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The Devil's gardens was the name given by Field Marshal () Erwin Rommel, commander of the German during the 
During the 'break-in' phase of the British attack, the commander of the Eighth Army, Lieutenant General
The Devil's gardens was the name given by Field Marshal () Erwin Rommel, commander of the German during the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, to the defensive entanglements of land mine
A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...
s and barbed wire built to protect Axis defensive positions at El Alamein before the Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...
in late 1942. The defences stretch from the Mediterranean coast to the Qattara Depression
The Qattara Depression () is a depression (geology), depression in northwestern Egypt, specifically in the Matruh Governorate. The depression is part of the Western Desert (Egypt), Western Desert of Egypt.
The Qattara Depression lies below sea ...
. An estimated 16 million mines, planted by the Europeans during the world wars and called "devil's gardens", still hinder development of most of Matrouh Governorate
Matrouh ( ) is a governorate in north-western Egypt. It borders Libya, and its capital is Mersa Matruh.
Municipal divisions
The governorate is divided into municipal divisions with a total estimated population as of January 2023 of 538,546.
...
, and are constantly being removed.
During the 'break-in' phase of the British attack, the commander of the Eighth Army, Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the ...
, planned for engineers supporting the infantry brigades of the 2nd New Zealand Division to clear lanes through the minefields, along which attacking formations would pass into the Axis positions. Engineers using hand tools
A hand tool is any tool that is powered by hand rather than a motor. Categories of hand tools include wrenches, pliers, cutters, files, striking tools, struck or hammered tools, screwdrivers, vises, clamps, snips, hacksaws, drills, an ...
were supplemented by Scorpion tanks equipped with rotating flails to explode anti-tank mines. The Scorpions did not work well and manual clearing had to be employed, which would have been more difficult, had the minefields been sown with more anti-personnel mines.
An estimated 3 million mines were laid before the battle, most of which remain and are becoming more unstable and dangerous.
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