El Alamein: If you still can't do combined arms, at least use a lot of artillery

Comments · 691

• TA

  @talktidy7523 · 3 years ago

  Yes, please dream up any excuse to get Parshall back on your show.

  53

• TH

  @ThisBloke760 · 10 months ago

  Not forgetting Sir Leslie Morshead commander of the Australian 9th Division. Twice Rommel came against him and the 9th and twice Rommel lost. First at the Easter battle in Tobruk where the Germans were ambushed as they attacked. The 2/17th battalion (my dad’s battalion) took care of the german troops while the English artillery and tanks took care of Rommel’s tanks. (The first battle lost by Germany in ww2)The second was at El Alamein where the Aussies drew german forces to the northern sector allowing the British armour to break through. The 9th never lost a battle both against Germany and Japan.

  12

• WI

  @Willzy800 · 3 years ago

  I remember a scene from the movie Patton between Rommel and a German officer, the officer says "British commanders and American soldiers, the worst of everything" Rommel then replies "I remind you that Montgomery is a British commander, and he has driven us half way across Africa."

  47

• TH

  @TheSaxon-r5o · 1 year ago (edited)

  Some credit should also go to Edgar Williams, Monty's intelligence officer. Williams had noted that Rommel deployed his infantry and parachute troops between and sometimes behind Italian troops, a tactic known as "corsetting" Williams idea to Monty was to separate the two so they would be very well placed to smash through the Italian units without any great difficulty. This strategy, known as "crumbling", involved luring the Germans out of their original positions.

  10

• JO

  @josephahner3031 · 2 years ago

  The competency of Italian troops can be easily accounted for by seeing how they fought in Italy after the Italian surrender against the Germans under Allied command. They performed admirably with American equipment and with American logistics supporting them.

  53

• ME

  @MegaBloggs1 · 2 years ago

  i reckon the key factor is found with 1st alamein -it was the auk who showed how to stop the panzers using infantry as bait and arty on the ridges

  5

• TA

  @Tacamo_1 · 2 years ago

  The Italian paratroops “Fologre” fought off numerous Allied attacks.

  6

• M.

  @m.r.donovan8743 · 2 years ago

  Thanks so much for having Jon guest on your channel.  He always brings a smile and some true insight to the discussion... and it will probably bring WW2TV more subscribers!

  15

• RJ

  @Rjayboxing · 1 year ago (edited)

  The question of "did the 2nd battle of El Alamein need to happen" has a couple more points of why it needed to happen beyond morale & Churchill's political survival, based on sound perception at the time without the benefit of hindsight; (1) If Rommel had a sound defensive position in Egypt he may have been able to move forces to the west against the inexperienced Americans and hold the allies on both fronts, which would be politically disastrous the alliance (2) Doing nothing in Egypt and let the Americans do the fighting in Torch would be perceived as the US public and Roosevelt's advisors & military staff (who were all against Torch) as the British sitting things out and letting the US to do all the dying on behalf of the British Empire (3) More time would give Rommel more time to consolidate the defensive position and more opportunities for Hitler to shift resources to the theatre (3) Stalingrad hadn't been decided yet and the pincer of Rommel from Egypt and Paulus via the Caucuses was very real, so the Rommel threat needed to be destroyed.

  7

• ST

  @stevej8005 · 3 years ago

  Fascinating discussion about El Alamein and touched on so many facets that the 1 3/4 hr programme just flew by!! Jon Parshall is always worth listening to, so thank you Paul for getting him on again. Great point about the conflict being between two power blocks and a single battle was never going to be "the turning point" or decide the outcome of the war.

  21

• BO

  @Bob.W. · 2 years ago (edited)

  I have the Time Life picture book on WW2 from the 60s.  Read it all as a kid.  It covered the North African theatre fairly well.  Gruesome picture of British officer sitting on the sand with his side caŕved out by an 88 round that hit him.

  10

• K_

  @K_Kara · 3 years ago

  Fantastic discussion. Jon is superb, would love to see him come back at some point.

  12