Final answer:
The Battle of El Alamein in 1942 was a critical victory for the Allies, halting Axis advances in North Africa, safeguarding vital supply lines like the Suez Canal, and setting the stage for further Allied offensives into Europe, which were pivotal in the ultimate defeat of the Axis powers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Battle of El Alamein was a turning point in the North African campaign of World War II that marked the beginning of the end for the Axis powers in that region. In late 1942, British General Bernard Montgomery won a significant victory over German General Erwin Rommel, known as the "Desert Fox", halting the Axis advance into Egypt and beginning the push back across Libya into Tunisia. This victory, coupled with the successful American and British operation known as Operation Torch under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, which involved landings in Morocco and Algeria, trapped Rommel's forces in Tunisia where they eventually surrendered in May of 1943.
The strategic significance of El Alamein and subsequent operations extended beyond the immediate military victory. It preserved the Suez Canal for the Allies, which was a crucial supply line, and laid the groundwork for an invasion of Southern Europe through Italy. Although hitting the "soft underbelly" of the Axis in Italy was not an immediate draw of German forces from the Soviet Union, it was a step towards establishing a second front in Europe, which culminated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The Allied victories in North Africa paved the way for further strategic advances against the Axis powers, contributing significantly to their eventual defeat.