Battle of Alam El Halfa - The Allied Defences

The Allied Defences

Since 13 August, command of the British 8th Army had passed to Lieutenant-General (later Field Marshal) Montgomery. British Ultra had anticipated an Axis attack, and the former commander of the 8th Army—General Claude Auchinleck—set out the basic defensive plan but had included a number of contingency plans for defensive works around Alexandria and Cairo in case Axis armour broke through. After visiting the front lines, Montgomery ordered that these contingency plans be destroyed and emphasised his intention to hold the ground around Alamein at all costs.

In the northern sector (from just south of Ruweisat ridge to the coast), XXX Corps—under LGen William Ramsden and composed of the 9th Australian Division, the South African 1st Division and the 5th Indian Division with 23rd Armoured Brigade in reserve— was deployed behind minefields.

The New Zealand 2nd Division was deployed to a 5 mi (8.0 km) section of front south of the Ruweisat ridge. This defensive area was known as the "New Zealand Box" and formed the northern end of the XIII Corps sector. Accepting that the featureless southern sector would be very difficult to defend against a determined armoured attack, Montgomery chose for the 12 mi (19 km) of front from the New Zealand box to Qaret el Himeimat on the edge of the Qattara Depression to be lightly held encouraging Rommel to attack at this point. This gap would be mined and wired while the 7th Motor Brigade Group and 4th Light Armoured Brigade of the 7th Armoured Division would cover the minefields, but withdraw when necessary. The New Zealand box therefore formed a corner to the main defenses with its hinge of the higher ground at Alam Nayil.

The attackers would meet the main defensive positions when they swung north and approached the Alam El Halfa ridge, well in the rear of the 8th Army′s front. Here Montgomery chose to entrench the bulk of his heavy/medium tanks (concentrated in 22nd Armoured Brigade) and anti-tank units and await the Axis attack. Behind the British armour, on the high ground to their north east would be two brigades of 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division and concentrations of divisional and Corps artillery.

The 10th Armoured Division had been refitting in the Nile delta with General Grant tanks with the effective 75 mm (2.95 in) main gun and would reinforce the Alam El Halfa position when available. Most of 8th Armoured Brigade arrived by 30 August and took position to manoeuver left of 22nd Armoured Brigade and on the flank of the enemy′s expected advance. Once Montgomery had seen Rommel′s dispositions after the initial advance, he released 23rd Armoured Brigade from XXX Corps reserve at the eastern end of Ruweisat Ridge to XIII Corps attached to 10th Armoured Division, and by 13:00 on 31 August they had moved 100 Valentine tanks to fill the gap between 22nd Armoured Brigade and the New Zealanders.