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Together We Stand: North Africa 1942-1943, Turning the Tide in the West (Mediterranean War 2) by: James Holland List Price: £12.99 City Travel Guides Price: £9.99 You Save: £3.00 (23%)Prices subject to change. |
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Binding: Paperback EAN: 9780007176465 ISBN: 0007176465 Label: HarperCollins Entertainment Manufacturer: HarperCollins Entertainment Number Of Pages: 880 Publication Date: February 06, 2006 Publisher: HarperCollins Entertainment Studio: HarperCollins Entertainment Sales Rank: 30412 Related Items:
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Editorial Review: Sunday Telegraph, 8 May 2005: 'a remarkable collation of personal experience and sensible historical judgments' - Max Hastings Daily Telegraph, 28 May 2005: 'Holland has produced a wonderful book...If there is a better book on the North African campaign, I haven't read it.' BBC History Magazine, June 2005: 'as Holland shows, this period saw the realisation of how the war might eventually be won.' Synopsis: From the bestselling author of "Fortress Malta", this is the second book in the "Mediterranean war" trilogy. This book looks afresh at the conflict in Northern Africa, focusing for the first time on the involvement of the US and the way this early collaboration to defeat shaped the whole Anglo-American axis for the rest of the war in Europe. By June 1942, Britain had reached her lowest ebb. Her military command was in tatters, her armies beaten, and in the Middle East, it seemed all might be lost. Her new ally, America, had only fledgling armed forces and was severely under-trained, yet it was this alliance of the weary combatant and naive newcomer, coming together for the first time in North Africa, that would eventually bring about the defeat of Nazi Germany. This crucial period - from defeat at Gazala through to the victories of Alamein and, ultimately, Tunisia -- was a time of learning for the Allies. Yet, by the end, Britain and America had finally gained material and certain tactical advantages over Germany, particularly in air warfare.As this book shows, the development of a tactical air force - principles that are still used to this day - were founded over the skies of North Africa. When the Axis forces were finally driven from North Africa in May 1943, over 250,000 Axis troops were taken prisoner, more than had surrendered to the Russians at Stalingrad. It was a major victory and a crucial steppingstone to the future invasion of Italy and France. In this new reappraisal, James Holland interweaves the personal stories of the men - and women - who made up these polyglot Allied forces: British and American, Nepalese and Punjabi, South African and Australian, Maori and Zulu, from all ranks and all services. From the heat and dust of the Western Desert to the mud and mountains of Northern Tunisia, this book charts the extraordinary first days of an Alliance that has worked together ever since. Customer Reviews
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 Rating: - Simply superb, history for everymanAnother epic piece of work from this prodigious young writer. I guess that most of us, of a certain at least, are aware of the outline of events that shaped WW2 around the world but have never taken the trouble to read any historical accounts, either by professional historians or by the generals who tend to publish their own accounts of how they won the war. Well this is something different, written like a novel, with personal accounts by both the generals and other participants, including the humble soldiers of all nations. Numerous reputations are made and damaged here, on the back of his obviously meticulous and copious research, we discover that both Patton and Monty were egotists of epic proportions and did not in fact cover themselves ... Read More: Rating: - ExcellentI found this book an excellent account of the war in North Africa. I'm hugely interested in the WWII campaigns, but this is the first book I've read that actually starts to detail the dovetailing of UK and USA forces in their first joint campaigns. A very enlightening and enjoyable read. Rating: - Surprised of BowerchalkeI live in the next village to James Holland and though it would be fun to read a book by him. I went to the libary and was shown the book that was filling a huge slot on the shelf and though oh my god i will never read this. I eventually ran out of books and picked it up and that was it i have read it like a man possed even going to bed at 9pm much to my wifes mirth for a couple of housr of uninterrupted reading. It is a brillent balance of personal account and grand over view giving the book a lovley balance. I much love this book because it really does explain the confilict so much more clearly than many of his contempories eg Antony Beevor do and it is such a large and confusing battle. Should be compulsery reading for all A leval history ... Read More: Rating: - Brings history aliveTogether We Stand provides further evidence of James Holland's excellence as a popular historian. Skilful handling of his source material means that Holland, for all his authority, always tells a compelling tale - made more immediate by the number of interviews with participants he himself has conducted. And he's more than happy to challenge conventional wisdom too. Of particuar interest to me were the focus he brings to the influence of 'Mary' Coningham's Desert Air Force, and his persuasive and refreshing views on the relative merits of Alexander and Monty. Astute and thoughtful on military strategy, vivid, readable and inhabited by engaging, three-dimensional characters, I can't recommend Together We Stand more highly. Rating: - Outstanding.James Holland has come from nowhere to produce the best military history book for many years, maybe the best in the last decade. If you enjoy what call “narrative” military history in the tradition of Cornelius Ryan, Max Hasting and the Rick Atkinson then Together We Stand is a must have book. It is better than the books by any of the three mentioned above and they set very high standards. Together We Stand covers much of the same ground as the excellent An Army At Dawn by Rick Atkinson but starts far earlier in ’42. Sixty percent of the book deals with the fighting in the summer and autumn of ’42 before Torch and the North African landings. The style is the traditional one of mixing high quality research, operational ... Read More: |
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