The Battle of El Alamein, 1942

We were keyed up and ready to go. I recall being summoned to Battalion Headquarters and given a copy of the Battalion's Operation Order, with map attached, in which details of the Battalion's plan of action were set out. (I still have in my possession the original operation order and the map.)

The Operation Order starts off with the words: "The 1st South African Division will attack and capture SANYET EL MITEIRYA RIDGE."

Then came the evening of 23rd October 1942. We, as Infantry, were positioned ahead of the Artillery. The guns began firing over our heads at five to nine.

(This was the start of Operation Lightfoot, the final phase of the Battle of El Alamein.)

The flashes of our firing guns was an awesome sight, as our Battalions moved towards the enemy lines. As already mentioned, I was in charge of mortars. I gave the order to start firing. The bombardment of the enemy positions continued for a while and then the infantry moved in and the attack was in full progress.

I forgot to mention that it was a bright moonlight night. The fighting continued throughout the night and into the following day. Our infantry was held up. Men from the Natal Mounted Rifles came to their aid and overran the German stronghold with a fixed bayonet charge.

I personally was feeling completely knocked out, not having slept for 72 hours and being subjected to direct enemy fire for the first time. I remember sitting down when Major Davies came up to me and, looking towards the enemy line, said:"Laddie, we must up and at them; up and at them!" The incident meant a lot to me and made me realise what an experienced officer could mean to a battalion.

The Eighth Army managed to breach the German and Italian lines and the follow-up continued for about 21 days.

The driver of our platoon truck, which followed us, was a man by the name of Kleynhans. I went to see how he was getting on. As I came to the truck, I noticed bullet holes in the windscreen. Speaking in Afrikaans, I said: "Wat het hier gebeur? What happened here?"

He replied: "Ons moes klein sit, Luitenant, klein sit! We had to sit small, Lieutenant, sit small!" He described the situation well in a few words and I have never forgotten them.

Pic taken by Jack of some dead soldiers
on the battlefield at El Alamein

I recall how men from our Battalion were lying dead on the battlefield. I saw one of our soldiers, a man called Pretorius, going from body to body. I asked him what he was doing and, speaking in Afrikaans, he said: "I am looking for my brother who was killed here last night."

We were in a forward position close to the retreating Germans when a squadron of South African bombers approached, and with satisfaction we thought that the enemy would soon be feeling the weight of their bombs. Suddenly I saw falling bombs shining in the sky and realised that we were mistakenly being bombed by our own bombers. I dived into a shell crater. Fortunately there were no casualties.

The enemy was driven out of Africa, with the 8th Army under General Montgomery triumphant. The Battle of El Alamein has gone down in history as one of the turning points in the war. Up to that stage, there had only been "strategic withdrawals" by the Allied forces.

South African war graves, El Alamein

On the eve of El Alamein, our Battalion strength was 400 officers and men. At the end of the fighting we had lost 80 killed and 240 wounded.