01 BBC Montgomery to troops El Alemein

stand and fight. There will be no further withdraw. I have ordered that all plans and instructions dealing with further withdraw are to be burned. And at once we will stand and fight here. If we can't stay here alive, then let us stay here dead.

I want to impress on everyone that the bad times are over. They are finished. Our mandate from the Prime Minister is to destroy the Axis forces in North Africa. I have seen it, written on our Bush either note paper.

It can be done, and it will be done, beyond any possibility of doubt. What I have done is to get over to you the atmosphere in which we will now work and fight. You must see to it that this new atmosphere permeates right down through the 8th Army.

Right down to the most junior private soldier. Great point to remember is that we are going to finish with this chap, Rommel, once and for all. Now, my forecast of this battle is that there will be three definite stages.

First, the break in to the enemy's positions, then the dogfight, and then the break out. We will do the break in on the night of the 23rd of October. The dogfight battle will then begin, and it will involve hard and continuous fighting.

I believe that the dogfight battle will become a hard killing match, and will last for 10 or 12 days. The enemy will crack, then will come the breakout, and that will lead to the end of Rommel in Africa.

Make no mistake about that!