Before the positions west of El Alamein (now marked by Sacrario Italiano di Tell-El-Eisa shrine) were adequately fortified, the Australian 26th Brigade have attacked. The Sabratha division was thoroughly routed under heavy artillery barrage 10 July 1942, with over 1500 Italians made prisoner, of them 835 Italian troops that (largely part of an infantry battalion and artillery group) were taken prisoner by the Australian 2/48th Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel H. H. Hammer at Tell-El-Eisa. The Italians reacted vigorously and a battalion of the 102nd Motorised Division Trento with the assistance of Bersaglieri troops were ordered to retake the position.[5] While the Italian counterattack failed to achieve its objective, it bought time to allow the Italian XXI Motorised Corps to rush in a battalion of the "Trieste" Division and L3 and M13/40 tanks of the 3rd "Novara" Armoured Group and Major Gabriele Verri's 11th Armoured Battalion to affected sector and contain the Australian advance.