History, Preparation, Execution, Results, And Lessons...

Introduction In February 1941, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel received command of the recently created Afrika Korps. The unit deployed to Libya in order to support the Italian Army that had recently suffered setbacks against the British forces. For the next two years, Rommel’s forces fought across the North African desert against British forces led by Generals Archibald Wavell, Claude Auchinleck, and Bernard Montgomery. The culminating point for this campaign was the two battles of El Alamein, after which the Germans retreated to Tunisia and eventually surrendered. This case study will examine the history, preparation, execution, results, and lessons learned during the Battles of El Alamein and how that defeat helped lead to the overall Axis defeat in World War II (WWII). History The fighting on the African continent began before WWII. Italy, in the late 19th century, had colonies in Libya, Eritrea, and Somaliland (now Somalia). In 1935, Bunito Mussolini, the dictator of Italy, wanted to have an Italian East African Empire. To accomplish this, his Italian forces conquered Ethiopia by 1936, forming his empire consisting of Somaliland, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. The British, meanwhile, provided soldiers for the defense of the Suez Canal in Egypt in accordance with the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936. With Mussolini declaring war on England and France in June 1940, Britain found itself surrounded by Italian forces. Mussolini wanted to link the two sections of his