City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War

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.Elite 162: World War II Desert Tactics (Elite) (Elite)
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: Paddy Griffith

April 10, 2008
Unlike some of Osprey's other output this a very readable book thanks to style of the author who doesn't hold back on his opinions. This made the book a pleasure to read. In fact, the problem is that there isn't more as the Osprey format dictates few pages and lots of illustrations so it's easy to get through the whole book in a couple of hours. This space contraint means that this is more of a look at how British and Commonwealth tactics evolved between 1940 and 1943 in response to an already tactically fully-competent Africa Korps rather than a rounded look at all the armies in that theatre. After an excellent start to the book you get the impression of a hurried finish to fit in with the space left. Which is a shame as the author's style ... Read More:
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.The Desert Generals
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: Correlli Barnett

2003-04
This book is a study of the leadership of the British army in the desert campaigns of World War II. First published in the 1960's, it caused a stir in its attempt to deconstruct the invincibility myth surrounding Field Marshal Montgomery.
Barnett makes a convincing case. His Montgomery is the villain of the book, a self-serving opportunist whose actual military skills never matched his inflated reputation. Barnett is especially indignant over Montgomery's dishonesty when first assuming command of the 8th Army, namely in taking the credit for much of Auchinleck's work and passing it off as his own. Consequently, there's a palpable relish in the way he describes how the famous Battle of El Alamein was unbelievably almost lost under Montgomery ... Read More:
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.Love Letters from a Desert Rat: Alex and Nan's Story
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: Liz Macintyre

September 05, 2008
I loved this book - authentic, with a unique point of view and commentary, the voice of Alex Macintyre with his masterly understatement, gentle but wry sense of humour, determination to prevail but most of all his unswerving love and devotion to the wife of only a few weeks, Nan, the girl he had to leave in January 1941. It is a series of letters to Nan from 1941-45. The brutality of war is left to the reader's imagination, but the effect is all the more powerful for that. Alex reflects in his very personal style about the summer of '41, that things "were at times a wee bit hectic." In his letter of 29 December 1942, as though predicting how his half of this long-distance conversation would be shaped into a wonderful story, Alex talks of "the handing ... Read More:
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.The Long Range Desert Group 1940-1945: Providence Their Guide
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: David Lloyd Owen

2001-05
Very engaging. There was something that drew me to this book and I wasn't disappointed in any way. Maybe it was because I had never heard of the LRDG before. The book is well written and balances superbly a historical account of the Group and accounts of actions they undertook. The characters in the book are fascinating; to me they summed up the understated yet ultimately professional British soldier and as such are very endearing. The Group's exploits are amazing in a truly British way, it's not all about firepower or number of kills its about skill and cunning and whilst it in no way undermines the importance of winning the war, expresses the notion of it being to a certain extent a challenge and a game of wits with the Axis forces.

I was ... Read More:
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.Desert Rats: British 8th Army in North Africa 1941-43 (Battle Orders): British 8th Army in North Africa 1941-43 (Battle Orders)
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: Tim Moreman

July 04, 2007
Very engaging. There was something that drew me to this book and I wasn't disappointed in any way. Maybe it was because I had never heard of the LRDG before. The book is well written and balances superbly a historical account of the Group and accounts of actions they undertook. The characters in the book are fascinating; to me they summed up the understated yet ultimately professional British soldier and as such are very endearing. The Group's exploits are amazing in a truly British way, it's not all about firepower or number of kills its about skill and cunning and whilst it in no way undermines the importance of winning the war, expresses the notion of it being to a certain extent a challenge and a game of wits with the Axis forces.

I was ... Read More:
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.The Desert Generals (Cassell Military Paperbacks)
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: Correlli Barnett

October 07, 1999
This book is a study of the leadership of the British army in the desert campaigns of World War II. First published in the 1960's, it caused a stir in its attempt to deconstruct the invincibility myth surrounding Field Marshal Montgomery.
Barnett makes a convincing case. His Montgomery is the villain of the book, a self-serving opportunist whose actual military skills never matched his inflated reputation. Barnett is especially indignant over Montgomery's dishonesty when first assuming command of the 8th Army, namely in taking the credit for much of Auchinleck's work and passing it off as his own. Consequently, there's a palpable relish in the way he describes how the famous Battle of El Alamein was unbelievably almost lost under Montgomery direction, and ... Read More:
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.Desert Raiders: Axis and Allied Special Forces 1940-43 (Battle Orders)
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: Andrea Molinari

July 04, 2007
This book is a study of the leadership of the British army in the desert campaigns of World War II. First published in the 1960's, it caused a stir in its attempt to deconstruct the invincibility myth surrounding Field Marshal Montgomery.
Barnett makes a convincing case. His Montgomery is the villain of the book, a self-serving opportunist whose actual military skills never matched his inflated reputation. Barnett is especially indignant over Montgomery's dishonesty when first assuming command of the 8th Army, namely in taking the credit for much of Auchinleck's work and passing it off as his own. Consequently, there's a palpable relish in the way he describes how the famous Battle of El Alamein was unbelievably almost lost under Montgomery direction, and ... Read More:
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.Dilemmas of the Desert War: The Libyan Campaign of 1940-1942
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: Michael Carver

August 27, 2002
This book is a study of the leadership of the British army in the desert campaigns of World War II. First published in the 1960's, it caused a stir in its attempt to deconstruct the invincibility myth surrounding Field Marshal Montgomery.
Barnett makes a convincing case. His Montgomery is the villain of the book, a self-serving opportunist whose actual military skills never matched his inflated reputation. Barnett is especially indignant over Montgomery's dishonesty when first assuming command of the 8th Army, namely in taking the credit for much of Auchinleck's work and passing it off as his own. Consequently, there's a palpable relish in the way he describes how the famous Battle of El Alamein was unbelievably almost lost under Montgomery direction, and ... Read More:
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.7th Armoured Division - The Desert Rats (Spearhead)
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: George Forty

November 10, 2003
This book is a study of the leadership of the British army in the desert campaigns of World War II. First published in the 1960's, it caused a stir in its attempt to deconstruct the invincibility myth surrounding Field Marshal Montgomery.
Barnett makes a convincing case. His Montgomery is the villain of the book, a self-serving opportunist whose actual military skills never matched his inflated reputation. Barnett is especially indignant over Montgomery's dishonesty when first assuming command of the 8th Army, namely in taking the credit for much of Auchinleck's work and passing it off as his own. Consequently, there's a palpable relish in the way he describes how the famous Battle of El Alamein was unbelievably almost lost under Montgomery direction, and ... Read More:
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.The Desert Fox in Normandy: Rommel's Defense of Fortress Europe
City Travel Guides > Books > Desert War
by: Samuel W. Mitcham

May 30, 1997
Samuel Mitcham has written an account of the Normandy invasion from the German perspective; in particular that of Erwin Rommel.

Probably the most talented of all Germany's army commanders it reveals his limitless energy and resourcefulness to prepare the Atlantic Wall for the forthcoming Allied invasion. From December 1943 when he took over command of Army Group B to his death in October 1944 it follows the unfortunate demise of a great man.
His was a thankless task, which he more or less acknowledged from the beginning, but through his misguided loyalty continued to follow the orders of Hitler.
After D-Day, and with Hitler's absolute refusal to believe that this was the real invasion and not simply a diversionary assault for the real invasion ... Read More:
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