Second Battle of El Alamein order of battle Second Battle of El Alamein order of battle The Second Battle of El Alamein order of battle is a listing of the significant formations that were involved in the Second Battle of El Alamein during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, 23 October – 4 November 1942. Under the command of Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery Under command of Lieutenant-General Herbert Lumsden under Major-General Raymond Briggs under Brigadier Arthur Fisher 92 Sherman, 68 Crusader, one Grant = 161 tanks under Brigadier Thomas J. Bosville "(Attached to Hammerforce for mine clearance)"<br> Under Commanding Officer, 2nd Bn Rifle Brigade under
First Army (Italy) Second Battle of El Alamein and after the Operation Torch landings, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was forced to make one of the longest retreats in history. He withdrew from the "Western Desert" of Egypt and Libya and established a defence on the French-built Mareth Line in southern Tunisia. After occupying the Mareth Line, Rommel took command of the newly created Army Group Africa and turned over the "German-Italian Panzer Army" (formerly "Panzer Army Africa") to Italian General Giovanni Messe. The army was once again renamed and on February 23, 1943, Messe took command of the "Italian First Army." As part