ''Brescia'' Division dug in near El Mreir.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

The Allied attacks continued, and the Indian 5th Infantry Division in the form of the 9th Brigade and 7th Motorised Brigade, pushed north into Rommel's flank and in three days of fighting almost reached Deir el Shein. A Maori battalion from the 2nd New Zealand Division overran part of the ''Brescia'', but were unexpectedly counterattacked by the ''Pavia'' Division and forced to retreat. The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' confirms that ''"enemy forces seeping south threatened to outflank the Division"'' but brushed off the incident.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

During the initial fighting, Major [[Terence O'Brien-Butler]] from the 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, displayed enormous control when surrounded by German armour, saving his battery from capture and winning the [[Military Cross]] (MC) for his courage.

==Tel el Eisa==

On the night of July 10/11, the Australian 9th Division attacked the 60th ''Sabratha'' Infantry Division defending Tel el Eisa, very close to the Afrika Korps' Command Post. The German 621st Radio Intercept Company and 835 Italians from the ''Sabratha'' are captured. The attacking 2nd/48th Battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Heathcote Hammer, had been greatly assisted by the supporting fire from 100 artillery guns.<ref>"The advance to the next triangulation point on the ridge, Point 23, 2,000 yards further on, was not so easy against the now alerted defence but soon the rifle and machine-gun fire of the Italian defenders was drowned out by the drone of hundreds of shells. The guns of all three Australian field regiments and both South African field regiments as well as the 7th Medium Regiment, amounting to more than 100 25-pounder field guns, 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch medium guns in all, began firing their artillery programme in support of the attack". Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p.105, Random House, 2010</ref> The night, the South Africans also attacked and captured Tel el Makh Khad.

The next morning, a battalion from the [[7th Bersaglieri Regiment]], under Lieutenant-Colonel Ugo Scirocco, counterattacks and recaptures part of Tel el Eisa along with thirteen Australians after overrunning the 2nd/48th Battalion's forward company.<ref>According to the 2nd/48th Battalion War Diary: ''"[a]t approx 2000 hrs enemy tks-number unknown-and inf attacked D Coy front. They overrun posn and enemy inf forced D Coy to withdraw and occupied their psn."''</ref> The Bersaglieri suffers heavy casualties, but their attack allows the arrival of several tanks from the 15th Panzer Division and permits the Italians to send forward a company of tanks, under Captain Vittorio Bulgarelli, from the ''Trieste'' Division that halts the Australians.<ref>"That afternoon Italian tanks counter-attacked both Australian battalions in an attempt to retake Hill 33 near the coast. Maj. Gabriele Verri, commanding 11th Armd. Bn. of the Trieste Motorised Division, sent a company of M13 and M14 tanks into the assault under Capt. Vittorio Bulgarelli." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, p.367, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On July 14, Colonel Erminio Angelozzi's 1st Battalion (85th Infantry Regiment) from the ''Sabratha'', counterattacks the Australians dug in on Tel el Eisa and succeeded in recapturing the position. The defending battalion withdraws, but the 2nd/23rd Battalion and the British 8th Royal Tank Regiment (8 RTR) counterattack on 16 July, overrunning a good part of the ''Sabratha'' and German 382nd Regiment<ref>"Next day, the 16th July, the British attacked again, but this time only locally. After intensive artillery preparation, the Australians attacked in the early hours of the morning with tank support and took several strong-points held by the Sabratha.“ History of the Second World War, Volume 3, p.1074, Purnell and Sons Limited, 1967</ref> before being forced to withdraw again.<ref>"On Tell el Eisa the situation was now too hot for the Australians. The area was swept by fire, and they had no artillery, no Vickers guns and no anti-tank guns, and casualties were mounting. They withdrew again.“ Dance of War: The Story of the Battle of Egypt, p.165, Peter Bates, Pen and Sword, 1992</ref><ref>"The enemy was close at hand, their patrols and armored cars were all over the road. Without hesitation the battery commander, Captain Comi, opened fire at minimum elevation ... handling his massive 149s as if they were machine guns. The space before the leveled guns was clear in no time. The ground was plowed up in front of the guns for a distance close on 20 yards....The guns became red-hot, and many of the handlers were burnt....The area in front of Comi was deserted, except for blazing vehicles and dead Australians." Rommel's Desert War, Samuel W. Mitcham, pp. 118-119, Stackpole Books, 2007</ref>

