Notes on the Battle of El Alamein
The most helpful arrangement was that the Artillery were to fire a barrage on the track by the telephone poles we had seen in a line with the objective for one hour, and if we could find that and be up behind the centre of it before it began to move it should lead us on to our mark. Everyone realised that it was a tall order for the battalion but it had to be attempted. I got back to Bn H.Q. at about midnight, at 0015 the Coy Comdrs, who had also been lost, turned up and at 0145 hrs the battalion, which had been excellently prepared in the meantime by the second in command, MAJOR R. MATHIESON, was ready to move off on the four and a half mile march to find the elusive "N" in Depression". After a couple of hours the guide given us by Brigade confessed that he was lost and with time slipping by things looked rather gloomy. After some hesitation we decided to make a bid for iit and took a line across country. The Brigadier who was as anxious as me, joined us and gave invaluable help and encouragement. The bad feeling was the possibility of all these guns firing their great programme with the battalion which should have been following them and taking the important objective lost miles away in the desert. We marched partly by compass and partly by instinct and eventually decided we had reached a spot which, though it was not the place we had seen in the half light, should not be far from it. At 0515 hrs on 4th Nov. the barrage began, just as the battalion was completing its forming up. It seemed a far way off and as no burst of shell could be seen it was difficult to tell where it was. However we set off on our bearing and as we got closer to the shells we realised that by some miracle our start point had been close to the mark, and we were right up behind the barrage by 0615 hrs when smoke shells showed it was about to lift. From then on the attack was easy. The barrage was tremendous and we followed close behind it on to the objective, only to find that there was no one there to appreciate it, the birds, except for one sniper and a straggler who was quickly rounded up, had flown. When we arrived on the objective we were subjected to half an hour of very heavy shelling, in which eight men were killed and twenty-three wounded. But the hill was ours. Almost at once reconnaissance parties of the Armoured Corps began to arrive to enquire if all was clear and shortly afterwards the Armour began to move through in the real advance which did not stop again. In spite of the lack of opposition this attack did more than anything else to bring credit on the battalion and we received congratulations from all around, the General coming in person. It turned out to be a Div. H.Q. well stocked with champagne and iron crosses, about £200,000 worth (they said) of technical stores and an intelligence document of such value that it was flown at once to Cairo. On the following day "A" and "B" Coys formed a flying column to intercept escaping enemy from the south, but the ground had been too well cleared already and four Italian Officers were the only bag. The next day the Brigade moved to EL DABA to join the rest of the Div for reorganisation and recuperation.
Total casualties were:-
Officers 1 killed, 12 wounded, 1 missing.
Other ranks 57 killed, 199 wounded, 10 missing
M.E.F. 21st Nov. 42.
(Sgd) Lorne M. Campbell. O.C. 7 Bn A&SH
History Section Reference :
El Alamein
Museum Reference :
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - North Africa
Documents - North Africa