Quote:
Originally Posted by handtohand22  ''Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat". Churchill
I hate that quote. It is very inaccurate.
In Sept 1940 The Tenth Italian army advanced to Mersa Matruh from the Italian colony in Lybia. Then on 9th Dec 1940 the Allies counterattacked and captured most of Cyrenaica.
The total rout was halted by Churchill. He asked Wavell to provide the manpower for the defence of Greece.
Then on 24th March 1941 Rommel advanced into Egypt and Tobruk was besieged. The Auchinleck offence called Op 'Crusader' on 18/19 Nov 1941 lifted the Tobruk siege on 4th Dec 1941 but that rout was halted as well. Auchinleck was ordered to supply the manpower for the Japanese threat in the Far East.
I'm sure there were many other victories before El Alamein. |
I have the utmost respect for Churchill as a wartime leader who portrayed the doggedness of the British bulldog however he was responsible for many poor decisions in his lifetime.
Don't get me going on this as I strongly believe that he needlessly put British, Australian, New Zealand et al troops in harms way by moving to Greece "on a whim".
If the momentum was allowed to continue, (he took 60-70% of troops and supplies out of North Africa for Greece) Rommel may not have even made it ashore to have the battle of El Elamein.