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    THE BATTLE OF ALAM HALFA - A BATTLE REPORT [Illustrated Edition]
    THE BATTLE OF ALAM HALFA - A BATTLE REPORT [Illustrated Edition]
    THE BATTLE OF ALAM HALFA - A BATTLE REPORT [Illustrated Edition]
    Ebook104 pages1 hour

    THE BATTLE OF ALAM HALFA - A BATTLE REPORT [Illustrated Edition]

    By Generalleutant Fritz Bayerlein a.D. and Major General G. P. B. Roberts C.B. D.S.O. M.C.

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    About this ebook

    Illustrated with 6 maps and numerous photos.
    The Battle that ended Rommel’s offensive in the Desert of North Africa, and the Axis hopes of Victory against the Allied forces by the Generals who commanded the two sides.
    “The Battle of Alam el Halfa took place between 30 Aug. and 5 Sep. 1942 south of El Alamein during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. Panzerarmee Afrika-a German-Italian force commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel-attempted an envelopment of the British 8th Army, commanded by Bernard Montgomery. In the last major Axis offensive (Operation Brandung) of the Western Desert campaign, Rommel had planned to defeat the British 8th Army before Allied reinforcements made an Axis victory in Africa impossible.
    Montgomery, who had been forewarned of Rommel’s intentions by Ultra intelligence intercepts, left a gap in the southern sector of the front, knowing that Rommel planned to attack there, and deployed the bulk of his armour and artillery around Alam el Halfa ridge, 20 mi (32 km) behind the front. In a new tactic, the tanks were used in an anti-tank role, remaining in their positions on the ridge. Montgomery intended to hold the armour back, refusing to allow them to sortie out as they had in the past.
    With the attacks on the ridge failing and his supply situation precarious, Rommel ordered a withdrawal. Montgomery failed to exploit his defensive victory, preferring to continue to build his strength for the his fall offensive, the Second Battle of El Alamein...
    The price of the defeat to the Axis was not just a tactical defeat and retreat. With the Alam Halfa failure, Rommel was deprived not only of the operational ability to initiate offensives, he lost the operational and tactical ability to defend the German base in Africa. Axis strategic aims in the African theatre were no longer possible.”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLucknow Books
    Release dateAug 15, 2014
    ISBN9781782892656
    THE BATTLE OF ALAM HALFA - A BATTLE REPORT [Illustrated Edition]

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    Reviews for THE BATTLE OF ALAM HALFA - A BATTLE REPORT [Illustrated Edition]

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    • 3/5
      The 1st section from the perspective of the 22nd Armoured Brigade is very good and valuable if one has some general understanding of the area and operations in the western desert.

      The section "from the German perspective" is of quite limited value on several grounds. 1stly this is not an operational or formation command account and so is entirely out of step with and unable to be related to the 1st part on the 22nd armoured brigade. The 2nd limit is the most frustrating and irritating - the German section is very slanted, its numbers and claims both vague and in places knowingly false (at worst these elements should have been annotated) - the account refers to 150 British armoured vehicles captured or destroyed. The loss accounts for the battle which include mechanical losses out of the engagements don't add to anything like 150. With "recovered (by the British) mechanical loss" (some records suggest old models may have been prematurely ditched in cases) etc account for approx 1/3rd of the German claims . The value of the German section is if it is edited into an operational planning and actual events account - even for this it needs significant "meat" added.

      The final element by Basil Liddel Hart is a complete waste
    • 2/5
      who proofed this book. should be writen in latin. no spaces in words.

      if proofed right and more pictures it be a much better book

    Book preview

    THE BATTLE OF ALAM HALFA - A BATTLE REPORT [Illustrated Edition] - Generalleutant Fritz Bayerlein a.D.

     This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

    To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – contact@picklepartnerspublishing.com

    Or on Facebook

    Text originally published in 1956 under the same title.

