In fact, from the perspective of the overall situation of World War II, Rommel did not lose to Montgomery, but to Germany itself. As with the question of Rommel's operation of the Atlantic Barrier, Germany had already lost the war situation, and even a thousand Rommels could not save Germany from defeat. Regarding the North African battlefield, it has to be said that there is a headache for Germany, that is, Malta, and the failure of Italy and Germany to occupy Malta in the strict sense has foreshadowed Germany's defeat in the North African battlefield. What modern warfare fights, in addition to information intelligence, the fight is logistics, the island of Malta has been in the hands of the British army, which has greatly restricted the supply and transportation to North Africa, and seriously restricted the military operations of Rommel's North African Army.
Of course, another important reason was to meet Montgomery, who fully understood the weaknesses of the German army, played to the strengths of the British army, and greatly improved and boosted the morale of the British army. Since Montgomery took over North African affairs, the Germans had anticipated a massive Allied counterattack. Montgomery liked to use the interval between battles to consolidate his combat gains. In addition to this, he received many new tanks, which meant that the Allies had a stronger advantage in terms of tank numbers. Montgomery took over the armament and reorganized his forces until he twice as strong as Rommel.
The Crusaders were Britain's most important tank on the Battlefield in North Africa
The Germans planted mines and fortified in many places, and Rommel chose his defensive position well, his flank protected by the sea and the desert of no man's land. Rommel commanded the plan for the Second Battle of El Alamein, whose strategy was to fight a final battle that would drag the British and their allies into a brutal war of attrition and weaken their will to fight. Rommel then counterattacked with his armored forces and continued to capture Alexander. Montgomery's goal was simple: to break through the German lines, and once the lines were breached, the Germans would be forced to withdraw from Egypt.
After more than six weeks of carefully assembling the British Eighth Army, it was ready to attack. The commander of the 8th Army was very confident in his superiority in tanks and troops. His army was also supported by the Royal Air Force, and the Allies had begun to gain the upper hand in air supremacy. Montgomery had 200,000 men and 1,000 tanks, Rommel had about 115,000 German soldiers and 550 tanks, as well as a part of the Italian army. It should be noted here that the Axis forces were slightly less armed and trained, especially the Italian army.
Tank troops in Italy
Montgomery launched a fierce artillery attack on the entire German line. He then ordered his division to attack north and south of the German line. Rommel did not take part in the fighting at the time. He has returned to Germany for treatment because he is really sick. His men followed his battle plan very carefully.
The initial Allied offensive made only limited progress, and the German lines remained entrenched. Montgomery was an orderly man who used a large number of artillery and infantry attacks for a clear purpose, slowly weakening the German lines. Soon the Axis forces began to experience shortages of materials and ammunition. The battle lasted ten days. The British were slowed down by minefields, where they suffered heavy casualties and many tank units got lost in the desert.
British armored units suffered heavy losses in front of the 88 artillery positions
After a few days of such fighting, Montgomery was desperate and ready to attack on a wide front. New Zealand and Australian divisions, supported by British armored forces, attacked some of the weaker areas of the German line, causing panic among the Germans, as it was unexpected, and the entire line began to come under increasing pressure. The German commander, General Georges Strum, went to inspect the front lines but died of a heart attack. He was replaced by his subordinate, Major General William Ritter von Thomas. He managed to stabilize the front and ordered the armored forces into battle, but suffered many losses, yet Thomas continued to order further counterattacks.
Later, Rommel returned to North Africa and began to command the battle. He strengthened the German and Italian defenses, but the lines began to crumble. Montgomery ordered his troops to attack the wider front, in which the German commander Thomas was killed. Rommel asked Hitler for permission to retreat, which was initially refused, but later agreed. This limited saved the German and Italian soldiers from complete annihilation, as it enabled them to retreat in an orderly manner.
The Battle of El Alamein resulted in a decisive allied victory, the Axis forces suffered disastrous losses, and the Army of North Africa no longer posed a threat to Egypt and its allies. It is written that Montgomery continued its offensive and soon occupied most of Libya. In early 1943, the Americans landed in North Africa, and the Germans and Italians were forced to retreat to Tunisia. At the Second Battle of El Alamein, the Germans were defeated, which also meant that the Morale of the Allied forces began to increase significantly. As Churchill said, "Before El Alamein, we had never won. After El Alamein, we never failed. Montgomery noted in his memoirs that the victory had a direct and obvious effect on the only most important factor in the war, morale. After the Battle of El Alamein, the British thought they could defeat the Germans anytime, anywhere.
Looking at the Axis powers, in addition to the supply problem, one of the other reasons for the defeat of the German army at El Alamein was that Rommel was too ambitious. He was an outstanding general and leader, which earned him the title of "Desert Fox". However, he was also reckless, and Rommel's plan to invade and conquer Egypt was flawed from the start. The main problem is this, and the whole of military history shows that for a complete victory, the attacking side must achieve at least a three-to-one advantage. Rommel didn't have any such advantages, let alone many worries.
German armored forces were often and often battered by anti-tank positions set up by the British
The previous victory at Tobruk meant that he believed that his Afrika Korps could achieve the final victory, and objectively there was also the problem of Hitler, who ordered that Rommel should not be allowed to surrender under any circumstances, so he had to fight backwaters. Rommel should have considered retreating after being blocked at the First Battle of El Alamein, but he would have received orders from Hitler and was limited in his thinking on some decisions. Rommel decided it was a good idea to build a defensive line, but he should have considered establishing a defensive line in Libya. Fortunately, Rommel's actual handling of the Battle of El Alamein was excellent, and he skillfully retreated from the battle, saving the German and Italian armies. However, his initial goals during the invasion of Egypt were too ambitious, which was extremely mismatched with all of his war resources, culminating in the complete defeat of the Afrika Korps.
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