Rommel is at the Gates DTO (id:#57461)

Critical Hit (Ruweisat Ridge ID: ALAMEIN1)   [next]   [previous]

Ruweisat Ridge, El Alamein, Egypt 1942-07-01 (8 others)

Overview:

"Rommel is at the gates" went the report that inevitably followed the Desert Fox's great victory at Gazala. General Claude Auchinleck's attention was firmly transfixed on the oncoming enemy. As Rommel's confident German and Italian soldiers streamed forward in tanks and rolling stock of a variety of different makes, the first of many breaks came for the British. The American military attache in Rome tipped off the British that the code messages from Cairo were being read by the enemy. With the code changed, a valuable source of information for Rommel dried up. Then at a crucial time, Afrika Korps reconnaissance failed and a sandstorm, combined with difficult terrain, delayed the approach to El Alamein. On the morning of 1 July, reconnaissance reported the South Africans positioned at Deir el Shein and the presence of the 18th Indian Brigade at Ruweisat Ridge. That afternoon the Germans launched attacks on both.

Defender: Indian (Elements of 18th Indian Brigade and the 1st Armoured Division)  

Errata (source)