On my recent visit to the Middle East, I made a brief stopover at Cairo. Seldom do I have the chance to view more closely the sights in Egypt. On this rare occasion I opted to have an educational tour at the famous El Alamein war museum.
I've read of the battle (El Alamein) from history books, particularly between the war exploits of Rommel, the German General and Montgomery, the British counterpart. You see, war correspondents pick this as the greatest tank battle in the history of World War II.
The objective of Rommel's Africa Corps was to sweep across the desert up to Egypt and take the Suez Canal. But the Allied Forces under Montgomery took a stand and stopped the invading German Forces right here at El Alamein. It was in November 1943 when the Axis finally capitulated and 250,000 prisoners of war were taken in.
I arranged for a trek to El Alamein, 105km west of Alexandria and lies along the coastal highway. I together with a few German and Italian tourists disembarked at the highway and walked all the way to the war museum. It was a considerable distance, and together with the searing heat all made our journey more memorable. We made a sigh of relief when we spotted the entrance gate of the war museum adorned with five imposing
blank flags on top of it.
Once inside and with a soothing cool temperature we marveled at the room dedicated to major armies that were part of the battle. It displayed among others arrays of uniforms, weapons and ammunition, field maps, flags, equipment and war footage
Some tourists meanwhile, ventured outside to visit the cemeteries and render respects to the countless soldiers that died here.
by:
The Flagman
