the wellington college year book 2010/2011
westward from El Alamein in November
1942. These sentiments of mixed relief and
elation were shared widely by the British.
The Prime Minister Churchill deemed the
victory so far-reaching in its importance that
he authorized the nation-wide ringing of
church bells, silent since the outbreak of war,
in celebration; and much later he stated, with
pardonable hyperbole: ‘Before Alamein we
never had a victory. After Alamein we never
had a defeat’. It was the culminating stroke
of a kind of deadly ping-pong that had taken
place across the coastal deserts of Egypt and
Cyrenaica for two years, in which offensive
and counter-offensive had driven the opposing
forces to and fro every few months.
The effects of the victory, for which
Australian, New Zealand, South African and
Indian forces shared credit with the British,
were momentous. The battle was followed
by an advance of 1,300 miles in 28 weeks,
from El Alamein, 70 miles west of the great
Egyptian city of Alexandria, to a link-up with
Anglo-American forces coming from Algeria
and the capitulation of all the Axis armies in
the region; it put the entire littoral of North
Africa into Allied hands and opened the way
for the invasion of southern Europe; it saved
the Middle East, the vital source of oil supplies,
from the imminent threat of being overrun by
Axis forces; it freed the Mediterranean, closed
since the fall of France, for allied shipping; it
permitted the re-supply of the valiant island
of Malta, half-starved and devastated by aerial
bombardment; and it destroyed for ever the
myth of the invincibility of the charismatic
commander of the Panzer Armee, Erwin
Rommel, and finally established the reputation
of the 8th Army commander, General Bernard
Montgomery, as the most famous British
General of the Second World War.
My own most vivid recollections of the
battle are of the final, crucial phase associated
with the operation code-named ‘Supercharge’.
For three days the 9th Australian Division
had been biting deeper and deeper into the
Axis defences and edging ever closer to the
vital coast road?—?a process called ‘crumbling’
by Montgomery. The Australians had forced
Rommel to 6??6V?G&FR??7B?b??2&W7BG&??0???F?R??'F?W&??6?7F?6V7F?"?( ?7WW&6?&v^( ????f??fVB??v?BGF6?'?Gv???f?G'?'&?vFW0?v??7BvV?V?VBV?V?FVfV?6W2F?&VR??W0??gW'F?W"6?WF??F?R??f?G'?Gf?6VBb? ??&G2??BF?R?F?&??W&VB'&?vFR?F?P?7&B?W76'2?v'v?6?6??&R?V???'??@?v??G6??&R?V???'??F?V?76VBF?&?Vv??v?F?F?R???b'&V6???rF?R?F??F????R???FW6W'BfVGW&W2???v?2FV??????V?? ??BF?R&???G&6??6?F??V?F?Rv??f?"F?RF??2?bF?R7B&??W&VBF?f?6???F??F?RV?G?7G&WF6?W2?bFW6W'B&W???B?BF?P?&?7V7B?b7WGF??r?fbF?R??2??W2?b&WG&VB??6?W76V?F??F?B???Fv??W'?6??6?FW"F?P?7V66W72?bF?Rv???R?W&F???&V?VB??F?P?'&V?F?&?Vv?'?F?R?F?&??W&VB'&?vFP?F?B?RFV6?&VBF?B?Rv2&W&VBF??66WBW"6V?B67V?F?W2f?"F?R6?R?`??B???F?RWfV?BF?RF?&VR&Vv??V?G2f?Vv?