Description
Book SynopsisIn this compelling account of the decisive World War II battle of El Alamein, Jon Latimer brings to life the harsh desert conflict in North Africa. This is the story of two of the most intriguing commanders of the war and the story of the infantry soldiers who fought in a scorched wilderness.
Trade Review[Latimer's] extensive research is evident both in the book's organization and in the endnotes...This well-written and-organized book is highly recommended. -- Lt. Col. Charles M. Minyard * Library Journal *
Exhaustively researched and comprehensive...[Latimer's] inclusion of veterans' recollections and memoirs will grab the interest of generalists looking for something more than simple war stories. Latimer's critical but balanced view of Rommel, British general Montgomery and others is welcome; the inclusion of their opinions of, and dealings with, eachother are in keeping with the best professional military history...All aspects of the battle are covered...All well presented in a carefully crafted and exciting style...Painstaking yet gripping, this should be the definitive account of the battle itself for years to come. * Publishers Weekly *
Jon Latimer's
Alamein is the work of a former British Army officer, a meticulous military history inclusive of accurate and often hitherto unknown details. It is a classic, near-encyclopedic reconstruction. -- John Lukas * Los Angeles Times *
Latimer meticulously describes how, after a couple of dispiriting years of desert warfare, British and Commonwealth forces achieved in October 1942 the victory they craved over German and Italian forces at El Alamein in Egypt. -- Lawrence D. Freedman * Foreign Affairs *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Maps Introduction Part I: An Obscure Railway Halt 1. Colonial Rivals 2. Enter Rommel 3. The Fall of Tobruk 4. The Alamein Line 5. Malta 6. Enter Monty 7. Alam Halfa 8. Lightfoot 9. In the Line 10. Final Preparations Part II: The Battle 11. Barrage 12. The Assault 13. The Armour Stalls 14. Crisis Conference 15. Crumbling 16. The Defence of Outpost Snipe 17. Thompson's Post 18. Supercharge 19. The Beginning of the End 20. The End of the Beginning Appendix: Orders of Battle, 23 October 1942 Notes Bibliography Index
