# Second Battle of El Alamein order of battle

The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented the Axis from advancing further into Egypt.
The Allied victory was the beginning of the end of the Western Desert Campaign, eliminating the Axis threat to Egypt, the Suez Canal and the Middle Eastern and Persian oil fields. The battle revived the morale of the Allies, being the first big success against the Axis since Operation Crusader in late 1941. The end of the battle coincided with the Allied invasion of French North Africa in Operation Torch on 8 November, which opened a second front in North Africa.

## High-level orders of battle
### Allies

Middle East Command: Lieutenant-General Harold Alexander
British Eighth Army
Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
    Northern sector
       British XXX Corps (Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese)
          Australian 9th Division (Major-General Leslie Morshead)
          British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (Major-General Douglas Wimberley)
          New Zealand 2nd Division (Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg)
          South African 1st Infantry Division (Major-General Dan Pienaar)
          Indian 4th Infantry Division (Major-General Francis Tuker)
    Southern sector
       British XIII Corps (Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks)
          British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division (Major-General John Nichols)
          British 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division (Major-General Ivor Hughes)
          British 7th Armoured Division (Major-General John Harding)
    Reserve
       British X Corps (Lieutenant-General Herbert Lumsden)
          British 1st Armoured Division (Major-General Raymond Briggs)
          British 10th Armoured Division (Major-General Alexander Gatehouse)
          British 8th Armoured Division (Major-General Charles Henry Gairdner)

### Axis

Delegazione Africa Settentrionale (Delease): Generale di Corpo D' Armata Curio Barbasetti
Panzerarmee Afrika Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
    Deutsches Afrika Korps
    Generalleutnant Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma
       90th Light Afrika Division (Generalmajor Theodor Graf von Sponeck)
       15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst)
       21st Panzer Division (Generalmajor Heinz von Randow)
    Italian XXI Army Corps
    Generale di Corpo d'Armata Enea Navarini; Generale di Divisione Alessandro Gloria
       102nd Motorised Division "Trento" (Generale di Brigata Giorgio Masina)
       25th Infantry Division "Bologna" (Generale di Divisione Alessandro Gloria)
    Italian XX Army Corps
    Generale di Divisione Giuseppe De Stefanis
       101st Motorised Division "Trieste" (Generale di Divisione Francesco La Ferla)
       164th Light Africa Division (Generalleutnant Carl-Hans Lungershausen)
       133rd Armoured Division "Littorio" (Generale di Divisione Gervasio Bitossi)
       132nd Armoured Division "Ariete" (Generale di Divisione Francesco Antonio Arena)
    Italian X Army Corps
    Generale di Divisione Federico Ferrari Orsi KIA 18 Oct
    Generale di Divisione Enrico Frattini thru 26 Oct
    Generale di Divisione Edoardo Nebbia from 27 Oct, POW 7 Nov
       27th Infantry Division "Brescia" (Generale di Divisione Brunetto Brunetti)
       Ramcke Parachute Brigade (Generalmajor Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke)
       185th Infantry Division "Folgore" (Generale di Divisione Enrico Frattini)
       17th Infantry Division "Pavia" (Generale di Divisione Nazzareno Scattaglia)
    Reserve
       16th Motorised Division "Pistoia" (Generale di Divisione Giuseppe Falugi)
       136th Armoured Division "Giovani Fascisti" (Generale di Divisione Ismaele Di Nisio)

## Allies

Middle East Command
Lieutenant-General Harold Alexander
British Eighth Army
Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery

### British XXX Corps

XXX Corps occupied the northern sector of the Allied front.
    Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese
       Under direct Corps command
          XXX Corps Defence Squadron
          C Squadron, 4th/6th South African Armoured Car Regiment
          7th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery
          64th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery
          69th (Caernarvon & Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery
          66th Mortar Company, Royal Engineers (two sections detached to 9th Australian Division)
          11th Field Company, South African Engineers
          13th Field Company, South African Engineers
          22nd Field Park Company, South African Engineers
          XXX Corps Signals, Royal Corps of Signals

### British XIII Corps

XIII Corps occupied the southern sector of the Allied front.
    Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks
       Under direct Corps command
          South African 4th/6th Armoured Car Regiment (one troop)
          XIII Corps Troops, Royal Engineers
             578th Army Field Company, Royal Engineers
             576th Corps Field Park Company, Royal Engineers
          XIII Corps Signals, Royal Corps of Signals

### British X Corps

X Corps supplied reserve divisions behind the main Allied line.
    Lieutenant-General Herbert Lumsden
       Under direct Corps command
          X Corps Troops, Royal Engineers
             571st Army Field Company (attached to 10th Armoured Division)
             572nd Army Field Company (attached to 1st Armoured Division)
             573rd Army Field Company (attached to 10th Armoured Division)
             570th Corps Field Park Company
          X Corps Signals, Royal Corps of Signals