On July 17, the 9th Division resumed the advance in the Tel el Eisa sector, overrunning a good part of the ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Division,<ref>"On 16 July, the Australians had broken through the remnants of Sabratha, and on the 17th through the Trento and Trieste Divisions, but each time had been repulsed by elements of the German 164th Division." Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre, J. Lee Ready, p. 118, McFarland, 1985</ref> but the 3rd Battalion (62nd Regiment) from the ''Trento'' Division launches an unexpected counterattack with a column of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's,11th Armoured Battalion, capturing 200 Australians from the 2nd/32nd Battalion.<ref>"Soon the companies had seized the enemy positions on the ridge, but, in the dark, the men of A Company overshot their objective, Point 22, by 1,500 yards. By the time they realised their mistake they were under such heavy fire that they could not withdraw. By 08.00 hours Italian tanks and infantry began to encircle their positions and eventually forced the entire company to surrender." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p. 148, Random House, 2010</ref><ref>"The attack began on 17 July at 2.30 am. The 2/32nd captured the Trig 22 and linked with the 2/43rd but the Germans resisted fiercely and counter-attacked with tanks. The 2/32nd suffered heavily: nearly half its number were either killed or wounded and nearly 200 became prisoners of war. [https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U56075/ 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion]</ref> Although the commanding officer of the 2nd/32nd Battalion claims the attacking force was "German", the Australian historian Mark Johnston reports that German records prove that Italians were responsible for overrunning and capturing the Australian rifle company.<ref>"There were some courageous efforts by Italian units against Australians at Alamein, but these have gone largely unnoticed in Australian writings ... In wartime and published Australian accounts of Alamein actions, it is not always possible to determine whether "the enemy" referred to was German or Italian ... However, the lack of credit probably derives more from a desire to inflate Australian achievements, and an unwillingness to acknowledge reverses against Italians." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, pp. 12-13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref> Barton Maughan, Australia's official historian that covered the battles of El Alamein, minimizes the Axis success, writing that ''"two forward platoons of the 2/32nd's left company were overrun, 22 men were taken prisoner"'' and implies that the attackers belonged to the German 164th Division.<ref>"However, the official history mentions the capture of only twenty-two men and implies they were captured by Germans; the battalion history states that 101 men were captured by Germans. German records indicate that Italians of the Trento Division were responsible." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, p. 13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref>

On July 22, the Australian 9th Infantry Division finally wins complete control of Tel el Eisa after much fierce fighting, almost lasting a fortnight. In the final action, Private [[Arthur Stanley Gurney]] from the 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion wins posthumously the [[Victoria Cross]] for eliminating three German machine-gun posts holding up the Australian advance.

==Ruweisat==

On July 14 and July 22, General Auchinleck attacks Ruweisat Ridge in the centre. In the fist attack, the New Zealand 2nd Division and Indian 5th Division attack under the cover of darkness and capture 2,000 Italians, but are unable to completely break though the remaining defensive positions of the ''Pavia'' and ''Brescia'' Divisions due to unexpected resistance from the Italians. With the arrival of daylight, reinforcements from the 15th Panzer Division counterattack and capture 1,600 Allied troops, the majority from the 4th New Zealand Brigade. In the battle, Captain [[Charles Upham]] from the New Zealand 20th Battalion, wins the Victoria Cross for the second time (winning his first VC during the Battle of Crete) after attacking a German truck with reinforcements, using a hand-grenade.

Soon after the first battle, the 4th/6th Rajputana Rifles ambush an approaching reinforced German armoured column, accounting for a large number of tanks, armoured cars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns.

In the second battle for Ruweisat Ridge, Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini's 65th Regiment along with Colonel Umberto Zanetti's 66th Regiment from the ''Trieste'' Division along with part of the ''Brescia'' Division play a very important role in containing the attack of the New Zealand 2nd Division, long enough to allow the 21st Panzer Division to arrive and deliver a devastating counterattack.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref>
In the German attack, the British 23rd Armoured Brigade attempts to regroup, but runs into a minefield. The 5th Panzer Regiment, under Colonel [[Gerhard Mueller]], destroys more than forty British tanks. The rest of the Panzer division joins in the fighting and complete the destruction of the British armoured brigade.

