Many of the vessels were sunk including 2 A Lighters and the few which got away owed their lives to 2
MTBs which bravely smoked the harbour entrance.
With the Axis forces at El Alamein there was panic in Alex.and with the HQ.staff. All available Naval ships and personnel
in the area were moved to Haifa and Port Said with the A Lighters playing their part. At this time the Medway and Maidstone were sunk.
The A Lighters were then active working round the clock at Suez unloading Sherman tanks from transports. Roosevelt had promised
Churchill the first consignment of these tanks as they came off the production line. These tanks were equivalent in performance
to the current German tanks and would give Montgomery, who had taken over from Auchinleck, a better chance of defeating Rommel.
It was necessary for the attack to take place before Operation Torch (Landings in Morocco and Algeria ), planned for 8th November,
to have an effect on the French Army which would be opposing the North African landings. Also it was hoped that it would strengthen
Spanish resolve to act as best as they could to prevent the Axis from taking Gibraltar.
Montgomery launched his attack on the 23rd October, but prior to this a force of destroyers and A Lighters carried out a dummy raid
near Mersa Matruh in order to draw troops away from the front line.
As the Army advanced a recce party under Lt. Cdr. Ashton moved up with them to locate suitable landing areas and places where drums
could be floated ashore. A Lighters initially floated drums of water ashore and then petrol.
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