Howard Kippenberger - Second World War - North Africa - El Alamein

El Alamein

It was only in Syria for two months before Panzer Army Afrika attacked into Libya, prompting the recall of 2nd Division. Defeated at the Battle of Gazala, the Eighth Army retreated into Egypt. The recalled New Zealanders manned a defensive position at Minqar Qaim, and rebuffed several attacks. However, it was not long before the division was cut off. It was successfully forced a breakout with minimal losses on 27 June and withdrew to new positions at El Alamein. On 14 July 1942, during the First Battle of El Alamein, Kippenberger led the 5th Brigade in what would be known as the Battle of Ruweisat Ridge. Ruweisat Ridge was held by the enemy and was in the centre of the El Alamein line, dominating the surrounding area. Fifth Brigade was tasked with the capture of the centre of the ridge. Fourth Brigade was to take the western end of the ridge and the 5th Indian Brigade the eastern end. British armour, in the form of two armoured brigades, was to protect the flanks and be in support to deal with the expected counterattack. However, little thought was given to communication and liaison between the infantry and armoured brigades, nor was a clear chain of command established. This would have implications for the outcome of the battle.

Kippenberger's attack required a night-time advance of six miles across a 1000-yard-wide front. He decided to have two battalions, the 21st and 23rd Battalions attack across this front, with the 22nd Battalion in reserve. Artillery and anti-tank units would follow at daybreak. However, he not only decided to use unreliable short-range radios but also failed to make it clear to the inexperienced commander of 21st Battalion that it was not expected to cover the whole frontal advance. During the advance, the elements of the battalion were spread so far apart that they lost cohesion and bypassed numerous strong points, leaving the German line in front of the ridge largely intact.

In the morning, the supporting British armour was nowhere to be seen and the artillery and anti-tank units were unable to break through, leaving the two New Zealand brigades in position on the exposed ridge. Kippenberger inspected the brigade's position and found his battalions under fire from German tanks. Unable to contact nearby units by radio and realising the degree to which his men were exposed, he raced off under fire in a Bren carrier to locate the British armour. Coming across an armoured brigade four miles away, he implored its commander to bring his unit forward but was refused meaningful support until the intervention of Herbert Lumsden, commander of the British 1st Armoured Division. By the time the tanks had arrived, the men of 22nd Battalion had been largely killed or captured. The headquarters element of 23rd Battalion were also prisoners of war. By nightfall, the 4th Brigade had been overrun, and Kippenberger asked for and received permission to withdraw his brigade from the ridge. Although awarded a bar to his DSO for his dash for help from the British, Kippenberger was bitter about the poor planning of the operation and admitted his own errors of judgement.

On the opening day of the Second Battle of El Alamein, Kippenberger led his brigade, which had spent much of the previous weeks in defensive lines, in an attack on Miteirya Ridge during which it achieved all of its objectives. In contrast to three months earlier at Ruweisat Ridge, he took care to establish his headquarters as forward as possible prior to the commencement of the battle to minimise communication difficulties with the units of the brigade. Despite this, he still lost contact with the leading 23rd Battalion which quickly overwhelmed its opposition. In fact, the battalion had advanced so quickly that it arrived at its final objective so far ahead of schedule that it believed it had only reached its first objective and so advanced even further. The battalion's commander blamed his unit's eagerness for a rapid advance on Kippenberger's inspirational pre-battle speech which particularly enthused his men.