| |
N0KFQ > TODAY 01.07.07 07:27l 36 Lines 1603 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 22701_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Jul 1
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<DB0SL<DB0FSG<I4UKI<IK2QCA<IT9LCP<IQ3BV<IQ0LT<CX2SA<
N9PMO<N0KFQ
Sent: 070630/1605Z @:N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA #:22701 [Branson] FBB7.00i $:22701_N
From: N0KFQ@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
To : TODAY@ALLUS
1942 : The Battle of El Alamein begins
On this day in 1942, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is brought to a
standstill in the battle for control of North Africa.
In June, the British had succeeded in driving Rommel into a
defensive position in Libya. But Rommel repelled repeated air and
tank attacks, delivering heavy losses to the armored strength of
the British, and finally, using his panzer divisions, managed to
force a British retreat-a retreat so rapid that a huge quantity
of supplies was left behind. In fact, Rommel managed to push the
British into Egypt using mostly captured vehicles.
Rommel's Afrika Korps was now in Egypt, in El Alamein, only 60
miles west of the British naval base in Alexandria. The Axis
powers smelled blood. The Italian troops that had preceded
Rommel's German forces in North Africa, only to be beaten back by
the British, then saved from complete defeat by the arrival of
Rommel, were now back on the winning side, their dwindled numbers
having fought alongside the Afrika Korps. Naturally, Benito
Mussolini saw this as his opportunity to partake of the victors'
spoils. And Hitler anticipated adding Egypt to his empire.
But the Allies were not finished. Reinforced by American
supplies, and reorganized and reinvigorated by British General
Claude Auchinleck, British, Indian, South African, and New
Zealand troops battled Rommel, and his by now exhausted men, to a
standstill in Egypt. Auchinleck denied the Axis Egypt. Rommel was
back on the defensive-a definite turning point in the war in
North Africa.
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
