It was hundreds of miles by train from Egypt- I can’t remember what the name of the place was. RHQ REME moved to its new home at The Prince Philip Barracks, MOD Lyneham.
For any other comments, please Contact Us. Africa So they formed up the workshop in the Nottingham area, the unit was the equipment as well as the men, we had become used to expect to deal with desert equipment. By 4 November the motorized elements of the Axis were in full retreat, and because of the sluggish British follow-up they were allowed to escape virtually unscathed. Aided by Churchill’s rhetoric, which extolled it as ‘the end of the beginning’ of the war, El Alamein has become enshrined in British mythology as a great strategic turning point of the war. While they were able to beat off Axis counter-attacks, British efforts were hampered as their tanks were held up in the congested minefield corridors and suffered punishing losses from enemy anti-tank guns. In January 1942 his forces started a new drive eastward along the North African coast to seize the Suez Canal. Middle East On the convoys, there was a danger of U-boats. On the night of 23–24 October a barrage from more than 800 guns heralded the offensive; British sappers, followed by infantry and tanks, advanced to clear paths through the minefields. But it didn’t look as though they were, because any opportunity to pinch something, they would, that they could use. This made him a household name and secured him prestigious commands in Italy and North-West Europe. They provide equipment support and this is done by conducting preventative maintenance, repairs, recovery, manufacture and modification of the Army’s equipment.
They didn’t tell you much in the Army, but we knew we were going to Africa. They have been transcribed by Andrew Voyce, an Open University graduate. So I said to them when I arrived, I said: You’ve got vehicles here that I don’t know anything about. 102 Force Support Battalion. By mid-October 1942, Montgomery could deploy approximately double the number of men and tanks available to Rommel’s German-Italian army. A lot of people in the Sussex came from all over England. So this base, depot, was surrounded by barbed wire, to keep the pilferers out. It wasn’t a bullet, I must have had a fall or something like that. The Battle of El Alamein (second battle), was one of the most decisive victories in WWII. With Rommel on the defensive, Montgomery took this time to build up a sizeable army in preparation for a new offensive, the Second Battle of El-Alamein. This battle of attrition, euphemistically termed ‘crumbling’ by Montgomery, involved brutal close-quarter fighting in which the soldiers were tested in a maelstrom of heat, noise and horror. And then they re-post you again to where you’re required. Before he could resume the post, however, Gott was killed when his aircraft was shot down and Churchill made what was to prove a momentous decision – he replaced him with Lieutenant-General Bernard Law Montgomery. When they changed course they gave a toot on the siren. StanEllis4 You wonder where you are. It must have been some accident.
I had one new lot of mates at Sheerness, one new lot of mates in Northern Ireland, and one new lot of mates in Nottingham. No end of trades in a REME workshops. 102 Force Support Battalion. Also, it was in the autumn of the year, and we had all written our Christmas letters an’ all that, and somehow I managed to lose all them. Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the The British had built a defensive line at El-Alamein because the Qattara Depression to the south was impassable to mechanized forces.
Using his talent for self-publicity, he claimed all the credit for the victory. This was just coming up to Alamein, and we were all moving up, to battle positions, and apparently I had an accident. Soldiers of 4th Indian Division in action, Tunisia, April 1943. Alamein also established the reputation of Montgomery. He said, I don’t know what happened to you, but on your ticket- everybody has a ticket- there’s three things on there: you could be a battle casualty (it speaks for itself), an accident injury (which mine was), and a self-inflicted, which is bad. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. It was like a pea-shooter sitting on top of it. In the back of the tank. This made him a household name and secured him prestigious commands in Italy and North-West Europe. Military historians often divide … The journey by troopship and the Battle of El-Alamein. So I never have been back to anyone who saw what happened. The victory of the Allies at El Alamein lead to the surrender of the German forces in North Africa in 1943. Newton Aycliffe, 102 Force Support Battalion REME LINCOLNSHIRE, 102 Force Support Battalion REME EAST YORKSHIRE, 148 Divisional Support Company, Nottingham, 128 Divisional Support Company, Portsmouth, 101 Theatre Support Battalion (Keynsham, Bristol), 158 Theatre Support Company, Company HQ (Bristol and Bath), 158 Theatre Support Company, Packs Platoon (Swindon), B Platoon, © Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented the … As I say, you check all your bits, see that you are- fairly complete. Aware that an attack was imminent, Rommel had prepared his defenses as best he could, sowing hundreds of thousands of antitank and antipersonnel mines along his front to slow any British advance. Fought near the western frontier of Egypt between 23 October and 4 November 1942, El Alamein was the climax and turning point of the North African campaign of World War Two (1939-45). So we zig-zagged our way round Africa, and then after Cape Town we came up the other side of Africa.
