British Army during the Second World War Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery was given command of the Eighth Army. The Axis forces made a new attempt to break through to Cairo in August, in the Battle of Alam el Halfa but were stopped after the British fought a purely defensive battle. The much-reinforced Eighth Army launched a new offensive in October the Second Battle of El Alamein, decisively defeating the Axis forces. Eighth Army then advanced westward, capturing 10,000 German and 20,000 Italian prisoners, 450 tanks and 1,000 guns. In France the Dieppe Raid was carried out in August, the main assault was by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division,
2/8th Field Regiment (Australia) 2/8th Field Regiment (Australia) The 2/8th Field Regiment was an Australian Army field artillery regiment that was raised for service during the Second World War as part of the all-volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force. Composed mainly of soldiers from the states of Victoria and Tasmania, the regiment was one of three field artillery regiments that were assigned to the Australian 9th Division during the war, and during its war service it saw action in North Africa in 1941–42, being heavily involved in the First and Second Battles of El Alamein between July and November 1942 before returning to Australian in