Cunningham had wanted to halt the offensive and withdraw but Auchinleck had handed Cunningham written orders on 25 November which included the sentence "...There is only one order, Attack and Pursue" On returning to Cairo on 26 November, after conferring with his superiors, Auchinleck relieved Cunningham and appointed to command Eighth Army his deputy Chief of Staff, Major-General Neil Ritchie, whom he now promoted to acting lieutenant-general.
Cunningham havde ønsket at stoppe offensiven og trække sig tilbage, men Auchinleck havde givet Cunningham skriftlige ordrer den 25. november, som indholdet sætningen: "...Der er kun en ordre: Angrib og forfølg" Efter at være vendt tilbage til Cairo den 26. november og efter at have konsulteret sine overordnede, lod Auchinleck Cunningham afløse og udpegede i stedet hans vicestabschef, generalmajor Neil Ritchie, som han samtidig forfremmede til fungerende generalløjtnant.