I have often wondered if Malta was taken/surrendered, the Axis had more tanks and troops on hand at the start of 1942, and Auchinleck messed up thus allowing Italy and Germany to occupy Egypt how long they could hold out there with the American Army entering from the West and the British Army readying their forces around Palestine and building up in the Eastern Sinai? I have no good answers for that question as yet, but I spent time tonight developing what at least in my head came off as a plausible scenario.
In this timeline fifty thousand more German troops were sent to the Afrika Korps in late 1941 then in the origional timeline and Malta surrendered to the Italian Navy in 1941. Because of the extra troops and some skillful maneuvering Auchinleck in this timeline is caught off guard at the battle of El Alamein and fearing a potental route orders his forces to retreat to Eastern Egypt. Auchinleck is hit hard by a follow up attack moving his forces to Eastern Egypt and in a panic to keep the British 8th Army intact he orders his forces to withdraw from Egypt. Little does he know at the time the Afrika Korps had basically run out of fuel, water, and had only a small amount of ammunition left to spare.
The Afrika Korps is left in quite bad shape after the two offensives and loses many of its tanks as well as 40 thousand German and and Italian soldiers. The Italians take the worse beating and lose a large percentage of their armor as well as their vehicles. Over the next few months supplies and men for the Afrika Korps are rushed by Italy and Germany into Egypt. Over that time the Afrika Korps digs in for a defensive war. They heavily mine the western part of the Sinai Peninsula. Most of the Italian forces along with two German reserve divisions are placed in the Western Sinai to protect from an attack by the English.
By April of 1943 Montgomery has taken over command from Auchinleck and the British 8th Army is back to the troop levels similar to the number as it had before the Battle of El Alamein had taken place. The 8th Army is now comprised of 150,000 troops and 650 tanks.
German forces now total seven Panzer Divisions and three Infantry Division. Overall there are 195,000 Germans with 800 tanks stationed in Egypt in April of 1943. Italian Forces comprise seven Infantry Divisions worth of soldiers that have been mainly stationed in the Western Sinai along the the Ramses Line which was the term soldiers dubbed for the minefield, trenches and traps to keep out the British 8th Army.
In April the U.S. Army also arrives in Western Egypt with the 1st Armored division, the 3rd Infantry division, the 9th Infantry division, the 1st Infantry division and the 34th Infantry division with more troops on the way.
The question the Americans and the British now are asking themselves is how bloody will dislodging the Axis forces from Egypt be and how best to do it and the same time in the Afrika Korps command center in Egypt the question on the Italians and the Germans minds is can they hold this position.
In this timeline fifty thousand more German troops were sent to the Afrika Korps in late 1941 then in the origional timeline and Malta surrendered to the Italian Navy in 1941. Because of the extra troops and some skillful maneuvering Auchinleck in this timeline is caught off guard at the battle of El Alamein and fearing a potental route orders his forces to retreat to Eastern Egypt. Auchinleck is hit hard by a follow up attack moving his forces to Eastern Egypt and in a panic to keep the British 8th Army intact he orders his forces to withdraw from Egypt. Little does he know at the time the Afrika Korps had basically run out of fuel, water, and had only a small amount of ammunition left to spare.
The Afrika Korps is left in quite bad shape after the two offensives and loses many of its tanks as well as 40 thousand German and and Italian soldiers. The Italians take the worse beating and lose a large percentage of their armor as well as their vehicles. Over the next few months supplies and men for the Afrika Korps are rushed by Italy and Germany into Egypt. Over that time the Afrika Korps digs in for a defensive war. They heavily mine the western part of the Sinai Peninsula. Most of the Italian forces along with two German reserve divisions are placed in the Western Sinai to protect from an attack by the English.
By April of 1943 Montgomery has taken over command from Auchinleck and the British 8th Army is back to the troop levels similar to the number as it had before the Battle of El Alamein had taken place. The 8th Army is now comprised of 150,000 troops and 650 tanks.
German forces now total seven Panzer Divisions and three Infantry Division. Overall there are 195,000 Germans with 800 tanks stationed in Egypt in April of 1943. Italian Forces comprise seven Infantry Divisions worth of soldiers that have been mainly stationed in the Western Sinai along the the Ramses Line which was the term soldiers dubbed for the minefield, trenches and traps to keep out the British 8th Army.
In April the U.S. Army also arrives in Western Egypt with the 1st Armored division, the 3rd Infantry division, the 9th Infantry division, the 1st Infantry division and the 34th Infantry division with more troops on the way.
The question the Americans and the British now are asking themselves is how bloody will dislodging the Axis forces from Egypt be and how best to do it and the same time in the Afrika Korps command center in Egypt the question on the Italians and the Germans minds is can they hold this position.