The opening phase of the Second Battle of El Alamein – codenamed Operation Lightfoot – involved three simultaneous attacks along the entire Axis frontline stretching from the coast to the Qattara Depression. The four Allied divisions of Lt Gen Leese’s XXX Corps would form the bulk of the assault through German and Italian positions, which were protected by dense minefields and barbed wire.
At 21.40hrs on 23rd October, the battle began with a mass artillery bombardment – the largest laid on by the British since the First World War.
The field guns initially targeted known enemy gun locations and forward defences. Under their cover, Allied infantry began to advance through pathways in the minefields, taking most of their objectives by dawn.
By Ibrahim Zamir
Empire of History 