The Battle for North AfricaIt may almost be said that 'Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat' wrote Winston Churchill in The Second World War. The distinguished military historian General Strawson's authoritative book describes how the balance of power in North Africa see-sawed between the Italians, the British and the Germans through the years 1940 to 1943, and how ultimate victory was won by the Allies. In showing how the nature and conduct of battles developed during this three-year desert campaign, John Strawson brings together the strategic considerations, the changing tactics and the impressions of those who did the actual fighting. His exciting narrative is illustrated by numerous contemporary photographs and specially drawn maps, and by eye-witness accounts. The soldiers of many nations - Germans, Italians, Gurkhas, Australians, New Zealanders, British tank crews and Americans - all give their impressions of what the Battle for North Africa was like. |
Contents
1 Desert crowned in arms | 1 |
2 A centre of gravity | 16 |
3 Fox killed in the open | 30 |
4 A different sort of fox | 47 |
5 Crusader | 69 |
6 History repeats itself | 88 |
7 8th Army at bay | 108 |
8 Alamein and after | 130 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
11th Hussars 15th Panzer Division 1st Armoured Division 30th Corps 4th Armoured Brigade 4th Indian Division 7th Armoured Division 8th Army 8th Army's able advance Afrika Korps Agheila air forces airfields Alam el Halfa Alamein Alexander Allied anti-tank guns armoured cars artillery attack Auchinleck Axis forces Bardia battalion battle for North Benghazi Bizerta British campaign captured Capuzzo Chiefs of Staff Churchill command convoy Crusader Cunningham Cyrenaica defences Divi Egypt El Agheila enemy enemy's fire flank fought front German Greece ground Group Hitler infantry Italian Italy land Libya lorries Malta Mareth Matruh Mediterranean Middle East miles minefields Montgomery move naval North Africa November O'Connor offensive once operations Panzer Division Panzerarmee petrol platoon position reinforcements Rommel Royal ships Sidi Barrani Sidi Rezegh soldiers squadron strategic success supplies tactical things tion Tobruk Tripoli Tripolitania troops Tunis Tunisia victory Wadi Wavell Wavell's Western Desert whilst Zealanders