painted a dramatic picture of Panzer divisions, paralysed by lack of fuel, under constant bombardment and awaiting a British onslaught. Montgomery pointed out that the Eighth Army was in a process of reformation with the arrival of new, untrained units and was not ready to take the offensive. Nor was his army yet prepared for a pursuit were they to break through, which had caused both sides to fail to end the desert campaign, after gaining tactical success. Montgomery did not want his tanks wasted on futile attacks against Rommel's anti-tank screen, something that had frequently happened in the past, handing the initiative to the Axis forces. Rommel complained to Kesselring, "The swine isn't attacking!". Montgomery's refusal kept his forces intact and the Eighth Army accumulated supplies for the offensive in October that came to be known as the Second Battle of El Alamein. See also List of British military equipment of World War II List of German military equipment of World War II List of Italian Army equipment in World War II North African campaign timeline List of World War II Battles Notes Citations References Further reading External links Fact File: Battle of Alam Halfa WW2 People's War. BBC Conflicts in 1942 1942 in Egypt North African campaign Western Desert campaign Egypt in World War II Battles of World War II involving New Zealand Battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom Battles of World War II involving Italy Battles of World War II involving Germany August 1942 events September 1942 events