Dear all Would someone be so kind as to either give me a potted history of what happened in the desert war or point me to a book that I can read. I need to know more whille I'm waiting for grandad's records to arrive. Why did we go a fight in such an inhospitable place and for what. Thanks Karen
Originally posted by Karen Bloor@Apr 27 2004, 11:32 AM Dear all Would someone be so kind as to either give me a potted history of what happened in the desert war or point me to a book that I can read. I need to know more whille I'm waiting for grandad's records to arrive. Why did we go a fight in such an inhospitable place and for what. Thanks Karen Of the many books available, my personal choice is: "The Battle for North Africa" Author: General Sir William Jackson Publisher: Mason/Charter Publishers Inc. Copyright: 1975, 500 pp.
1. The Oxford Companion to the Second World War offers a brilliant two page summary. Look under Western Desert. 2. Michael Carver, Dilemmas of the Desert War, 1986 is an interesting read. Short book, too! 3. Adrian Gilbert, Imperial War Museum Book of the Desert War 1992 provides a good range of pictures and accounts by those who were there. Good all round summary. Regards, David
I can also recommend as an overview Sir Basil Liddell Harts History of the Second World War. Fairly brief but is a good overview of events
Dear All Thank you for the suggestions on reading material. I think this will keep me quiet for a few weeks. Thanks Karen
Barrie Pitt's three volume Crucible of War is very comprehensive, although it does tell the story very much from a British viewpoint. Available in paperback. This three parter is on the student reading list of at least one military history course at a major US university. An alternative read is The Rommel Papers, ed. B H Liddell-Hart. This covers a wider period than just the desert war and consists of many of Rommel's personal papers from WWII. Not sure if it is readily available in Britain, but I got my paperback copy from Barnes & Noble in the USA and it is in print. If you have read what I posted on another thread, you will know I am not a Rommel fan, but useful to read his own words none the less.
A fairly recent edition to the library on the war in the desert is Dr Stephen Bungay's 'Alamein'. A new approach to the subject from various interesting aspects - The Tactical War, The Supply War, The Soldiers' War, etc. All extremely well researched and all presented in a very readable way. If you get to like his approach you'll probably go for his study of the Battle of Britain, too. Entitled 'The Most Dangerous Enemy' it's next on my list.
You could also try 'A Noble Crusade: The history of Eighth Army 1941 -45' by Richard Doherty (Spellmount Publishers, 1999) for one of the best summaries of the war in North Africa. His book on the Battle of El Alamein, 'The Sound of History: El Alamein 1942' is the best of the recent works on that battle. Doherty is an excellent historian and knows the British Army of the Second World War very well indeed. I understand that he has also served in the TA. Faugh A Ballagh!