The failure of British armour to reach the infantry in time results in the loss of 800 men. More than 2,300 New Zealanders were killed, wounded, or captured in the two battles. Both Vaiarini de Piacenza and Zanetti were killed in the fighting and posthumously decorated (Gold and Silver Medals respectively) for their bravery.<ref>"Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini de Piacenza, commanding the 65th Trieste Infantry, was killed; he met his death with such gallantry that he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal ... The Trieste's other infantry colonel, Umberto Zanetti, commanding the 66th, was also killed - on July 22nd. " Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 83, Allen & Unwin, 1966
</ref> In the same action, Private [[Günter Halm]] from the 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment wins the Knights Cross and a commission, for single-handedly putting out of action half a dozen British tanks or more, before his captured Russian 76.2mm anti-tank gun was destroyed in the counter fire.

==Miteiriya==

General Auchinleck is determined to retain the initiative and orders another two brigade-sized attacks on the night of July 26/27, with Major Lew McCarter's 2nd/28th Battalion tasked with pushing through the supposedly demoralized Italian defenders on Sanyet el Miteiriya/Ruin Ridge,<ref>"The aim was to breach a section of line held by Italian troops, the more brittle element in Rommel's army." [https://www.awm.gov.au/talks-speeches/1942-ruin-ridge/ Remembering 1942: Ruin Ridge]</ref> also known as Ruin Ridge. However, the Australian attack against Miteiriya Ridge meets unexpected tough resistance from machine-gunners and anti-tank gunners from the ''Trento'' Division<ref>"We could see the Australians and British advancing rather spread out, about 750 yards in front of us, all in groups corresponding with their units. We ceased fire with the machine-guns — there was still plenty of time for them — but continued with our 47/32s ... When they got within 300 yards, we opened up with everything. The noise was terrific; you could only tell a gun was firing by the smoke and powder coming out of its muzzle. It was almost eleven o’clock. My tommy-gun broke down after about 3,000 rounds — ejector broken! The machine-gun also played up a bit after 5,000 rounds. But by that time the attack was beginning to peter out. The British artillery had packed it in. By midday it was all over. After the withdrawal, followed by our counterattack, the ambulances returned to start ferrying back the dead and wounded, but we got suspicious after an hour or so because they seemed to be hanging about too much. We fired a few shots over their heads to let them know it was time to break it up. They took the hint and went — and didn’t come back." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 87, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> and the attack is halted soon after dawn, with Australian intelligence officer (Lieutenant Walker) reporting Major McCarter's battalion surrounded by armoured cars,<ref>"The Bn was completely surrounded by ARMORED CARS which worked forward under cover of fire from enemy tanks further back, while 20mm, MMG and mortar fire kept the heads of our own troops well down. In this manner the enemy was able to cut off and dispose of sections and platoons one by one, until at 1030 hrs Bn HQ area was occupied by several ARMORED CARS and surviving personnel taken prisoner. An effort had been made to hinder the enemy armored vehicles by bringing Arty fire to bear on them before they dispersed. Unfortunately the only communication with Bde was by one wireless set WT repaired by Sigs, after about eight hours work. Messages reporting the situation were sent immediately once this set was capable of functioning, i.e., about 0930 hrs onwards. Last message was “All up, overrun!”." [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1026672/?image=5 July 1942 Diary by Lieutenant S. A. Walker]</ref> that arrived from the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"The names of certain units were on everyone’s lips up and down the line following particularly brilliant actions, among them the reconnaissance Group of the Trieste. It had been set up some time previously: it was hardly a homogeneous unit on the German pattern, but did reflect admirably the Italian genius of improvisation. They had no more than nine vehicles–Morrises, Fords, Dingos and Jeeps, all captured from the enemy–armed with small caliber guns and machine-guns of all descriptions, British, Italian and German, together with two British 88 guns and their carriages, and two small supply lorries." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 79, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> Supporting British armour runs into a minefield that is not cleared in time by South African engineers, and the Australians are forced to surrender to the Italians.<ref>"Assuming that the Italians were demoralized and easy pickings was a mistake, which the 9th Australian Division, the heroes of the defense of Tobruk in 1941, learned to its regret. A night attack against the Trento and Trieste Divisions, after some initial success, was bloodily repulsed, one entire battalion of Australian infantry being overrun." Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel, Daniel Allen Butler, p. 352, Casemate, 2015</ref><ref>"Il contrattacco sviluppato da un battaglione di secondo scaglione della divisione «Trieste» e da un battaglione della «Trento», era riuscito ad impedire il dilagare della penetrazione, con la cattura di 500 prigionieri e stroncando ogni ulteriore possibilità di avanzata nemica verso ovest." Seconda Controffensiva Italo-Tedesca in Africa Settentrionale da El Agheila a El Alamein, p. 181,Tipografia regionale, 1951</ref>The Australian battalion loses 65 men killed and 490 captured in the attack against the Italian strongpoint.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref> The war diary of the 2nd/28th Battalion would be declared lost, and many shocked survivors in the unit would later claim they surrendered to panzers from Battle Group ''Briehl''. According to Sergeant Bill Rudd's version of the Australian attack:{{cquote|The German guns on the right flank were having a field day, and the German voices were close enough to be understandable ... The false dawn revealed us spread over the top of the ridge for about a quarter of a square mile. There was an anti-tank gun set up on our right flank and we could hear the rumble of approaching tanks, and the sounds of machine guns. But as the sky brightened and the tanks closed in, their German crosses became only too visible. There was not a sign of any British tanks, which had apparently failed to start on time and never reached the site of the battle.<ref>[http://www.anzacpow.com/part_4__nominal_roll_all_evades/chapter_4__ninth_division/24th_brigade ANZAC POW]</ref>}}

