Editing First Battle of El Alamein (section)

==Background==
===Retreat from Gazala===
[[File:Advance of the Panzerjager-Abteilung 39-AC1942.jpg|left|thumb|[[Afrika Korps]] tank hunters with an [[Sd.Kfz. 232#Sd.Kfz. 232 2|Sd.Kfz. 232]] armoured car in front.]]

After their defeat at the [[Battle of Gazala]] in Eastern [[Libya]] in June 1942, the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|British Eighth Army]], commanded by [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] [[Neil Ritchie]], had retreated east from the Gazala line into north-western [[Egypt]] as far as [[Mersa Matruh]], roughly {{convert|160|km|mi|abbr=on}} inside the border. Ritchie had decided not to hold the defences on the [[Egypt–Libya border|Egyptian border]], because the defensive plan there was for infantry to hold defended localities and a strong armoured force behind them to meet any attempts to penetrate or outflank the fixed defences. Since General Ritchie had virtually no armoured units left fit to fight, the infantry positions would be defeated in detail. The Mersa defence plan also included an armoured reserve but in its absence Ritchie believed he could organise his infantry to cover the minefields between the defended localities to prevent [[Axis powers|Axis]] engineers from having undisturbed access.<ref>{{harvnb|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004|p=279}}.</ref>

To defend the Matruh line, Ritchie placed [[10th Indian Infantry Division]] (in Matruh itself) and [[50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division]] (some {{convert|24|km|mi|abbr=on}} down the coast at Gerawla) under [[X Corps (United Kingdom)|X Corps]] HQ, newly arrived from Syria.<ref>{{harvnb|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004|pp=281''n'' and 283}}.</ref> Inland from X Corps would be [[XIII Corps (United Kingdom)|XIII Corps]] with [[5th Infantry Division (India)|5th Indian Infantry Division]] (with only one infantry brigade, [[29th Indian Infantry Brigade|29th Indian]], and two artillery regiments) around Sidi Hamza about {{convert|32|km|mi|abbr=on}} inland, and the newly arrived [[2nd New Zealand Division]] (short one brigade, the [[6th Infantry Brigade (New Zealand)|6th]], which had been left out of combat in case the division was captured and it would be needed to serve as the nucleus of a new division) at Minqar Qaim (on the escarpment {{convert|48|km|mi|abbr=on}} inland) and [[1st Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|1st Armoured Division]] in the open desert to the south.<ref>{{harvnb|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004|pp=284–285}}.</ref> The 1st Armoured Division had taken over [[4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East|4th]] and [[22nd Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|22nd Armoured Brigades]] from [[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured Division]] which by this time had only three tank regiments (battalions) between them.<ref>{{harvnb|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004|p=281}}.</ref>

[[File:WesternDesertBattle Area1941 en.svg|thumb|Area of Western Desert Campaign 1941–1942.]]
On 25 June, [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Claude Auchinleck]]—Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) [[Middle East Command]]—relieved Ritchie and assumed direct command of the Eighth Army himself.<ref>{{harvnb|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004|p=285}}.</ref> He decided not to seek a decisive confrontation at the Mersa Matruh position. He concluded that his inferiority in armour after the Gazala defeat, meant he would be unable to prevent Rommel either breaking through his centre or enveloping his open left flank to the south in the same way he had at Gazala.{{efn|GHQ Cairo estimated that the Axis could have as many as 519 serviceable tanks on 30 June although 339 was a more probable figure. In fact the actual number on 26 June was 104 compared with 155 tanks in Eighth Army<ref>{{harvnb|Hinsley|1981|p=390}}.</ref>|group="nb"}} He decided instead to employ delaying tactics while withdrawing a further {{convert|160|km|mi|abbr=on}} or more east to a more defensible position near [[El Alamein]] on the [[Mediterranean]] coast. Only {{convert|64|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the south of El Alamein, the steep slopes of the [[Qattara Depression#WWII|Qattara Depression]] ruled out the possibility of Axis armour moving around the southern flank of his defences and limited the width of the front he had to defend.

