Montgomery and Auchinleck before him had realised this threat, and the main defences for this sector had been set up behind the El Alamein line along the Alam El Halfa Ridge, where any outflanking thrust could be more easily met from overlooking defensive positions.
Istočasno je hotel preprečiti, da bi Britanci vzpostavili novo frontno linijo; prepričan je bil, da je treba izkoristiti šibkost britanskih enot z napadom v Egipt.