Product Description

A detailed examination of the campaign waged by the British in the North African desert, first against the Italians and then against the combined forces of the Germans and the Italians, commanded by Field Marshal Rommel. - Utilising new material, notably the War Diaries in the Public Record Office and the private papers of Montgomery's predecessor in command of 8th Army, General Sir Neil Ritchie, Lord Carver reconsiders the conclusions reached by him and other authors. - In particular, the author attempts to restore balance to the judgement of General Ritchie's performance, which he believes has been unjustly critical. The period 27 May - 25 June 1942 is dealt with in particular detail - General Ritchie's Army was then defeated by Rommel and driven back from Tobruk to El Alamein. - The author assesses the performance not only of Ritchie, but of figures such as Auchinleck, Messervy, Norrie, Gott and others, analyzing the British failure to gain the upper hand. - Lord Carver's compelling story is remarkable for its detailed narrative of the events, taking into account not only the operational conditions of tank warfare, but also, later, often contradictory, published accounts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #188388 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 184 pages

About the Author
Field Marshal Lord Carver, served in North Africa, Italy and North-West Europe, finishing in command of an armoured brigade at the age of 29. He became Commander-in-Chief Far East and Chief of the General Staff. He has published a number of works of military history, notably El Alamein, Tobruk, The War Lords, Wars Since 1945, A Policy for Peace and The Seven Ages of the British Army.

Customer Reviews

Hard Going
As a witness to and protagonist in the events described in this book, Lord Carver's observations on the conduct of the campaign are invaluable.
He takes odds with the conclusions drawn by Correlli Barnett in his book 'The Desert Generals'. Unfortunately his prose-stye compared to Corelli Barnetts is dry and convoluted to the point at which the casual reader is totally baffled and put off from reading further.