Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Eighth Army from General Claude Auchinleck in August 1942. It was fought between two of the best commanders in World War II, Montgomery for the Allies and Rommel for the Axis between 23 October – 4 November 1942 . The Second Battle of El Alamein, 23 October – 11 November, was a decisive turning point in the desert war. However, of these, 350 were repaired and were able to take part in future battles. The Axis defeat at El Alamein meant that North Africa would be lost to Hitler and Mussolini. The Battle of El Guettar was a battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign of World War II, fought between elements of the Army Group Africa under General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, along with Italian First Army under General Giovanni Messe, and U.S. II Corps under Lieutenant General George Patton in … Rommel's second onslaught against the El Alamein line, 2-3 July 1942 . The Battle of El Alamein (second battle), was one of the most decisive victories in WWII. The defeat was due to a variety of factors. Wiki User November 18, 2013 5:05AM. The victory of the Allies at El Alamein lead to the surrender of the German forces in North Africa in 1943. The Battle of El Alamein (second battle), was one of the most decisive victories in WWII. The longed-for breakthrough came after the start of the Battle of El Alamein on 23 October 1942. Here are ten facts about the Battle of El Alamein. The Axis army of Italy and Germany suffered a decisive defeat by the British Eighth Army. The Australian 9th Division, led by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, played a key role in two of these battles, enhancing its reputation earned defending Tobruk during 1941. The bulk of the casualties in both battles were Germans and Italians, and there were very few if any civilian casualties due to the remoteness of the battles' location. At the Second Battle of El Alamein (October 23 – November 4 1942) Allied forces broke the Axis line and forced them all the way back to Tunisia. By the time they were prepared for what became known as the Second Battle of El Alamein (the first being the July 1942 defensive action that halted Rommel at the Alamein Line), it was clear that they were involved in something extremely serious. Having been badly defeated by Axis forces at Gazala in June 1942, the British Eighth Army retreated east into Egypt and assumed a defensive position near El Alamein.