The Eighth Army advance reaches El Agheila

11 December 1942: Montgomery maintains the pressure on Rommel and prevents him making a final stand

A piper of the Camerons leading his comrades along the road near Aghelia, December 1942

In North Africa the British Eighth Army continued its pursuit of Rommel's army westwards. Whilst the resistance in Tunisia had stiffened, in Libya Rommel was falling back in an as orderly fashion as possible. Now they fell back to the established Marsa Brega defensive line outside El Agheila.

El Agheila was the most western point that the British forces had ever reached. In February 1941 they had seized the town from the Italians. When British forces were diverted to Greece in March 1941 Rommel had had no difficulty in taking the town soon after he arrived in North Africa.

The British Operation Crusader had driven Rommel back to El Agheila in December 1941 - only to see him launch his surprise assault in early 1942 from here.