With the Allies landing in Morocco and Algeria in the west, they were making steady progress towards Tunisia. Rommel wanted to withdraw and consolidate all of his forces in Tunisia and made many fruitless and bitter arguments to Hitler and Mussolini. Mussolini ordered Rommel to stand on the Aghelia line to defend Tripolitania (the region of Tripoli), with Hitler ordering Rommel to hole El Agheila “in all circumstances.”

While the land surrounding El-Agheila was a naturally strong defensive position owing to the salt marshes, soft sand and broken ground, Rommel’s assessment was that he would only be able to hold the position if he received both artillery and tank replacements, if the Luftwaffe was strengthened, and if his fuel and ammunition supplies were replenished. However, due to the pressure mounting in the west from Operation Torch, all men and material were being diverted to Tunis. Rommel was fighting a losing battle.

When the preliminary attacks began on 11 December Rommel took this to be the start of Eighth Army’s attack and started to withdraw. By mid-morning on 12th December patrols detected that the Axis positions were starting to thin out (as shown in the War Diary below). In response Montgomery ordered the New Zealand Division to move immediately and brought forward the main assault to the night of 14th/15th December. By the evening of 12th December, the Axis withdrawal was under way, except for some units who were covering the extrication.

On 12th December Montgomery began his attack, with an artillery bombardment on the Agheila line. This was followed by a night assault on the line. Rommel had ordered the commander at El-Agheila not to get drawn into a major fight, and so he withdrew before dawn on 13th December. On 13th December, the British cautiously followed the retreating Germans, who used mines and booby traps to slow the pursuit.

On 14th December German aircraft found the 2nd New Zealand Division, heading west with 300 vehicles on the southern side of the Wadi Faregh. Rommel realised that the El Agheila position was no longer viable, and after sunset on 14 December the Axis retreat began again. Once again, the Germans came under heavy air attack, the RAF having moved into bases in western Cyrenaica (modern-day Libya).

To try and slow the British advance, Rommel ordered a counterattack against the advancing British 7th Armoured Division. This involved a mix of Italian and German tanks, and although the advance up the coastal road was delayed, the Axis troops suffered 20% casualties.

By late on 15th December the New Zealanders were in place to turn north. This triggered a series of battles between their advancing troops and scattered German units, as the New Zealanders attempted to reach Merduma and the coastal road. The Germans were able to delay the move north long enough for the bulk of Rommel’s men to have escaped by 17th December.

The final clashes of the battle came between the El-Agheila force, which was now being used to protect the southern flank of the retreating army, and the 2nd New Zealand Division, around Nofilia on the morning of 18th December. After a sharp fight here, the Axis retreat continued.

Owning to the quick retreat by Rommel, the battle had relatively few casualties. The Axis powers had lost 25 guns, 18 tanks and had 450 men captured. The New Zealand Division’s casualties were low, with 11 killed, 29 wounded and 8 taken prisoner.