The British attack had also been unsuccessful, and about 600 were captured in a German counterattack with tanks and infantry that arrive in trucks.

The 8th Army is now completely exhausted, and by July 31 General Auchinleck orders an end to offensive operations in favor of strengthening the defense lines to be able to meet any future counter-offensive.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

First Battle of El Alamein

2022-08-09T21:43:14Z

Charriere: /* Miteiriya */

{{War
| image =
| conflict = [[Second World War]]
| date = July 1–26, 1942
| campaign = North African Campaign
| combatant1 = [[British 8th Army]]
| combatant2 = [[Afrika Korps]]
| commander1 = [[Claude Auchinleck]] Lieutenant General, British Army
| commander2 = [[Erwin Rommel]] Field Marshal, German Army
| strength1 = 195,000
| strength2 = 150,000
| casualties1 = 13,250 Killed: 4,500 Wounded: 8,000 Missing or captured: 1,000|
| casualties2 = 62,800 Killed: 3,300 Wounded: 17,500 Captured: 7,700
}}

The '''First Battle of El Alamein''' took place near railway depot near the [[Mediterranean Sea]], between 1 and 27 July. The British Commonwealth forces, under General [[Claude John Eyre Auchinleck]], emerged victorious in the battle, having stopped the [[Afrika Korps]] under Field Marshal [[Erwin Rommel]] in Egypt. The battle marked the end of several Axis victories obtained at Gazala, Tobruk, Mersa Matruh, Fuka and elsewhere, and was the first in a series of battles which would result in the liberation of French Algeria and Tunisia from Axis forces, and the invasion of Italy.

The Afrika Korps had been successfully fighting their way ever closer to the Egyptian border. Italian "battleship convoys" personally commanded by Admiral [[Angelo Iachino]], and good solid intelligence from the Italian Military Information Service (Servizio Informazione Militare or SIM) obtained through theft of secret documents from the US Embassy in Rome, had greatly assisted Rommel in winning battles at Benghazi, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh.<ref>"...this time with crucial Italian - not German - intelligence giving him the daily British order of battle, and with the new self-propelled Semovente 75/18mm which gave the Marcks Group a powerful Italian punch." The American Experience in World War II, Walter L. Hixson, p.255, Taylor & Francis, 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.historynet.com/intercepted-communications-for-field-marshal-erwin-rommel.htm Intercepted Communications for Field Marshal Erwin Rommel]</ref> Unfortunately for Rommel, the British discovered this security breach and the deciphered daily reports to Washington coming from Colonel [[Bonner Fellers]] (US military attache in Cairo), stopped almost a week after the fall of Tobruk. To make matters worse, his divisions were now running very low on fuel. The scenario was soon set for a major Allied counteroffensive, that aimed to completely break through the Italian divisions and the panzer divisions sent forward to assist them.

