2nd Battle of El Alamein Campaign.Operation Lightfoot

DATE: 08/10/2023

TIME (GMT): 18:00

ERA: WW2

MAP(S): El Alamein

TYPE: COOP

TEAMSPEAK: ts1.biaarma.com

GAME: Arma 3

EVENT: Official

AUTHOR(S): Aris for Brothers in Arms

SLOTS: 74 / 100

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RATING: (11)

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In August 1942, General Claude Auchinleck had been relieved as Commander in Chief of Middle East Command and his successor, Lieutenant General William Gott was killed on his way to replace him as commander of the Eighth Army Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery was appointed and led the Eighth Army offensive.

The Allied victory at El Alamein 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. 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.

Montgomery s plan was for a main attack to the north of the line and a secondary attack to the south. Montgomery intended to cut two corridors through the Axis minefields in the north, One corridor was to run south-west through the 2nd New Zealand Division sector towards the centre of Miteirya Ridge, while the second was to run west, passing 3.2km north of the west end of the Miteirya Ridge. Tanks would then pass through and defeat the German armour. Diversions at Ruweisat Ridge in the centre and also the south of the line would keep the rest of the Axis forces from moving northwards. Montgomery expected a 12-day battle in three stages: the break-in, the dogfight and the final breaking of the enemy.

For the first night of the offensive, Montgomery planned for four infantry divisions to advance on a 26km front to the Oxalic Line, overrunning the forward Axis defences. Engineers would clear and mark the two lanes through the minefields, through which the armoured divisions from would pass to gain the Pierson Line. They would rally and consolidate their position just west of the infantry positions, blocking an Axis tank counter-attack.

With Operation Lightfoot, Montgomery intended to cut two corridors through the Axis minefields in the north Sector. One corridor was to run southwest through the 2^nd New Zealand Division sector towards the centre of Miteirya Ridge, while the second was to run west, passing 3km north of the west end of the Miteirya Ridge across the 51st Highland Division sectors. Dusk of October 25th 1942 our tanks of the 1st Armoured Division will pass through these corridors.