The Campaign for North Africa: The Battle of El Alamein ranks both "Strategically and psychologically, as a decisive battle of World War II. It initiated the Axis decline. The victory saved the Suez Canal, and was a curtain-raiser for the Anglo-American invasion of North Africa 4 days later, and was a prelude to the debacle of Stalingrad. Allied morale soared, particularly in the British Empire, proud to have at long last a victorious army and general; Axis morale correspondingly dipped. Hitler's order that Rommel should stand fast contributed to the ruin of Rommel's army." El Alamein appears to be nothing but an inconsequential village; an insignificant waypoint across the barren desert landscape of North Africa. Yet, the seemingly irrelevant piece of land would come to witness the single greatest battle of the North African campaign—a battle that ranks among the greatest of World War II.
The time is 1942- the past two years have seen the advance of Axis powers across North Africa. Allied forces suffered loss after loss as the Germans and Italians pushed easterly towards the jewel of North Africa: Egypt. Egypt marked the gateway to the rich oil resources of the Middle East—if Field Marshall Rommel, Commander of Panzerarmee Afrika, could destroy the Allied forces, Egypt would be in Hitler's hands. The oil resources of the Middle East were of particular importance to Hitler, whose supplies were dwindling. They were so desperate for oil that as well as influencing their tactical decisions, "the Germans were having to eke out their stockpile by producing fuel synthetically from coal. If the Nazi's could seize control of the great oil reservoirs of Iraq and Iran, the balance could shift overnight." Oil was not the only prize for an Axis victory, however. Conquering Egypt would separate Britain's direct sea line to India. Because the Suez Canal was so strateg! ically important, "Japan, victorious in southeast Asia, could conceivably...