To relieve the pressure on the right and centre of the Eighth Army line, XIII Corps on the left advanced from the Qattara box (known to the New Zealanders as the Kaponga box). The plan was that the New Zealand 2nd Division—with the remains of Indian 5th Division and 7th Motor Brigade under its command—would swing north to threaten the Axis flank and rear. By the end of the day, the Ariete Division had only five tanks. The day ended once again with the Afrika Korps and Ariete coming off second best to the superior numbers of the British 22nd Armoured and 4th Armoured Brigades,

Legacy

The battle and the Second Battle of El Alamein three months later remain important to some of the countries that took part. Particularly in New Zealand, this is due to the country's significant contribution to the defence of El Alamein, especially the heavy role the Māori Battalion played. Members of this battalion have been labelled war heroes since, such as commander Frederick Baker, James Henare and Eruera Te Whiti o Rongomai Love, the last of whom was killed in action.

See also

  • Alamein Memorial
  • Battle of Alam el Halfa
  • Italian War Memorial at El Alamein
  • List of North African airfields during World War II
  • Second Battle of El Alamein
  • Timeline of the North African campaign

Notes

Citations

References

  • First Battle of El Alamein, from Italian "Comando Supremo"
  • Royal Engineers Museum Royal Engineers and Second World War (Deception and mine clearance at EL Alamein)
  • Alam Halfa and Alamein New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
  • Rommel’s 621st Radio Intercept Company