==El Mreir==

On July 1 1942, the Axis forces commenced their advance. However, the Afrika Korps encountered disorganized but spirited resistance from the Indians and South Africans, forcing the ''Trento'' Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment to take up defensive positions, and defeating the attacks from the 21st Panzer Division and 90th Light Division.

On July 3, the 4th New Zealand Brigade, supported by four artillery batteries, attacked the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division forward positions, taking 350 prisoners and capturing or destroying 24 field guns and six or eight tanks. Rommel lambasted the performance of the ''Ariete'' and in a report to General [[Albert Kesselring]], would falsely claim the Italian armoured division had lost one-hundred tanks in the New Zealand infantry attack.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

Determined to encircle and capture the rest of the ''Ariete'', the New Zealander infantry attacked again on July 5, but were repelled by heavy fire from the ''Brescia'' Division dug in near El Mreir.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

The Allied attacks continued, and the Indian 5th Infantry Division in the form of the 9th Brigade and 7th Motorised Brigade, pushed north into Rommel's flank and in three days of fighting almost reached Deir el Shein. A Maori battalion from the 2nd New Zealand Division overran part of the ''Brescia'', but were unexpectedly counterattacked by the ''Pavia'' Division and forced to retreat. The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' confirms that ''"enemy forces seeping south threatened to outflank the Division"'' but brushed off the incident.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html/2 Under a Fading Moon (First Battle of El Alamein)]</ref>

During the initial fighting, Major [[Terence O'Brien-Butler]] from the 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, displayed enormous control when surrounded by German armour, saving his battery from capture and winning the [[Military Cross]] (MC) for his courage.

==Tel el Eisa==

On the night of July 10/11, the Australian 9th Division attacked the 60th ''Sabratha'' Infantry Division defending Tel el Eisa, very close to the Afrika Korps' Command Post. The German 621st Radio Intercept Company and 835 Italians from the ''Sabratha'' are captured. The attacking 2nd/48th Battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Heathcote Hammer, had been greatly assisted by the supporting fire from 100 artillery guns.<ref>"The advance to the next triangulation point on the ridge, Point 23, 2,000 yards further on, was not so easy against the now alerted defence but soon the rifle and machine-gun fire of the Italian defenders was drowned out by the drone of hundreds of shells. The guns of all three Australian field regiments and both South African field regiments as well as the 7th Medium Regiment, amounting to more than 100 25-pounder field guns, 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch medium guns in all, began firing their artillery programme in support of the attack". Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p.105, Random House, 2010</ref> The night, the South Africans also attacked and captured Tel el Makh Khad.

