Editing First Battle of El Alamein (section)

===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.