===Battle of Mersa Matruh===
{{Main|Battle of Mersa Matruh}}

[[File:Italian anti-aircraft battery at Marsa Matrouh in the summer of 1942.jpg|thumb|left|{{centre|Italian anti-aircraft battery at Mersa Matrouh in June of 1942}}]]
While preparing the Alamein positions, Auchinleck fought strong delaying actions, first at Mersa Matruh on 26–27 June and then Fuka on 28 June. The late change of orders resulted in some confusion in the forward formations (X Corps and XIII Corps) between the desire to inflict damage on the enemy and the intention not to get trapped in the Matruh position but retreat in good order. The result was poor co-ordination between the two forward Corps and units within them. Late on 26 June, the German [[90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|90th Light]] and [[21st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|21st Panzer Divisions]] managed to find their way through the minefields in the centre of the front. Early on 27 June, resuming its advance, the 90th Light was checked by British 50th Division's artillery. Meanwhile, the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions advanced east above and below the escarpment. The 15th Panzer Division were blocked by 4th Armoured and [[18th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|7th Motor Brigades]], but the 21st Panzer Division were ordered on to attack Minqar Qaim. Rommel ordered 90th Light to resume its advance, requiring it to cut the coast road behind 50th Division by the evening.<ref>{{harvnb|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004|p=290}}.</ref> As the 21st Panzer Division moved on Minqar Qaim, the 2nd New Zealand Division found itself surrounded but broke out on the night of 27/28 June without serious losses and withdrew east.<ref name="NZ88">{{Cite web |url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Egyp-c10.html#n81 |title=Scoullar (1955), Chapters 10, 11 and 12 |access-date=2 November 2007 |archive-date=2 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202195257/http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Egyp-c10.html#n81 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-786-0327-19, Nordafrika, Erwin Rommel mit Offizieren.jpg|thumb|[[Erwin Rommel|Rommel]] in North Africa (June 1942).]]
Auchinleck had planned a second delaying position at [[Fukah|Fuka]], some {{cvt|30|mi|km}} east of Matruh, and at 21:20 he issued the orders for a withdrawal to Fuka. Confusion in communication led the division withdrawing immediately to the El Alamein position.<ref>{{harvnb|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004|pp=292–293}}.</ref> X Corps, having made an unsuccessful attempt to secure a position on the escarpment, were out of touch with Eighth Army from 19:30 until 04:30 the next morning. Only then did they discover that the withdrawal order had been given. The withdrawal of XIII Corps had left the southern flank of X Corps on the coast at Matruh exposed and their line of retreat compromised by the cutting of the coastal road {{cvt|17|mi|km}} east of Matruh. They were ordered to break out southwards into the desert and then make their way east. Auchinleck ordered XIII Corps to provide support but they were in no position to do so. At 21:00 on 28 June, X Corps—organised into brigade groups—headed south. In the darkness, there was considerable confusion as they came across enemy units laagered for the night. In the process, 5th Indian Division in particular sustained heavy casualties, including the destruction of the 29th Indian Infantry Brigade at Fuka.<ref>{{harvnb|Playfair|Flynn|Molony|Gleave|2004|pp=294–295}}.</ref> Axis forces captured more than 6,000 [[Prisoner of war|prisoners]], in addition to 40 tanks and an enormous quantity of supplies.<ref>Panzer Army Africa Battle Report dated 29 June 1942 K.T.B. 812 [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Battle_report_of_Panzerarmeeafrika_for_28_June_1942.jpg page 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030043341/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Battle_report_of_Panzerarmeeafrika_for_28_June_1942.jpg |date=30 October 2008 }} and [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_report_of_Panzerarmeeafrika_for_29_June_1942.jpg page 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325125623/http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_report_of_Panzerarmeeafrika_for_29_June_1942.jpg |date=25 March 2009 }}</ref>