El Alamein: The Battle that Turned the Tide of the Second World War (General Military)

Before the Battle of El Alamein in 1942, the British had never won a major battle on land against the Germans; nor indeed had anyone else. Drawing on an array of first-hand accounts, this book reveals the personal experiences of those on the frontline and provides details of how the war was actually won. Before the Battle of El Alamein in 1942, the British had never won a major battle on land against the Germans; nor indeed had anyone else. Drawing on a remarkable array of first-hand accounts, this book reveals the personal experiences of those on the frontline and provides fascinating details of how the war was actually fought. It also includes analysis of the strategic decisions made by the generals. El Alamein 1942 is the story of exactly how a seemingly beaten and demoralized army turned near-defeat into victory in a little over four months of protracted and bloody fighting in the harsh North African desert The battle of El Alamein in 1942 was one of the most crucial events in the entire Second World War. Before it, the British had never won a major battle on land against the Germans; nor indeed had anyone else, even the Russians. At Alamein the British Eighth Army first thwarted the Axis attempts in North Africa to seize Cairo and the Suez Canal and then smashed through the German-Italian defences, eventually driving the Axis forces out of North Africa. This victory, by a 'British' army actually composed of a variety of nationalities including men and women from the Indian sub-continent, southern Africa, Australians, New Zealanders, French and Greeks, as well as British troops, had psychological and morale-raising significance that exceeded even its strategic importance. Nothing had the sweet smell of success prior to this battle than El Alamein and for the battered British Empire battling against the might of the Third Reich this victory was crucial to its ability to continue its war efforts. El Alamein's significance went beyond the events of the war. The opposing army commanders were perhaps the first 'celebrity' generals, attracting the attention of press and newsreel reporters alike. This led to a host of myths and tales of idiosyncratic behaviour that were shamelessly exploited by the individuals themselves and, especially in Britain, eagerly devoured by a public enamoured of the romance of warfare in this remarkable and hostile environment where men were at war with each other as well as with the elements. Drawing on a remarkable array of first-hand accounts, this book reveals the personal experiences of those on the frontline, giving the individual's point of view of the battle, from all sides, and provide a fascinating account of the minutiae detail of how war was actually fought alongside the analysis of the strategic decisions made by the generals. El Alamein 1942 is the story of exactly how a seemingly beaten and demoralized army turned near-defeat into victory in a little over four months of protracted and bloody fighting in the harsh North African desert and of the repercussions of the battle for the participants, for historians and in popular culture. El Alamein, Britain's victory in the deserts of North Africa in 1942, was the first major reversal of fortunes for Hitler's Third Reich. Before the Battle of El Alamein in 1942, the British had never won a major battle on land against the Germans; nor indeed had anyone else. Drawing on a remarkable array of first-hand accounts, this book reveals the personal experiences of those on the frontline and provides fascinating details of how the war was actually fought. It also includes analysis of the strategic decisions made by the generals.El Alamein is the story of exactly how a seemingly beaten and demoralized army turned near-defeat into victory in a little over four months of protracted and bloody fighting in the harsh North African desert. "In 1940 the Germans had swept British forces out of Europe and seemed posed to invade the British Isles. Demoralized from months of hard fighting and numerous defeats, the British Army seemed incapable of stemming the onslaught of Axis land forces and were yet to have won a major land battle against the Germans. El Alamein is the story of how this seemingly defeated army turned near-defeat into victory with a hard-fought, four-month long battle in the harsh North African desert, finally revealing that the Germans were not invincible and providing an immense morale boost to the Allied participants, their leaders and those waiting anxiously at home."--Jacket. Cover; Title; Contents; Acknowledgements; Preface; Chapter One: The Road; Chapter Two: An Oasis of Calm; Chapter Three: Diminishing Returns; Chapter Four: The Little Man with White Knobbly Knees; Chapter Five: Summer Madness; Chapter Six: Something Old, Something New; Chapter Seven: An End Has a Start; Chapter Eight: Attrition; Chapter Nine: 'La Caduta Degli Dei'; Conclusion: The End of the Beginning; Order of Battle; Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations; Endnotes; Select Bibliography; Related Titles; Imprint FRONT COVER TITLE PAGE CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PREFACE CHAPTER ONE - THE ROAD CHAPTER TWO - AN OASIS OF CALM CHAPTER THREE - DIMINISHING RETURNS CHAPTER FOUR - THE LITTLE MAN WITH WHITE KNOBBLY KNEES CHAPTER FIVE - SUMMER MADNESS CHAPTER SIX - SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW CHAPTER SEVEN - AN END HAS A START CHAPTER EIGHT - ATTRITION CHAPTER NINE - ‘LA CADUTA DEGLI DEI’ CONCLUSION - THE END OF THE BEGINNING ORDER OF BATTLE GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ENDNOTES SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX IMPRINT Om slaget ved El Alamein i 1942, hvor den britiske hær under ledelse af feltmarskal Montgomery ved at standse Rommels tyske troppers fremmarch mod Cairo vandt den første britiske sejr over tyskerne til lands. Med udgangspunkt i en lang række øjenvidneskildringer beskrives slagets gang for såvel generalerne som for de almindelige soldater på begge sider