British Army during the Second World War the command of Lieutenant-General Sir Alan Cunningham. Over time the Eighth Army would be commanded by Neil Ritchie, Claude Auchinleck, Bernard Montgomery, Oliver Leese and Richard McCreery. In the early years of the war Eighth Army suffered from poor leadership and repeated reversals of fortune until the Second Battle of El Alamein when it advanced across Libya into Tunisia and joined the First Army in the 18th Army Group. The Eighth Army, under 15th Army Group command, later took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily, the Allied invasion of Italy and the Italian Campaign, where progress was slow and
Battle of the Chinese Farm 217th Armored Brigade, Colonel Gabi Amir's 460th Armored Brigade and Aryeh Keren's 500th Armored Brigade. A paratrooper brigade would be transferred to Adan's division during the course of the battle. Kalman Magen's 252nd Armored Division would initially launch diversionary attacks elsewhere to draw attention from Sharon's operations at Deversoir. Thereafter the division would hold and secure the corridor and bridgehead. Egyptian forces in the area formed the southern flank of the Second Field Army. These units were the 21st Armored Division, commanded by Brigadier General Ibrahim Oraby, and the 16th Infantry Division, commanded by Brigadier General Abd Rab el-Nabi Hafez.