Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #678983 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-17
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Publisher's Weekly (USA)
Painstaking yet gripping, this should be the definitive account of the battle itself for years to come.

Waterstone's Guide to History Books
Politics, tactics and the human face of battle merge brlliantly here as eyewitness accounts bring the conflict alive.

Hew Strachan, Times Literary Supplement
'written with verve: the confusion of the fighting, which defied Montgomery's own subsequent assertion that it was all planned, is conveyed in vivid detail.'

Customer Reviews

A soldiers view
The danger with Alamein is that it has been written about ad nauseum so it is hard to find a fresh aproach, Mr Latimer has managed to do this. He is not afraid to challenge conventional myths and is very convincing in demonstrating that the Italian troops were very good indeed and would fight well despite their equipment. They surrendered in such large numbers as they had no transport to escape in, given a choice of surrender or dying of thirst there is not much choice. The treatment of the great men themselves is very even handed. Rommel is shown as the vital dynamic leader he surely was but this is balanced by his poor understanding of the logistic problems caused by desert warfare which is why he consistantly failed to finish off the Commonwealth army. Monty gets a similar critical treatment. In the past books I have read on the subject the generals are saints or sinners, its nice to have an overview.

The strength of this book is the detailed treatment of the individual regiments and their backgrounds with the effects this had on their performance. This in particular shows the authors military background and his understanding of the regimental system with all it inherent strengths and weaknesses.

However this does not mean that the bigger picture is not covered and I was surprised to learn that Alamein was won as much from Malta as in the desert. Likewise the authors previous work is shown by a lengthy treatment of the actions leading to the battle. In fact the book is more about the campaign than the battle of Alamein which in my view is a good thing.

A very readable book bringing together many threads and can only be heartily recommended.

Desert Fox Out-foxed
Alamein, a new book by Jon Latimer on this pivotal Desert War battle, is one of the best accounts I have read of a major engagement in any period. The author pays attention not only to the tactical events of the battle itself, but also to its strategic importance, with particular emphasis placed on logistics. Too often, military historians write about battles as occurring in some sort of vacuum where the troops and vehicles need no supplies and need not contend with the effects of climate. Reading this book, with its extensive quotes from participants of all ranks and nationalities, has given me new insights into this important theatre of the Second World War. For example, Latimer portrays Rommel as a brilliant tactician but an indifferent quartermasterm,and elevates Montgomery's deliberate approach to the preparations for the battle (such as burning all plans for retreat)to a higher level than the usual criticisms of Monty as cautious and solely relying on greater numbers of men and weapons. Latimer gives great emphasis on the role the Commonwealth artillery had in securing victory over the Axis forces, in detail and clarity I have not read before.
Many of the photographs were new to me,and the Orders of Battle in the Appendices make clear the organisation of both armies, helpful for readers doing their own research.
The maps are helpful in understanding a battle with (to a Western reader) unfamiliar Arabic place names; however I would have liked more maps of battalion-level actions, as these figure so prominently in the text.
This small point aside, I thoroughly recommend Alamein to all those interested in WWII or military history in general. Its readable and informal style will make it most accessible to a wide audience.

Stan Greaves, Sydney, Australia.