The Logic of Montgomery's Attack at Second El Alamein: Monday Hoisted from Comments World War II Weblogging
Brad DeLong : Liveblogging World War II: March 28, 1943: Montgomery's frontal assault against the Nazi position holding the Mareth Line in southern Tunisia having failed, Horrocks's corps' "left hook" through the desert succeeds in outflanking the position and making it untenable. Here a Universal carrier escorts a large contingent of Italian prisoners captured at El Hamma.
bakho said: Flank attack threatening encirclement or siege is the hallmark of modern warfare. The defensive is too powerful.
J. Bradford DeLong said in reply to bakho: Nobody told Montgomry before he launched his frontal assault on the Mareth Line...
Stephen said in reply to J. Bradford DeLong: "Good thing nobody told Montgomery before he launched his frontal assaults at Second Alamein, no?"
J. Bradford DeLong said in reply to Stephen: One question I have always had: why attack at all at El Alamein? Why not hold the position, and send the reinforcements to Operation Torch for a faster drive on Tunis? If Tunis is captured before the Africa Korps can get back there, the whole thing is toast with no loss to the United Nations at all--the Afrika Korps can then neither be supplied nor evacuated out of Tripoli or Benghazi, after all...