## Axis

Delegazione Africa Settentrionale (Delease)
Generale di Corpo D'Armata Curio Barbasetti

### Panzerarmee Afrika

Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
Divisions deployed north to south

### Deutsches Afrika Korps

Generalleutnant Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma
German 90th Light Afrika Division
    Generalmajor Ernst Strecker, later Theodor Graf von Sponeck
       155th Panzergrenadier Regiment (with 707th Heavy Infantry Gun Company)
       200th Panzergrenadier Regiment (with 708th Heavy Infantry Gun Company)
       346th Panzergrenadier Regiment
       190th Artillery Regiment
       190th Anti-tank Battalion
       Under command
          Force 288
          605th Anti-tank Battalion
          109th Anti-aircraft Battalion
          606th Anti-aircraft Battalion
    German 15th Panzer Division
    Generalmajor Gustav von Vaerst
       8th Panzer Regiment
       115th Panzergrenadier Regiment
       33rd Artillery Regiment
       33rd Anti-tank Battalion
       33rd Engineer Battalion
    German 21st Panzer Division
    Generalmajor Heinz von Randow
       5th Panzer Regiment
       104th Panzergrenadier Regiment
       155th Artillery Regiment
       39th Anti-tank Battalion
       200th Engineer Battalion

### Italian XXI Army Corps

Generale di Corpo d'Armata Enea Navarini Generale di Divisione Alessandro Gloria (Thru 26 October)
    Corps-level troops
       7th Bersaglieri Regiment
          X Bersaglieri Battalion
          XI Bersaglieri Battalion
       8th Army Corps Artillery Grouping
          XXXIII Heavy Artillery Group (149/40 guns)
          LII Heavy Artillery Group (152/37 guns)
       XXVII Construction Engineers Battalion
       LXV Signal Engineers Battalion
       14th Fortification Engineer Company

### Italian XX Army Corps

Generale di Divisione Giuseppe De Stefanis
    Corps-level troops
       XVIII Anti-aircraft and Anti-tank Group (8.8cm Flak and 20/65 guns)
       LXII Anti-aircraft Group (75/50 anti-aircraft guns)
       XXIV Mixed Engineer Battalion
       2nd Bersaglieri Motorcyclists Company
       106th Field Hospital
       576th Field Hospital
Southern Sector
    132nd Armoured Division "Ariete"
    Generale di Divisione Francesco Antonio Arena
       132nd Tank Infantry Regiment (M13/40 and M14/41 tanks)
          IX Tank Battalion "M"
          X Tank Battalion "M"
          XIII Tank Battalion "M"
       8th Bersaglieri Regiment
          III Bersaglieri Anti-tank Battalion (47/32 anti-tank guns)
          V Bersaglieri Battalion
          XII Bersaglieri Battalion
       132nd Armoured Artillery Regiment
          I Group (75/27 field guns)
          II Group (75/27 field guns)
          III Group (105/28 howitzers)
          V (DLI) Self-propelled Artillery Group (Semovente 75/18 self-propelled guns)
          VI (DLII) Self-propelled Artillery Group (Semovente 75/18 self-propelled guns)
       XV Heavy Field Artillery Group (105/28 howitzers)
       XXXI Anti-aircraft and Anti-tank Group (8.8cm Flak anti-aircraft guns)
       DI Anti-aircraft and Anti-tank Group (90/53 and 20/65 Mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns)
       III Armored Squadrons Group "Nizza Cavalleria" (AB 41 Armoured cars)
       CXXXII Mixed Engineer Battalion

### Italian X Army Corps

Reserve Divisions during the Battle
    16th Motorised Division "Pistoia"
    Generale di Divisione Giuseppe Falugi
       35th Infantry Regiment "Pistoia"
       36th Infantry Regiment "Pistoia"
       3rd Motorised Artillery Regiment
       XVI Mortar Battalion
       LI Mixed Engineer Battalion
       16th Anti-tank Company
    136th Armoured Division "Giovani Fascisti"
    Generale di Divisione Ismaele Di Nisio
       Infantry Regiment "Giovani Fascisti" (2x battalions)
       IX Autonomous Infantry Battalion
       136th Artillery Regiment
          XIV Motorized Artillery Group (65/17 field guns mounted on Morris CS8)
          XV Motorized Artillery Group (65/17 field guns mounted on Morris CS8)
          XVI Motorized Artillery Group (75/27 field guns mounted on TL.37)
          XVII Motorized Artillery Group (100/17 howitzers mounted on Lancia 3Ro trucks)
          88th Anti-aircraft Battery (20/65 Mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns)
       III Armoured Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri di Monferrato" (AB 41 Armoured cars)