Battle of El Alamein
1942 CE · Egypt
The Battle of El Alamein was fought in 1942 CE in Egypt between British Empire and allies vs Germany and Italy; decisive Allied victory and the turning point of the war in North Africa.
Battle of El Alamein: quick facts
- Date
- 1942 CE
- Location
- Egypt
- Belligerents
- British Empire and allies vs Germany and Italy
- Commanders
- Bernard Montgomery vs Erwin Rommel
- Result
- decisive Allied victory and the turning point of the war in North Africa.
- Era
- 🪖 World Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- medium
What happened at the Battle of El Alamein?
Field Marshal Montgomery's British Eighth Army launched a massive offensive against Rommel's Afrika Korps at El Alamein, breaking through Axis lines after twelve days of intense fighting. The victory ended the Axis threat to Egypt and the Suez Canal, and began the long Allied advance across North Africa. Churchill famously declared it a turning point, saying 'Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.'
Did you know?
Montgomery kept a portrait of Rommel in his command trailer throughout the North Africa campaign, studying his opponent's face before making decisions. He called it 'knowing your enemy.'
Sources and further reading
- Battle of El Alamein on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.