The next morning, a battalion from the [[7th Bersaglieri Regiment]], under Lieutenant-Colonel Ugo Scirocco, counterattacks and recaptures part of Tel el Eisa along with thirteen Australians after overrunning the 2nd/48th Battalion's forward company.<ref>According to the 2nd/48th Battalion War Diary: ''"[a]t approx 2000 hrs enemy tks-number unknown-and inf attacked D Coy front. They overrun posn and enemy inf forced D Coy to withdraw and occupied their psn."''</ref> The Bersaglieri suffers heavy casualties, but their attack allows the arrival of several tanks from the 15th Panzer Division and permits the Italians to send forward a company of tanks, under Captain Vittorio Bulgarelli, from the ''Trieste'' Division that halts the Australians.<ref>"That afternoon Italian tanks counter-attacked both Australian battalions in an attempt to retake Hill 33 near the coast. Maj. Gabriele Verri, commanding 11th Armd. Bn. of the Trieste Motorised Division, sent a company of M13 and M14 tanks into the assault under Capt. Vittorio Bulgarelli." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, p.367, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On July 14, Colonel Erminio Angelozzi's 1st Battalion (85th Infantry Regiment) from the ''Sabratha'', counterattacks the Australians dug in on Tel el Eisa and succeeded in recapturing the position. The defending battalion withdraws, but the 2nd/23rd Battalion and the British 8th Royal Tank Regiment (8 RTR) counterattack on 16 July, overrunning a good part of the ''Sabratha'' and German 382nd Regiment<ref>"Next day, the 16th July, the British attacked again, but this time only locally. After intensive artillery preparation, the Australians attacked in the early hours of the morning with tank support and took several strong-points held by the Sabratha.“ History of the Second World War, Volume 3, p.1074, Purnell and Sons Limited, 1967</ref> before being forced to withdraw again.<ref>"On Tell el Eisa the situation was now too hot for the Australians. The area was swept by fire, and they had no artillery, no Vickers guns and no anti-tank guns, and casualties were mounting. They withdrew again.“ Dance of War: The Story of the Battle of Egypt, p.165, Peter Bates, Pen and Sword, 1992</ref><ref>"The enemy was close at hand, their patrols and armored cars were all over the road. Without hesitation the battery commander, Captain Comi, opened fire at minimum elevation ... handling his massive 149s as if they were machine guns. The space before the leveled guns was clear in no time. The ground was plowed up in front of the guns for a distance close on 20 yards....The guns became red-hot, and many of the handlers were burnt....The area in front of Comi was deserted, except for blazing vehicles and dead Australians." Rommel's Desert War, Samuel W. Mitcham, pp. 118-119, Stackpole Books, 2007</ref>

On July 17, the 9th Division resumed the advance in the Tel el Eisa sector, overrunning a good part of the ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Division,<ref>"On 16 July, the Australians had broken through the remnants of Sabratha, and on the 17th through the Trento and Trieste Divisions, but each time had been repulsed by elements of the German 164th Division." Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre, J. Lee Ready, p. 118, McFarland, 1985</ref> but the 3rd Battalion (62nd Regiment) from the ''Trento'' Division launches an unexpected counterattack with a column of tanks from Major Gabriele Verri's,11th Armoured Battalion, capturing 200 Australians from the 2nd/32nd Battalion.<ref>"Soon the companies had seized the enemy positions on the ridge, but, in the dark, the men of A Company overshot their objective, Point 22, by 1,500 yards. By the time they realised their mistake they were under such heavy fire that they could not withdraw. By 08.00 hours Italian tanks and infantry began to encircle their positions and eventually forced the entire company to surrender." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p. 148, Random House, 2010</ref><ref>"The attack began on 17 July at 2.30 am. The 2/32nd captured the Trig 22 and linked with the 2/43rd but the Germans resisted fiercely and counter-attacked with tanks. The 2/32nd suffered heavily: nearly half its number were either killed or wounded and nearly 200 became prisoners of war. [https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U56075/ 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion]</ref> Although the commanding officer of the 2nd/32nd Battalion claims the attacking force was "German", the Australian historian Mark Johnston reports that German records prove that Italians were responsible for overrunning and capturing the Australian rifle company.<ref>"There were some courageous efforts by Italian units against Australians at Alamein, but these have gone largely unnoticed in Australian writings ... In wartime and published Australian accounts of Alamein actions, it is not always possible to determine whether "the enemy" referred to was German or Italian ... However, the lack of credit probably derives more from a desire to inflate Australian achievements, and an unwillingness to acknowledge reverses against Italians." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, pp. 12-13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref> Barton Maughan, Australia's official historian that covered the battles of El Alamein, minimizes the Axis success, writing that ''"two forward platoons of the 2/32nd's left company were overrun, 22 men were taken prisoner"'' and implies that the attackers belonged to the German 164th Division.<ref>"However, the official history mentions the capture of only twenty-two men and implies they were captured by Germans; the battalion history states that 101 men were captured by Germans. German records indicate that Italians of the Trento Division were responsible." Fighting the Enemy, Mark Johnston, p. 13, Cambridge University Press, 2006</ref>

On July 22, the Australian 9th Infantry Division finally wins complete control of Tel el Eisa after much fierce fighting, almost lasting a fortnight. In the final action, Private [[Arthur Stanley Gurney]] from the 2nd/48th Australian Infantry Battalion wins posthumously the [[Victoria Cross]] for eliminating three German machine-gun posts holding up the Australian advance.