    © Pickle Partners Publishing 2013, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

    Publisher’s Note

    Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

    We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

    THE BATTLE OF ALAM HALFA — A BATTLE REPORT

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

    EDITOR’S NOTE 5

    THE AUTHORS 6

    Captain B. H. Liddell Hart 6

    Generalleutant Fritz Bayerlein a.D. 8

    Major General G. P. B. Roberts, C.B. D.S.O. M.C. 10

    FOREWORD — By Capt B. H. Liddell Hart 12

    FROM THE BRITISH SIDE 17

    The Attack Comes 22

    FROM THE GERMAN SIDE 36

    Now or Never—Alam el Halfa 42

    The Attack 44

    Conclusions 53

    CRITIQUE 55

    SUMMING UP 59

    EDITOR’S NOTE

    When professional soldiers think in terms of future concepts, it is natural that they should seek to find some of their guide lines in the military actions of the past. It was with this in mind that the idea was conceived of presenting the report of a combat action as seen by two opposing commanders. To be of any value, the report had to shed some light on the problems of today: fluid actions of mobile forces operating over widely separated areas; the logistic problems incumbent in such action; the effect of terrain on the conduct of the operation and, most important, the employment of air elements operating in conjunction with the ground forces.

    The campaigns which were fought in the Western Desert during WWII seemed to fit the requirements more so than those of any other theater. Here, unencumbered by the problems which normally beset military operations in more populated areas, the opposing forces were free to engage each other in a classic form of war involving the combatants only. A project to present such a report was begun in the spring of 1955. Through the assistance of Col R. T. Vance, then the Marine Corps staff representative at CINCNELM in London, B. H. Liddell Hart was reached and several actions were examined to select the one best suited to the purpose.

    At first it was considered that the operations at El Alamein might be most rewarding since there the elements of offense, stand and retreat were executed by both sides. Because of the length and complexity of this whole campaign, however, Liddell Hart recommended that the narrative be limited to the battle of Alam Halfa, the second phase of the campaign. Here, the opposing forces were about equal (although the logistical advantage lay with the British) whereas the first battle (retreat from Tobruk) and the third battle (British counteroffensive) were too one-sided.

    It was also Liddell Hart who recommended the authors best suited to do the job. Bayerlein commanded the spearhead of Rommel’s primary thrust and Roberts commanded the unit which blocked it-each was instrumental in the conduct of the action and both saw the battle from the same level. The authors wrote their portions independently and neither has seen the other’s manuscript; thus a true picture, as each saw it, is presented. Liddell Hart has tied the two accounts together and placed the action in perspective. The translation, from the original German, of Gen Bayerlein’s article was done by Capt H. W. Henzel, USMC.

    The pictures bearing the authors’ credit lines are from their own personal collections and the captions identify the actual points concerned.

    Discrepancies in the order of battle will be noticed in comparing one account with the other. These, presumably, are the results of erroneous intelligence information on both sides. Although perhaps confusing, these errors will give the reader a picture of the amount of information each side had available. Further, it shows how the fog of battle obscures the field commander’s perception of his opponent and firmly substantiates the axiom, that war is truly an art.

    THE AUTHORS

    Captain B. H. Liddell Hart

    Acclaimed as one of the great military minds of the century, B. H. Liddell Hart was born in France in October 1895. He received his education in England at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University. With the outbreak of World War I he entered the King’s Own Light Yorkshire Infantry and embarked for France in 1915. As a captain he saw action in the battles of Ypres and later lie participated in the fierce fighting of the battle of the Somme, where the British used tanks for the first time at Cambrai.

    Using his experiences during these actions in conjunction with a great deal of research, he prepared a study of infantry tactics in 1917. He later revised this study for its publication by the British Army as an Infantry Training Manual in 1920.

    The opportunity to further his active military career was denied him when he was invalided out of the service in 1924 as a result of the wounds received during the war. Appointed military correspondent for the Daily Telegraph in 1925, he assumed the role of tactical analyst and military

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