| Operation Braganza | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Italy |
 United Kingdom | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Enrico Frattini |
Brian Horrocks | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 185th Infantry Division "Folgore" | XIII Corps | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 328 men | ||||||
| Operation Braganza | |
|---|---|
| Location | Deir el Munassib 30°33′N 28°53′E / 30.550°N 28.883°E |
| Objective | Capture ground near Dier al Munassib |
| Date | Began night of 29 September 1942 |
| Executed by | 131st (Queen's) Infantry Brigade with armour from 4th Armoured Brigade, nine field regiments and a medium battery of artillery |
| Outcome | Failure |
| Casualties | 12 officers and 260 other ranks killed, wounded and missing |
Operation Braganza was launched on the night of 29 September 1942 by Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks, commanding British XIII Corps. It was intended as a preliminary to Operation Lightfoot, part of the Second Battle of El Alamein. The objective was to capture an area of ground near Deir el Munassib in Egypt, to be used for extra artillery deployment. This would involve the 131st (Queen's) Infantry Brigade from the 44th (Home Counties) Division, supporting armour from the 4th Armoured Brigade, nine field regiments and one medium battery of artillery.