To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. The Axis army of Italy and Germany suffered a decisive defeat by the British Eighth Army. It might well be. France's defeat in the summer of 1940 left Britain threatened with invasion. By mid-July Rommel was still at El-Alamein, blocked, and had even been thrown on the defensive, thus ending the first battle. With the Allies also prevailing in the naval and air wars raging in the Mediterranean, the Axis position in North Africa was now untenable. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 102 Force Support Battalion. Rommel ordered the rest of his tanks to the north where he had some help from mother nature. ‘Thought- oh dear, wonder what’s happened to that eye then? The British had stopped his drive to overrun Egypt and seize the canal. I was whipped into hospital- it was a bit of an ordeal, that. We weren’t all that close to towns. I would have been ‘battle casualty’. Rommel attacked this line on July 1, but the next day the British commander, Gen. Claude Auchinleck, counterattacked, and a battle of attrition developed. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy. It was a massive base the army had got there. Find the contacts you need for recruitment, media enquiries and more. Since then, the Corps has evolved to lead as the forefront of engineering for the … But it didn’t seem to damage the eye, which is fortunate. The El Alamein ‘Line’ stretched 40 miles from the sea on one side to the Qattara Depression on the other, which meant that it was virtually impossible to outflank. The assault to become known as the First Battle of Alamein was a disaster for the Allies. Adrian Gilbert is a writer, editor and consultant with a special interest in 20th-century warfare.
Rommel was a master of desert warfare, earning the nickname ‘Desert Fox’. British infantry advancing as darkness falls, El Alamein, 1942, Second World War This was already a hint to how the rest of the Battle of El Alamein would go.
There was a road, there was a coast road, adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea, but most of the Army vehicles could drive anywhere over that desert. Lieutenant-General Bernard Law Montgomery (1887-1976) was one of the most capable and controversial British commanders. It wasn’t because I came from Sussex, they wanted that trade, that’s all. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The rest of the day saw a fierce but inconclusive struggle in which both sides suffered heavy losses. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. • The Corps has the rare distinction of being a 'Royal' Corps since the day of its formation. Victory proved that the problems that had plagued the Army for years had at last been overcome and that its equipment, tactics, generalship and fighting spirit were a match for the Axis. El Alamein was the first clear-cut and irreversible victory inflicted by the British Army upon the Axis. And that of course was a bit of a down, but the only thing they had was a bit of speed. I suppose that indicated to everybody else, so they didn’t run into each other, that we’re changing course. This bloody struggle eventually ended in the final defeat of Nazi Germany. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
El Alamein was, without exaggeration the last stand for the Allies in North Africa. A field hospital it was. A sandstorm suddenly appeared and provided his tanks with much needed cover, but as soon as the sandstorm was over his forces were hit by Allied bombers, destroying the very place where the Panzers stood, at this point Rommel didn’t have much choice but to retreat.
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Not to mention the psychological effect it would have had if they were to lose the Suez, control of the Suez would have also given the Germans almost unlimited access to the oil reserves of the Middle East. The train ran more or less into the hospital, and we were transferred by ambulance the final bit. Hitler ordered him to hold fast but the Allied troops broke through his lines in several places during the night and retreat became inevitable. StanEllis10 Italy and Greece- The end of the war for me: Victory in Europe
On 2 November Rommel signaled to Hitler that the battle was lost. Arrival in Egypt. While he was able to cement his image as a national hero, Montgomery’s conduct during the battle remains the subject of debate. In the early hours of 24 October British infantry and engineers began Operation Lightfoot, a painstaking and hazardous process of creating two channels in the minefields, through which the armoured forces were to advance. Our people are engineering leaders and all have a route to professional engineering accreditation.
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