EL ALAMEIN, BATTLES OF

(June–July 1942; October 23–November 6, 1942) Two battles between British and Axis forces in Egypt in World War II .

Axis forces under Erwin Rommel began a drive eastward along the North African coast in early 1942. Though initially checked by the British, they managed to reach El Alamein on June 30. The first engagement ended in mid-July with Rommel still there, blocked and on the defensive. In October British forces under Bernard Law Montgomery began a devastating attack from El Alamein, routing Rommel's vastly outnumbered forces. By November 6 the British had driven the Germans back into Libya.