(To Derek Jackon. I appoligise for taking this further off subject but I have to defend Monty here. Blame me if you want to.)
To burmafrd:
Rommel put himself in dire striaght over supplies. He ignored his superiors (Albert Kesselring) warnings and overstretched his supply line knowing that he could not be resupplied where he was. It was nothing to do with the Italians, as some people suggest, but more to do with Rommel ignoring Logistics.
Furthermore if his supply situation was so bad why did he then launch another offensive against the British before going to Germany to rest? The Battle of Alam Halfa.
It is a myth that Monty outnumbered Rommel at El Alamein by a ratio of between 3-1 or 5-1. The actual figures are Rommel's Afrika Korp - 116,000 men and Montgomery's 8'th Army - 220,000 men. A ratio of just over 2-1. The ratio or 3-1 or 5-1 is more acurate for the tanks and Anti Tank guns but in Aircraft availble the situation was more equal, Monty being able to call on 530 servicable aricraft while Rommel could call on about 480 servicable aircraft.
Also, following his defeat at Alam Halfa, Rommel had the largest minefield or the war laid at his front from the Mediterrean to the Quatar Depression. He had firmly entrenched his Afrika Korps in the strongest defensive position yet seen in WWII.
Montgomery's near 2-1 advantage in manpower was negated by Rommel defenses. A near 2-1 advantage in manpower is nowhere near enough to be absolutely cirtain of even breaking through the lines of a well entrenched enemy let alone secur victory.
Furthermore, in this engagement, Montgomery was new to Tank warfare and he proved inept at handling his tank forces in that battle. He learned quickly as he chased Rommel across the Desert but at El Alamein Monty didn't apprieciate what armour could do and didn't really know how to use it, so it was deployed quite poorly.
The Battle of El Alamein was slugging match. Two armies, one the veteran Afrika Korp that had bullied the British over the whole desert and the other the newly retrained 8th Army that was now firmly Montgomerys and nobody else could have commanded it, fought each other for every inch of land. It has been described as WWI in WWII, such was the situation. But in the end Rommel's Afrika Korp was simply out fought but Monty's 8th Army.
From then on, in the desert at least, Rommel was never able to oppose Montgomery.
Monty realized his advantages over his enemy and brought those advantages fully to bear against him. Monty used everything availble to him to do what no other commander had been able to, defeat the Desert Fox and drive him out of Africa. IAnd that is a sign of a great commander. It is something he shares with U.S. Grant.
Both Bernard Law Montgomery and Ulysses S. Grant share at least two things in common. The first is that they both managed to realize their advantaged over their adversary and used those advantages to the fullest, Monty against Rommel and Grant against Lee, the second is that they are both Lambasted by history (Grant less than Monty) for utilizing those advantages to their fullest.
It's a damned if you do damned if you dont scenario.