German daggers are displayed in Alamein Military Museum in Alamein, Egypt, Aug. 10, 2020. At Egypt's Mediterranean northern coast, Alamein Military Museum houses weapons, maps, photos and vehicles that bear witness to one of the largest battles during the World War II. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
by Ahmed Shafiq
ALAMEIN, Egypt, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- At Egypt's Mediterranean northern coast, Alamein Military Museum houses weapons, maps, photos and vehicles that bear witness to one of the largest battles during the World War II.
Located about 90 km from the northern coastal province of Alexandria, the museum was founded in 1956, with the goal of commemorating Egypt's fundamental role in the battle.
Egypt's coastal Alamein town witnessed a remarkable battle in 1942 where the Allied forces led by British commander Bernard Law Montgomery defeated the Axis German-Italian forces led by "Desert Fox" German general Erwin Rommel, marking the beginning of the decline of Fascism and Nazism.
Mohammed Adel, a senior guide at the museum, told Xinhua that the museum shows the major events of Alamein battle and the role of the participating forces.
The guide noted that the museum is divided into three sections including the open-air showground, the permanent display showroom, and the temporary display showroom.
According to Adel, these sections display weapons and heavy equipment such as cannons, personnel carriers, tanks, airplanes and armored vehicles, as well as military acquisitions such as soldiers' cutlery and holy books.
In the center of the main lobby, a memorial is erected to denote the years of the war and the walls of the lobby are decorated with graffiti illustrating stories from the war, graven images of the contributing army commanders and the war maps of North African states.
Adel told Xinhua that it is important for Egypt to have this museum which commemorates the battle on the Egyptian soil.
"This shows the role that Egypt has played with other countries during the war in order to make peace," he noted.
Omar Hammam, an Egyptian pilot from Cairo, drove some 300 km to the museum to let his children get some knowledge about the World War II and the Alamein battle in particular.
"This is an important period of our history and that is why I brought my children to tell them how Egypt joined global forces to put an end to cruelty and injustice in order to achieve peace," Hammam told Xinhua.
"In addition to foreign and local tourists, families of the victims visit the museum and the adjacent war cemetery where thousands of war victims from several countries were buried," he said.
World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, is the biggest war in history that involved more than 60 countries and regions and caused huge casualties and losses.
In Europe, the Soviet Union was the main combat area in the fight against Nazi Germany. In Asia, China was the main battlefield against the Fascist Japanese.
"On the 75th anniversary of the World War II, we remember the experiences, success and the important contributions of the Chinese people's war of resistance against the Japanese aggression," Ahmed Sallam, a former media consultant at the Egyptian Embassy in China, told Xinhua.
He pointed out that Chinese people made great sacrifices and contributions during the war, offering historical experiences that are indispensable to all countries in the contemporary history.
"The World War II taught us that we must protect our freedom, as well as reject and condemn the illegal and unlawful use of force. It taught us the need to cooperate in order to achieve and maintain peace," Sallam said.
