Indian Army during World War II Cunningham. Over time, the Eighth Army would be commanded by Generals Neil Ritchie, Claude Auchinleck and Bernard Montgomery. In the early years of the war, the 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. The Ninth Army was formed on 1 November 1941 with the re designation of the Headquarters of the British Troops in Mandate Palestine and Transjordan. It controlled British and Commonwealth land forces stationed in the eastern Mediterranean. Its commanders were General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson and Lieutenant-General Sir William
El Alamein: The Line of Fire from Palermo who has volunteered for the Army, is sent to join his assignment in the 28th Infantry Regiment of the 17th Infantry Division Pavia, deployed near Naqb Rala (El Alamein). Due to Fascist propaganda, he is convinced that Alexandria will be conquered soon, and the Axis advance into Egypt will end in victory. His certainties, however, soon start to crumble when he is confronted with the grim reality of the life in the trenches during the desert war. Lieutenant Fiore (Emilio Solfrizzi), the platoon commander, is unimpressed by Serra’s enthusiasm, and shows little faith in the prospect of a