Eighth Army
Quick Summary
The Eighth Army was a major formation of the British Army during World War II. It played a significant role in the Italian Campaign and the North African campaigns.123
Key contributions and battles include:
* North Africa: The Eighth Army fought crucial battles against Axis forces, notably the Battles of El-Alamein in 1942. Under commanders like Bernard Montgomery, they achieved decisive victories that marked a turning point in the North African theater.2456
* Italian Campaign: Following successes in North Africa, the Eighth Army advanced up the Italian peninsula, engaging German forces in heavy fighting from 1943 to 1945.13
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North Africa campaignsEgypt and Libya (Autumn 1941–January 1943)On November 18, 1941, the British Eighth Army, as the forces in the Western Desert had been rechristened, launched Operation Crusader. The British undertook that offensive with more than twice as many tanks as their opponent. In addition, some one-third of Rommel’s tanks were poorly armed Italian ones. Rommel handled…
Read MoreOn November 18, 1941, the British Eighth Army, as the forces in the Western Desert had been rechristened, launched Operation Crusader. The British undertook that offensive with more than twice as many tanks as their opponent. In addition, some one-third of Rommel’s tanks were poorly armed Italian ones. Rommel handled…
Read More- North Africa campaignsRommel’s advance and the fall of Tobruk
…Air Force (RAF) while the Eighth Army attacked it on the ground. Believing that Rommel was now trapped, the British continued to spend their diminishing armored reserves in costly and ineffective assaults on the Cauldron, as Rommel’s surrender was regarded as inevitable. The events of June 11, 1942, changed that…
Read More…Air Force (RAF) while the Eighth Army attacked it on the ground. Believing that Rommel was now trapped, the British continued to spend their diminishing armored reserves in costly and ineffective assaults on the Cauldron, as Rommel’s surrender was regarded as inevitable. The events of June 11, 1942, changed that…
Read More - North Africa campaignsMontgomery in the desert
…breakthrough that would disrupt the Eighth Army’s communications, but when his attack was launched on the night of August 30–31, 1942, it became bogged down in a minefield. The delay doomed the offensive. The RAF asserted complete control of the skies, making resupply hazardous for the German-Italian force, and Rommel’s…
Read More…breakthrough that would disrupt the Eighth Army’s communications, but when his attack was launched on the night of August 30–31, 1942, it became bogged down in a minefield. The delay doomed the offensive. The RAF asserted complete control of the skies, making resupply hazardous for the German-Italian force, and Rommel’s…
Read More - North Africa campaignsMontgomery in the desert
The Eighth Army’s fighting strength was 230,000, whereas Rommel had fewer than 80,000 infantry, of whom only 27,000 were German. More striking still was a comparison of actual tank strength: when the battle opened, the Eighth Army had a total of 1,440 medium tanks, of which…
Read MoreThe Eighth Army’s fighting strength was 230,000, whereas Rommel had fewer than 80,000 infantry, of whom only 27,000 were German. More striking still was a comparison of actual tank strength: when the battle opened, the Eighth Army had a total of 1,440 medium tanks, of which…
Read More - North Africa campaignsThe Second Battle of El-Alamein
…90 tanks left, while the Eighth Army had more than 800. As soon as he saw that his coastward thrust had miscarried, Montgomery decided to revert to his original line of advance, hoping to profit from the northward shift of the enemy’s scanty reserves. The new attack, begun in the…
Read More…90 tanks left, while the Eighth Army had more than 800. As soon as he saw that his coastward thrust had miscarried, Montgomery decided to revert to his original line of advance, hoping to profit from the northward shift of the enemy’s scanty reserves. The new attack, begun in the…
Read More - North Africa campaignsRommel’s final offensive in Africa
…the west and the British Eighth Army in the east—seemed about to crush the Axis forces between them. The Axis command aimed to forestall that danger by dislocating both forces opposing them. By now reinforcements sent to Tunis had been built up into an army under Arnim, while the remnant…
Read More…the west and the British Eighth Army in the east—seemed about to crush the Axis forces between them. The Axis command aimed to forestall that danger by dislocating both forces opposing them. By now reinforcements sent to Tunis had been built up into an army under Arnim, while the remnant…
Read More - North Africa campaignsThe final Allied assault and the German collapse
The Eighth Army’s attack on the Mareth Line was launched on the night of March 20, 1943, with a frontal blow that was intended to make a gap through which the armored divisions could pour. At the same time, the New Zealand Corps made a wide…
Read MoreThe Eighth Army’s attack on the Mareth Line was launched on the night of March 20, 1943, with a frontal blow that was intended to make a gap through which the armored divisions could pour. At the same time, the New Zealand Corps made a wide…
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