Pendulum of War by Niall Barr

Author:Niall Barr [Niall Barr]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2005-08-04T04:00:00+00:00

Auchinleck, Dorman-Smith and Gott had understood that the thinning out of the forward zone and the regrouping to form mobile reserves had to take place as soon as possible. This order had caused dismay amongst the divisional commanders of Eighth Army at the time and yet the same orders were given by Montgomery on 1 September when they were already too late to be effective.

Gott’s last appreciation had envisaged the possibility of luring ‘the Enemy out in front of his minefields to fight on ground disadvantageous to him. But such a plan would surrender the initiative to the enemy which might be difficult to regain.’79 Rommel had, quite of his own volition, taken the bait and was now bogged down in exposed positions in front of the Alam el Halfa ridge. Montgomery now attempted to regain the initiative but in an improvised and ineffective manner.

21st Panzer Division had been ordered to ‘strengthen [its] defence with all possible means’ while, given the lack of fuel, only 15th Panzer Division was ordered to renew the attack on Alam el Halfa.80 Although that division mounted a number of probing attacks during the day, these were held by the intervention of 8th Armoured Brigade which moved up in support of 22nd Armoured Brigade. However, a screen of German anti-tank guns prevented any link-up between the two brigades. In the afternoon, 8th Armoured Brigade attempted a coordinated attack on the German gun screen under cover of smoke but was ‘not fully successful’.81 The brigade lost 13 Grants to the German anti-tank guns but claimed the destruction of eight Mk IIIs and one Mk IV.82 44th (Home Counties) Division had not been engaged at all the previous day but some of its anti-tank guns were in action on 1 September against the tanks of 15th Panzer Division.83 Nonetheless, the defences of the division were not seriously tested. For a second day, the Afrika Korps made no headway against Eighth Army’s defence.

Although the panzer divisions fired artillery concentrations against the targets on the ridge that they could see, these efforts were dwarfed by the volume of fire which Eighth Army directed against them. Brigadier ‘Steve’ Weir, commanding the New Zealand artillery, had gathered together an impressive array of field and medium regiments. After being briefed by Montgomery on the expected course of the Axis offensive, Weir realised that the positions of 2nd New Zealand Division would form the southern pivot of the Alamein line and that its artillery ‘would play a vital part in harassing the wheel of the Afrika Corps’.84 Weir conducted three rehearsals with his divisional artillery and quickly realised that there were insufficient guns for all the probable fire tasks. He appealed to Brigadier Stanford, who commanded the artillery of 13 Corps, for more and Standford managed to find him three extra field regiments which were transferred from 30 Corps.85 Then, on the first day of Rommel’s offensive, Weir asked for more artillery and got the 7th Medium Regiment and one more field regiment from 30 Corps.

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