==Ruweisat==

On July 14 and July 22, General Auchinleck attacks Ruweisat Ridge in the centre. In the fist attack, the New Zealand 2nd Division and Indian 5th Division attack under the cover of darkness and capture 2,000 Italians, but are unable to completely break though the remaining defensive positions of the ''Pavia'' and ''Brescia'' Divisions due to unexpected resistance from the Italians. With the arrival of daylight, reinforcements from the 15th Panzer Division counterattack and capture 1,600 Allied troops, the majority from the 4th New Zealand Brigade. In the battle, Captain [[Charles Upham]] from the New Zealand 20th Battalion, wins the Victoria Cross for the second time (winning his first VC during the Battle of Crete) after attacking a German truck with reinforcements, using a hand-grenade.

Soon after the first battle, the 4th/6th Rajputana Rifles ambush an approaching reinforced German armoured column, accounting for a large number of tanks, armoured cars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns.

In the second battle for Ruweisat Ridge, Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini's 65th Regiment along with Colonel Umberto Zanetti's 66th Regiment from the ''Trieste'' Division along with part of the ''Brescia'' Division play a very important role in containing the attack of the New Zealand 2nd Division, long enough to allow the 21st Panzer Division to arrive and deliver a devastating counterattack.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref>
In the German attack, the British 23rd Armoured Brigade attempts to regroup, but runs into a minefield. The 5th Panzer Regiment, under Colonel [[Gerhard Mueller]], destroys more than forty British tanks. The rest of the Panzer division joins in the fighting and complete the destruction of the British armoured brigade.

The failure of British armour to reach the infantry in time results in the loss of 800 men. More than 2,300 New Zealanders were killed, wounded, or captured in the two battles. Both Vaiarini de Piacenza and Zanetti were killed in the fighting and posthumously decorated (Gold and Silver Medals respectively) for their bravery.<ref>"Colonel Gherardo Vaiarini de Piacenza, commanding the 65th Trieste Infantry, was killed; he met his death with such gallantry that he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal ... The Trieste's other infantry colonel, Umberto Zanetti, commanding the 66th, was also killed - on July 22nd. " Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 83, Allen & Unwin, 1966
</ref> In the same action, Private [[Günter Halm]] from the 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment wins the Knights Cross and a commission, for single-handedly putting out of action half a dozen British tanks or more, before his captured Russian 76.2mm anti-tank gun was destroyed in the counter fire.

