second battle of el alamein

The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of World War II that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented the Axis from advancing further into Egypt.

Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery was appointed Commander-in-chief of all allied forces in Africa and led the Eighth Army successful offensive during this battle on which he defeated the Axis forces of Erwin Rommel.

The British victory was the beginning of the end of the Western Desert Campaign, eliminating the Axis Afrika Korps threat to Egypt, the Suez Canal and the Middle Eastern and Persian oil fields. The battle revived the morale of the Allies, being the first big success against the Axis since Operation Crusader in late 1941. The end of the battle coincided with the Allied invasion of French North Africa in Operation Torch on 8 November, which opened a second front in North Africa.