Travel: Fields of Valor - El-Alamein

Egypt Today (Jeff Neumann)

Along the Alexandria-Marsa Matruh Road, a plaque at kilometer 111 marks the furthest advance of the Axis armies after months of hard campaigning across North Africa. The surrounding area is the final resting place for tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides.

To put the carnage into context, visit the Alamein War Museum (9am – 5pm daily Tel: +2 (046) 410-0031). There is a collection of armored vehicles, tanks and artillery pieces, as well as detailed maps illustrating World War II battle tactics. The museum is in dire need of a makeover, but adults and children will still enjoy the exhibits, which clearly portray both the Allied and Axis perspectives.

The Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery is the largest of the area’s memorials (7,367 British, Canadian, Australian, Indian, African and other Allied soldiers are buried here), and it is perhaps the most moving of them all. A monument inside the cemetery honors an additional 12,000 soldiers whose bodies were never recovered from the battlefield, a solemn reminder of the human cost of war. The grounds are serene and well kept, and a caretaker can assist those searching for relatives buried here.

Perched on top of a breezy hill overlooking the Mediterranean, the octagonal German Memorial holds the remains of 4,280 of the battle’s casualties.

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