21. The Battle of El Alamein (October-November 1942) was fought between the Allied Eighth Army, comprising British, Canadian and Australian troops under General Bernard Montgomery, and the German Afrika Korps. Who commanded the Afrika-Korps?
From Quiz Pivotal Battles Through the Ages
Answer:
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Rommel commanded the German Afrika-Korps, which also included a large Italian element. Paulus was the commander of the German 6th Army at the Battle of Stalingrad. Falkenhorst was the general who planned the German invasion of Denmark and Norway. Guderian was a tank soldier, recognised as the founder of the Blitzkreig style of combined forces assault.
When the opening barrage of the battle started on the night of 23 Oct 42, Rommel was on sick leave, with his deputy, Gen Stumme in command. The following day, 24 Oct 42, Stumme died of a heart attack and General Ritter Thoma assumed command. That same day, Hitler requested that Rommel return to duty, and he was back in his headquarters on 25 Oct 42, where he directed the Axis forces for the remaining 9 days or so of the battle.
During the El Alamein campaign, around half of Rommel's 105,000-man army was killed, wounded or taken prisoner. He also lost over 450 tanks and 1,000 guns. These losses, coupled with the Allied landings in Morocco and Algeria to the rear of Rommel's army, signalled the beginning of the end for the Afrika Korps. By May 1943, despite some setbacks, the Allied victory was complete, with the surrender of the entire Afrika-Korps.
El Alamein is regarded as pivotal, since the loss of North Africa denied Hitler access to the Suez Canal and the oilfields of the Middle East, important strategic objectives.