For Great Britain there were two pivotal battles in the Second World War. One was the Battle of Britain. The other was El Alamein. There, in October 1942, in a remote part of the desert between Libya and Egypt, at a place named only for the sake of its nondescript railway station, and after a year of stalemate, the British army under the command of General Montgomery won an epic battle of attrition with Rommel's Afrika Korps. If the first kept Britain in the war to stand a chance of fighting Hitler, El Alamein turned the ...
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For Great Britain there were two pivotal battles in the Second World War. One was the Battle of Britain. The other was El Alamein. There, in October 1942, in a remote part of the desert between Libya and Egypt, at a place named only for the sake of its nondescript railway station, and after a year of stalemate, the British army under the command of General Montgomery won an epic battle of attrition with Rommel's Afrika Korps. If the first kept Britain in the war to stand a chance of fighting Hitler, El Alamein turned the tide, after several years of retreat and defeat, that set the Allies on the road to future victory. Like the Battle of Britain, moreover, Alamein has taken its place in history as more than just a military battle: it has become a national myth. Where 1940 was consecrated by Churchill as "their finest hour", Alamein has been enshrined for posterity as "the end of the beginning" - as the line in the sand that Hitler's forces were ultimately unable ever to cross. Now, Stephen Bungay, author of The Most Dangerous Enemy, the history of the Battle of Britain Aurum Press published in 2000 that has already been acknowledged as the standard work on the subject, unlikely to be surpassed for its comprehensiveness and authority, has written a new and immensely readable history of Alamein. Like Stalingrad, Alamein is a book for the general reader: a superb narrative that covers every aspect of the battle: the political context that urgently demanded a military victory for Churchill as his government's fortunes reached their lowest ebb; the technological contest between the German tanks and the British artillery; the soldiers' war - a phantasmagoric blur of thunderous cannonade, swirling sand and baking heat; and the meeting of two evenly-matched military minds as the brilliant but mercurial Rommel faced the fastidious, dapper Montgomery across the desert wastes.
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Seller's Description:
This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has hardback covers. In good all round condition. Dust jacket in fair condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 550grams, ISBN: 9781854108425.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. This is a retired library book with typical wear/markings. May or may not have library stickers attached which will not be removed. Cover/Case has some rubbing and edgewear. Access codes, CD's, slipcovers and other accessories may not be included.
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Seller's Description:
Very good in very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 256 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. NICE COPY--SLIGHT SHELF WARE--TEXT CLEAN AND TIGHT--GIFT--STILL HAS LOTS OF GREAT READS LEFT--1 ST. ED. --1 ST. PRINTING
Having read "The Most Dangerous Enemy" by the same author and being very impressed by it, I was intrigued to notice this book referred to in a recent television programme about the desert war. I ordered it almost immediately.
Like his very fine account of the Battle of Britain, this is a fine read. The title is slightly misleading, perhaps. Bungay describes much more than the Battle of Alamein and gives a revealing account of much of the war in the Western Desert. He gives a fine picture of the critical, strategic context. For close detail of the Second Battle of El Alamein, you might want to supplement this book with something like "Pendulum of War - El Alamein" by Niall Barr. But for the broad context, some fine description of what fighting in the desert was like and some very penetrating assessments of the key military leaders and what made this important victory possible this is a very fine, well-written and well-illustrated work. I highly recommend it.
