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Veterans remember El Alamein
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt -- Veterans of one of the turning points of World War II have spent two days honouring their fallen comrades. Hundred of former soldiers from all sides gathered at the weekend for 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 an international service on Sunday. On Sunday, Italian President Carlos Azeglio Ciampi told a service attended by around 1,500 people: "Today we are here, fraternally united, to pay tribute to all the fallen at el-Alamein, with emotion and with deep gratitude." It was one of several services held at cemeteries in the desert wasteland, about 60 miles (100 km) west of Alexandria. Among those at the two days of services were New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, Australian Governor-General Peter Hollingworth, Britain's Duke of Kent and Viscount Lord Montgomery, son of the British general. Veterans from once opposing sides exchanged tales of the bloody battle that killed 32,000 Germans and Italians and 13,500 Commonwealth troops, including Britons, Australians, New Zealanders, French, Greeks and Canadians. "They did the same as we did. They did what they were told and we did what we were told," said British troop sergeant Leslie "Bud" Ryder, aged 86. Wilhelm Hagios, a German Panzer tank commander, paid tribute at the German memorial. He said: "I feel very sad today because my comrades are lying in this place. "I was lucky that I lived. I'm 84 years of age. This is the last time I'll come. In a few years, I will also be underneath the ground." During Saturday's service, at which Lord Montgomery laid a wreath on behalf of the Eighth Army Veterans' Association, many veterans openly wept. 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." 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." 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."
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