@?v?F?F?RWF??7Bv???G'??BFWFW&??F?????B??f?7FVB?Vg?67V?F?W2?'WBF?W?F?B??@?7V66VVB???W&6??r?"FW7G&????rF?R??R?`?vW&??????wV?2?F?R??7BVffV7F?fR?F?F??vV????F?Rv?&?B?v2F?R6????FW"?bG&???bF?&VP?7'W6FW"F??2??7VG&???bF?RVVV?( ?0?&?2??F?R&?B&??W&VB'&?vFR?v??6??f?&?VBF?R&??6??F??6????V?B?`?F?R7B&??W&VBF?f?6????F?R?F?W"Gv??7VG&??2?bF?R&Vv??V?BvW&RWV?V@?v?F??W&?6?6?W&??2??V6???&P?VffV7F?fRvV??F??F?R7'W6FW"??7VG&??v2V7V?&??rf?&?F????f? ?F?Rf?'7B??b?bF?R&GF?R?Bv26????FV@?'?????FF???v'FW"?2?#?(?( 3?35????W?G&V?V?'&fR?BVff?6?V?B?ff?6W"v??v0?????VBF?&V7F??rF?R7VG&??g&??F?R&6??`???2F????F?RF?gFW"( ?7WW&6?&v^( ???Rv0?7V66VVFVB'??6??R?&??????3>( 3?3????v???B??7BF?7F??wV?6?VB??F'?6&VW"??&V6???rgV??vV?W&??BFWWG?7W&V?P?6????FW"?b??VB6????BWW&?R??@?&V??r???FVB?6"?WFW"v????&??3^( 0??C?v2??F?W"?bF?Rf?W"G&???VFW'2??v?V?vRV?W&vVB??F?R??b??v?B?`?Fv?g&??F?R??W26?V&VBf?"W2'?F?P?6W'2F?&?Vv?F?RV?V???Vf?V?G2?vP?6?V?B6VR??R?VB?bW2??F?RWf?FV?6P??bFW7W&FR&GF?R??&?w&W72?7G&V?0??bG&6W"7&?72?7&?76VBF?R6???6?V??2'W'7@???6W76?F??f??W2?B6??VG2?b&?6?6???P?&????vVBg&??7G&?6?V?F??2??BF?Rv???P?&Vv26?&?VFVB??7W'F???bf??RGW7B?@?6?B6?W&?VBW'?F?RG&6?2?b???WWg&??p?F??2?vRvW&R??FVB'???2f?&??r?WB?bF?P?F&??W72???W"&?v?Bf???v?V?7F?????b??P??6??'B?bF?R?F?&??W&VB'&?vF^( ?2&GF?R??&W6V?F??W?G&?&F??'?&?F???&V6?P?f?6?&?Rg&??F?RF?&V7F????bF?R&????G&6??v??FR??'??W26?RV&V@??BF?R7v?&??rGW7B?B6???R?Bf?'7@?f?VWF??v????R6??Rv??7F?&?F???g&????F?W"??WB?w&GV???G2?WF??W2&V6?P???&RF?7F??7B??Bf?????Bv2&WfV?VB2?????F?W72?v???r6??v??BFV?&W&FV??F?v&G2W2??Bv2?WWFV??B?6????V?WFW ?7??W2?6????F??r?ff?6W"?bF?Rv??G6??&P??V???'??v???B&??VB?WBV?v?V?FV@?g&????2???6?VB??WBF???w&VB???v??FR?V'&??6?VW6???6?Bv??7BF?P?6????FW6W'B??v?B?"?????r??2v???f??@?F??76V?&????Bf?"7W'f?f?'2??F?R&V"??vRvW&R?V?BWf?"Gv?F?2??g&??B?`?FV?V??"?BF?R&???G&6??F?P???f?G'?GF6??BF?R7F????b?F?&??W&V@?'&?vFR?B???FVBFvvW"BF?R?V'@??bF?R??2FVfV?6W2??B&???V??BF??V???FRW2F??fR????R?b&W7F?&??rF?P?6?GVF?????R?FR7G&V?V?W2Vff?'G2F?F?6??'??V?2?bF?R?Vf?W7B?B??7B7W7F??V@?'F???W'?&??&&F?V?BF?B?W?W&?V?6VB???F?R6?W'6R?bF?Rv"??B'?W'6?7FV?BF?GF6?2?F?W?vW&R??f???WfW'?GF6?v0?&WV?6VB'?F?Rf?&R?b?W"6?W&??F??2v?F??F?V?"?vW&gV?sV??wV?2??BF?R&W7V?Bv0?F?Rf?'GV?FW7G'V7F????bF?Rf??W7BvW&???&??W&VBf?&?F????F?R#7B??W"F?f?6?????26??W6?fRf?v?F??rf?&6R????GF???fV?&W"??W7BGvV?fRF?2gFW ?F?R&GF?R&Vv??F?Rf???'&V?v2?FP?F?&?Vv?F?Rg&??B?bF?RF?6??FVw&F??r?F???G&?W7FRF?f?6????&???V?6?V?B??B&V?WfP?v?Bv2?V???r?B&WVFVF?FV??V@?F?R&W?'G2?bf??F????F?R6????FW ??bF?Rg&??6?'2?( ??bF?RG&?W7FRvW&R???G&?V&?RF?W?v?V?B?fRF??B?^( ???R6?B????F?RV?Bf??F???vV?B?WB????26????@?F??F?6VRf?"???6V?b????F?&R???6?VB?W@?'?F?RGf?6??r'&?F?6??BF?V?&?6??W"'???WWFV??Bw&?B6??vW"?bF?RF??W76'2??F?B??v?B?Rv2??f?FVBF??fRF???W"v?F?????Fv??W'??v??v2?VV?F??V"&?WBF?P?&?w&W72?bF?R&GF?Rg&??F?RV?V????@??bf?Wr??B?V&?BF?Bw&?B6??vW"?B&VV????VB??7F????FW"F?BF??f??F????w&?FR6?&??r?WGFW"?b6??F??V?6RF??6??vW.( ?2&V?G2g&??6F?f?G??B6?FFVB?6?f???VBf??F??FRF?F?R7F?'??bF?R6V6??@???V??&GF?R?#0???