El Alamein. Located west of Alexandria, El Alamein is a place that evokes a sad moment in national and world history: it was these sands that were the scene of two of the battles ( First Battle of El Alamein 1 July – 27 July
1942; Second Battle on 23 October and on November 3, 1942 ) the bloodiest of the Second World War,
which saw allied forces and armies of the axis opposing each other for the strategic primacy of North Africa:
on the one hand the Italian-German Afrika Korps commanded by the desert fox Erwin Rommel, and on the
other the British 8th Army under the command of Claude Auchinleck, and the supervision of Genrale
Montgomery .
The last battle, intense and bloody, marked an important turning point in the continuation of the Second
World War, giving the allies a fundamental victory and in fact representing the beginning of the military
decline of the Axis forces. Every year the veterans of El Alamein meet in October to celebrate this poignant
memory, but for those who want to discover all the details of this historical event in depth, it is advisable to
visit the El Alamein Museum . It is located in the southern part of the town, not far from the British and
Commonwealth war cemeteries, while the Italian and German cemeteries are located further north along
the main road.
The best time to visit the coast of El Alamein it is certainly summer, when the waters of the Mediterranean
reach the most suitable temperatures for a pleasant refreshing bath. In summer the weather is good and
the high temperatures of the interior here are mitigated by the action of the sea breezes. In winter, periods
of rain are possible, but generally the weather is pleasant and with mild temperatures during the day.
What to see in El Alamein?
El-Alamein Military Museum was founded on the 16th of December, 1956, when the late president Gamal Abd Elnasser ordered its establishment to commemorate Egypt’s fundamental role in one of the most important battles of World War II, Al-Alamein battle, which broke out between the allies and the Axis Powers in October 1942. The museum witnessed development, renovation, and maintenance measures and was renewed on the 50th anniversary of Al-Alamein battle on the 21st of October, 1992, and later went through other development measures including the set-up of an exhibition display, to be reopened on the 21st of October, 2014. The Museum aims to document El-Alamein battle by introducing a group of weapons, armors, and models which symbolize El-Alamein battles and the contributing forces, besides a group of battle course-of-action maps, as well as acquisitions of battle commanders.
