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Veterans remember El Alamein
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt -- Veterans of one of the turning points of World War II have gathered to honour their fallen comrades. Hundred of former soldiers from all sides are attending two days of ceremonies in north Egypt to mark the Battle of El Alamein, which was fought in 1942. The veterans, most in their 80s, attended a Commonwealth service on Saturday and will gather for an international service on Sunday. Some openly wept at Saturday's service, at which General Bernard Montgomery's son laid a wreath on behalf of the Eighth Army Veterans' Association. The memorials are centered on cemeteries where thousands are buried at El Alamein, about 90 km (60 miles) west of Alexandria. Ken Beamish, an 80-year-old Australian who fought with Britain's Eighth Army, was among the veterans. "At different times you thought it was the finish," said Beamish, a radio operator with the "Desert Rats." "It was (scary), but it must have been a lot worse at the end where the shells were landing." Kenneth Johnson, 82, from Surrey, England, was a gunner in the 65 Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery, and took part in the opening barrage. Johnson, who was returning to the desert for the first time since the end of the war, told the Press Association: "Everybody who was in it will never forget it.
"We did not have bedding, just a ground sheet and a bivouac and about two pints of water had to last us all day for washing, drinking, everything. Making tea was the main thing." Sam Bradshaw, 82, from Wigan, north west England, is chairman of the Eighth Army Veterans' Association. He said it was deeply sad to return: "Looking for the names of those people I knew who never came back -- it's a very sad, very emotional feeling." German veteran Rolf Werner Volker, an ex-Panzer Grenadier with the Afrika Korps, said he found returning to the desert a very moving experience. "Yesterday was a very hard day for me," he told the PA, but added that even while fighting the two opposing armies held each other in high respect. He said he felt an affinity with "the British soldiers on the front line ... because the British soldiers had the same flies and dysentery and the climate and everything." Australia Governor-General Peter Hollingworth told the Commonwealth service: "The scale of sacrifice we commemorate at this 60th anniversary of that decisive battle of El Alamein demonstrates the willingness of free people to pay a heavy price for ensuring that liberty will triumph over terror and oppression." The second Viscount Montgomery, 74, paid tribute to those who lost their lives. "If these people hadn't given their lives and hadn't won this battle, none of us would necessarily be here today," he said. "This ceremony is terribly important. People died on all sides and this is to be avoided in the future which is why we try not to have wars." Lord Montgomery, who was commissioned in Britain's Royal Tank Regiment in 1946, attributed his father's success as a general to his dedication to the profession and his belief in his men. "He was always very concerned that we should win with the least possible loss of life. You won't hear much against him from his men -- they are very much in favour... because what he did was to take an interest in their welfare. "He believed in his soldiers which is why they believed in him. He had to create confidence. He believed that morale was the most important battle-winning tactic." The Battle of El Alamein, which pitted Montgomery's Desert Rats against the Afrika Corps, led by "desert fox" General Erwin Rommell, is widely regarded as an event that changed the course of history. Winston Churchill famously described the battle, which began on October 23 and ended on November 4, as the end of the beginning of the war.
It marked a turning point in the fortunes of the Allies, who were fighting to keep open vital supply lines from the Mediterranean to the East. Recalling the importance of the Allied victory Churchill said: "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat." In his biography of Field Marshal Montgomery, who famously commanded the 8th Army, Nigel Hamilton said the Allied success was due to Montgomery remembering the disasters of the Battle of the Somme during World War I. Refusing to succumb to the tactic of a 'big push,' Montgomery dug in at Alam Halfa and would not advance. Hamilton wrote: "Rommel was dumbfounded."
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