Editing Qattara Depression (section)

===World War II===
During [[World War II]], the depression's presence shaped the [[First Battle of El Alamein|First]] and [[Second Battle of El Alamein|Second Battles of El Alamein]]. It was considered impassable by [[tank]]s and most other [[military]] [[vehicle]]s because of features such as salt lakes, high cliffs and/or [[escarpment]]s, and [[fech fech]] (very fine powdered sand). The cliffs in particular acted as an edge of the El Alamein battlefield, which meant the Allied forces could not be [[flanking manoeuvre|outflanked]] to the south. Both Axis and Allied forces built their defences in a line from the [[Mediterranean Sea]] to the Qattara Depression. These defences became known as the [[Devil's gardens]], and they are for the most part still there, especially the extensive minefields.

No large army units entered the Depression, although German [[Afrika Korps]] patrols and the British [[Long Range Desert Group]] did operate in the area, since these small units had considerable experience in desert travel.<ref name="Bagnold1" /><ref>Jorgensen, C. (2003). ''Rommel's panzers: Rommel and the Panzer forces of the Blitzkrieg, 1940–1942'' (pp. 78–79). St. Paul, MN: MBI.</ref> The RAF's repair and salvage units (e.g. 58 RSU) used a route through the depression to salvage or recover [[aircraft]] that had landed or crashed in the Western desert away from the coastal plain.

The RSUs included six-wheel-drive trucks, Coles cranes, and large trailers, and were particularly active from mid-1941 when [[Air Vice-Marshal]] G.G. Dawson arrived in Egypt to address the lack of serviceable aircraft.<ref>Richards, D., Saunders, H. (1975). ''Royal Air Force 1939-45'' Vol II (pp 160-167). Stationery Office Books</ref>

A German communications officer stationed in the depression was cited by [[Gordon Welchman]] as being unintentionally helpful in the breaking of the [[Enigma machine]] code, due to his regular transmissions stating there was "nothing to report".<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Lloyd|title=WWII: Crucible of the Contemporary World : Commentary and Readings|year=1991|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|pages=240|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3l_vg1p5EHsC&q=qattara+depression&pg=PA240|isbn=9780873327312}}</ref>