Notes on the Battle of El Alamein
We attacked with two Coys forward, "C" Coy (Major J. S. LINDSAY-MACDOUGALL) on the right, "D" Coy (Capt. D. BUCHANAN) on the left. "B" Coy (Capt. J. C. MEIKLEJOHN) RIGHT, Bn H.Q. centre, and one Platoon of "A" Coy under Capt. J. L. ROBERTSON followed five hundred yards in the rear. The remainder of "A" Coy (Capt. G. B. HORSBURGH) had been detached and were travelling on the Tanks of "C" Sgn 50th Royal Tank Regt. The plan was for "C" and "D" Coys to capture all objectives up to the Black Line, where they were to re-organise and for "B" Coy then to pass through them, and "A" Coy and the tanks, which should by then have cleared the minefields and come up with the Battalion, to capture STIRLING. The spare Platoon of "A" Coy were to act as moppers up on the left front during the advance and to come under command of "D" Coy for the attack on STIRLING. I did not like the idea of "A" Coy going off with the tanks from the start and would far prefer to have been allowed to keep them with me. I felt doubtful of the tanks ever reaching us in the dark and sooner than let the bulk of "A" Coy go off and run the risk of getting lost with them would have preferred to keep "A" Coy with me and taken the chance of having to attack STIRLING without tanks. As it turned out the tanks did fail to reach us and "A" Coy were only able to rejoin us two days later.
At 2140 hrs, our artillery opened twenty minutes counter battery work. At 2145 hrs the infantry crossed the start line, peacefully except for the sound of our own guns. At 2200 hrs, zero hour, the artillery began their programme on the enemy localities. What happened after that is hard to describe. The advance continued with one pause of an hour and two of fifteen minutes, during which the movement stopped but not the fire, for approximately five hours. For the whole time the noise was terrific, and smoke, sand and the smell of cordite everywhere. There were minefields to be walked through with care, tripwires attached to anti-personnel mines to the stepped over gingerly (our losses of leaders were probably due partly to them), enemy posts to be attacked and cleared, and over all the colossal din and shells bursting everywhere. The least nice of the number of varied projectiles launched at us was a large affair which burst about thirty feet from the ground with a tremendous flame and shower of sparks. There were also things rather like Chinese Crackers which hoped along the ground banging as they went. But the men were simply marvellous. None of them, even those who had been in France or elsewhere, had ever experienced anything like it before and for most it was their first taste of battle, but they went forward with the Company Pipers playing as steadily as they did in the rehearsals. Casualties were heavy, the heaviest in the Brigade, it not in the Division, but every enemy post was mopped up and very few prisoners were taken. Everyone did his job, the formation was maintained and the attack was steady.
In the turmoil where all did well it was difficult to single out names, but some came in for special notice. Major J.S. LINDSAY"MACDOUGALL, who with a megaphone in one hand and a rifle slung over his shoulder calmly led his Coy through the hottest fire, and gave a magnificent example of cool and courageous leadership, Lieut. A.M. MacVICAR, who, though twice hit, refused to fall out and carried on through the attack and for two days more; Lieut R. MATHIESON, who, hit early in the foot, continued to hobble on though he could hardly walk, until another shell smashed his hand and forced him out of the fight, Lieut. H.D.L. SAMWELL of "D" Coy who after the Coy Comdr was hit took charge and was seen everywhere, leading and encouraging his men; L/C LAKE of "C" Coy who turned out a tower of strength, ready to lead anyone and to carry out any order, and a whole host of others.
Eventually the Black Line was reached with the capture of GREENOCK. I then decided that the attack on STIRLING was not on. "A" Coy and the tanks failed to appear, "C" and "D" Coys were both seriously weakened, the Platoon of "A" Coy under Capt. ROBERTSON had been sent off to strengthen "D" Coy and all I had left was two platoons of "B" Coy. (One platoon had been knocked out almost completely on the way up either by one of the big shells or more probably by one of the booby traps which were found later consisting of one or more 500kg air bombs attached to a trip wire.) Two platoons were not enough to attack so strong a place unsupported and I decided our job was to consolidate the ground we had won. It was disappointing not to complete our task, but as it turned out afterwards what we had done was sufficient to have the name of the 7th Argylls all round the area by the following day.
The total strength available now amounted to about two hundred and with these we dug in under intermittent mortar and machine gun fire. Meanwhile "A" Coy with the tanks had arrived on the 1 B.W. front on our right but too late for the tanks to be able to cooperate. The tanks withdrew after a certain number of them had been knocked out and "A" Coy set off to rejoin the Bn. In this they were unsuccessful, both they and the Rear Bn. H.Q. being caught by daylight in a place from which machine guns prevented any movement. They were heavily mortared and machine guns of the 1/7th Middlesex brought up to help them were knocked out. For some time no communication with them was possible. The Pipe Major (MACLACHLAN) tried to come forward with a message but was killed and Pte. GOLDSMITH sent out to go back to them returned to Bn.H.Q. with his arm smashed. His one anxiety seemed to make it clear that he had tried to get through "but they were shooting at me all the time, and at last they got me".
History Section Reference :
El Alamein
Museum Reference :
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - North Africa
Documents - North Africa