Rommel was one of the three great German generals of World War II, nicknamed the "Desert Fox". He was almost invincible and for a time became a nightmare for Allied soldiers. In Alamein in North Africa, he lost to the British general Montgomery, and the myth of undefeated was ended. Montgomery was also a god in the first battle.
(Old photo of Rommel)
So, why did such a powerful Rommel fail?
In fact, the Germans were initially not very interested in the African region, which was neither much help in their battle plans nor had much resources to increase their army reserves.
But Italy, the Axis ally of the Germans, was very concerned about the region. In July 1940, Italy attacked British troops stationed in East Africa from Ethiopia. In January of the following year, the British launched an offensive against the Italian army, not only recovering East Africa, but also re-creating the Army in North Africa, capturing 130,000 Italians.
Of course, the Performance of the Italian Army in World War II has always been negative, which is an important reason why so many soldiers were captured.
However, the ally Germany did not abandon them. In February 1941, German General Rommel led the German Afrika Korps to North Africa to reinforce Italy. Under Rommel's tactical command, the German-Italian coalition won more with less, and the British army was gradually defeated. Rommel quickly stabilized the situation in Africa, and then led the German-Italian coalition from Libya all the way into Egypt, stationed in the El Alamein region not far from Romania.
(Rommel on the Battlefield)
In June 1942, Montgomery took over as commander of the British 8th Army. Contrary to the conservative strategy of his predecessors, Montgomery advocated an offensive that drove German and Italian troops out of Africa. At this time, although the German and Italian armies had won many battles, they were actually in a very difficult situation.
First, the German-Italian coalition fought all the way to the El Alamein region, and the army was already exhausted. The British army, with the support of the United States, continued to replenish its military strength. The battle plan is meticulous, the soldiers are also energetic, and the combat status of both sides is not at all in the same grade.
Second, when the Battle of El Alamein broke out, the German army was frantically fighting Soviet soldiers at Stalingrad, and the main battlefield of the German army was in the Soviet Union. Almost all strategic resources were tilted towards the German forces in the Soviet Union, and Rommel was isolated.
And because the Allies completely controlled the air and sea supremacy in the Mediterranean, the German supply was extremely difficult, and the army could not support it for too long.
On the other hand, the British army not only did not have to support the Soviet Union, but also seemed to be fighting at the doorstep of the house, whether it was food, fuel, or medicine, it was all available, the supply was very sufficient, and it was completely possible to give it a go.
On the personnel side, Rommel had only 80,000 soldiers left. Of these, 10,000 were unable to fight, while the British had 190,000.
In terms of military equipment, the German-Italian coalition army only had 550 tanks left, and most of them were old Italian tanks, which were far from the British American M-3 Grant, both in terms of firepower and performance. As for air support, there are even fewer, and most of the German aircraft are flying in Stalingrad.
(Hitler and Rommel)
How should this battle be fought?
In November 1942, Rommel had already realized that he had no chance of winning and wanted to issue a retreat order. But Hitler sent a telegram to Rommel saying, "If you don't win, you'd rather die."
Rommel was helpless for a moment and had to continue the battle, but as the German-Italian lines were broken one after another, Rommel had to lead the main German troops to withdraw. A large number of Italian soldiers were captured, and the Battle of El Alamein ended.
Speaking of which, Rommel's battles with the British in North Africa have never had an advantage in numbers and resources, and have always won more with less. He was able to fuse the italian army with the German army, which had no desire to fight, and repeatedly defeated the British army, and finally retreated completely, saying that it was like a god.
Although Montgomery defeated Rommel at the Battle of El Alamein, he also became one of the top generals of World War II with this battle. But there are still many people who are not convinced, believing that montgomery is no match for Rommel if montgomery is given the same military conditions as Rommel.
Of course, history does not assume.
(Reference: History of the Second World War)