06/26/42 - North Africa In the afternoon the Battle of Mersa Matruh begins. The Axis air force make a valiant attempt to aid the ground troops but with little effect. 213 Squadron shoots down 5 fighters and 3 Stukas and damage 4 more.
Lt-Gen Willoughby Norrie's XXX Corps has retired a further 120 miles to prepare defenses at El Alamein. Auchinleck brings forward from Syria the 10th Indian Division and the 4th and 5th Brigades of the 2nd New Zealand Div. The 10th Indian Div forms part of the X Corps, commanded by Lt-Gen William Holmes, to which the 2 remaining brigades of Maj-Gen William H. Ramsden's 50th Div are now transferred. The Indians hold Mersa Matruh while the 50th Div is stationed to the southeast, both being protected by minefields. They cover the area between the coast and an escarpment some 10 miles to the south.
10 miles farther south is a larger escarpment, the gap between the two being protected by more minefields. Behind these are detachments from the 29th Indian Brigade, the bulk of which is to be found in the southern escarpment. This brigade is part of Lt-Gen William Gott's XIII Corps as do Maj-Gen Bernard Freyberg's New Zealanders, who are stationed at Minquar Qaim to the east of the 29th Brigade. South of the southern escarpment is Maj-Gen Herbert Lumsden's 1st Armored Div, now made up of both the 4th and 22nd Armored Brigades, the 7th Motor Brigade and the 3rd Independent Motor Brigade which are on Lumsden's left flank.
Rommel's attack begins in the afternoon. The 15th Panzer Div attacks south of the southern escarpment but is easily checked by the 1st Armored Div. Both the 21st Panzer and the 90th Light Divs attack the weakest part of the defenses between the escarpments, routing the mobile columns from the 29th Brigade stationed there.
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