==Miteiriya==

General Auchinleck is determined to retain the initiative and orders another two brigade-sized attacks on the night of July 26/27, with Major Lew McCarter's 2nd/28th Battalion tasked with pushing through the supposedly demoralized Italian defenders on Sanyet el Miteiriya/Ruin Ridge,<ref>"The aim was to breach a section of line held by Italian troops, the more brittle element in Rommel's army." [https://www.awm.gov.au/talks-speeches/1942-ruin-ridge/ Remembering 1942: Ruin Ridge]</ref> also known as Ruin Ridge. However, the Australian attack against Miteiriya Ridge meets unexpected tough resistance from machine-gunners and anti-tank gunners from the ''Trento'' Division<ref>"We could see the Australians and British advancing rather spread out, about 750 yards in front of us, all in groups corresponding with their units. We ceased fire with the machine-guns — there was still plenty of time for them — but continued with our 47/32s ... When they got within 300 yards, we opened up with everything. The noise was terrific; you could only tell a gun was firing by the smoke and powder coming out of its muzzle. It was almost eleven o’clock. My tommy-gun broke down after about 3,000 rounds — ejector broken! The machine-gun also played up a bit after 5,000 rounds. But by that time the attack was beginning to peter out. The British artillery had packed it in. By midday it was all over. After the withdrawal, followed by our counterattack, the ambulances returned to start ferrying back the dead and wounded, but we got suspicious after an hour or so because they seemed to be hanging about too much. We fired a few shots over their heads to let them know it was time to break it up. They took the hint and went — and didn’t come back." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 87, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> and the attack is halted soon after dawn, with Australian intelligence officer (Lieutenant Walker) reporting Major McCarter's battalion surrounded by armoured cars,<ref>"The Bn was completely surrounded by ARMORED CARS which worked forward under cover of fire from enemy tanks further back, while 20mm, MMG and mortar fire kept the heads of our own troops well down. In this manner the enemy was able to cut off and dispose of sections and platoons one by one, until at 1030 hrs Bn HQ area was occupied by several ARMORED CARS and surviving personnel taken prisoner. An effort had been made to hinder the enemy armored vehicles by bringing Arty fire to bear on them before they dispersed. Unfortunately the only communication with Bde was by one wireless set WT repaired by Sigs, after about eight hours work. Messages reporting the situation were sent immediately once this set was capable of functioning, i.e., about 0930 hrs onwards. Last message was “All up, overrun!”." [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1026672/?image=5 July 1942 Diary by Lieutenant S. A. Walker]</ref> that arrived from the ''Trieste''.<ref>"The names of certain units were on everyone’s lips up and down the line following particularly brilliant actions, among them the reconnaissance Group of the Trieste. It had been set up some time previously: it was hardly a homogeneous unit on the German pattern, but did reflect admirably the Italian genius of improvisation. They had no more than nine vehicles–Morrises, Fords, Dingos and Jeeps, all captured from the enemy–armed with small caliber guns and machine-guns of all descriptions, British, Italian and German, together with two British 88 guns and their carriages, and two small supply lorries." Alamein 1933-1962: An Italian Story, Paolo Caccia Dominioni de Sillavengo, p. 79, Allen & Unwin, 1966</ref> Supporting British armour runs into a minefield that is not cleared in time by South African engineers, and the Australians are forced to surrender to the Italians.<ref>"Assuming that the Italians were demoralized and easy pickings was a mistake, which the 9th Australian Division, the heroes of the defense of Tobruk in 1941, learned to its regret. A night attack against the Trento and Trieste Divisions, after some initial success, was bloodily repulsed, one entire battalion of Australian infantry being overrun." Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel, Daniel Allen Butler, p. 352, Casemate, 2015</ref><ref>"Il contrattacco sviluppato da un battaglione di secondo scaglione della divisione «Trieste» e da un battaglione della «Trento», era riuscito ad impedire il dilagare della penetrazione, con la cattura di 500 prigionieri e stroncando ogni ulteriore possibilità di avanzata nemica verso ovest." Seconda Controffensiva Italo-Tedesca in Africa Settentrionale da El Agheila a El Alamein, p. 181,Tipografia regionale, 1951</ref>The Australian battalion loses 65 men killed and 490 captured in the attack against the Italian strongpoint.<ref>[https://www.oceancitytoday.com/column_posts/world_war_ii/allied-forces-panzerarmee-afrika-meet-in-el-alamein/article_3f8fe4a2-fe21-11ec-badf-db800f870e65.html Allied Forces, Panzerarmee Afrika meet in El Alamein]</ref> The war diary of the 2nd/28th Battalion would be declared lost, and many shocked survivors in the unit would later claim they surrendered to panzers from Battle Group ''Briehl''. According to Sergeant Bill Rudd's version of the Australian attack:{{cquote|The German guns on the right flank were having a field day, and the German voices were close enough to be understandable ... The false dawn revealed us spread over the top of the ridge for about a quarter of a square mile. There was an anti-tank gun set up on our right flank and we could hear the rumble of approaching tanks, and the sounds of machine guns. But as the sky brightened and the tanks closed in, their German crosses became only too visible. There was not a sign of any British tanks, which had apparently failed to start on time and never reached the site of the battle.<ref>[http://www.anzacpow.com/part_4__nominal_roll_all_evades/chapter_4__ninth_division/24th_brigade ANZAC POW]</ref>}}

The British attack had also been unsuccessful, and about 600 were captured in a German counterattack with tanks and infantry that arrive in trucks.

The 8th Army is now completely exhausted, and by 31 July General Auchinleck orders an end to offensive operations in favor of strengthening the defense lines to be able to meet any future counter-offensive.

== Notes ==
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[[Category:World War II Battles]]