Rommel's Desert War: Waging World War II in North Africa, 1941–1943

ISBN-13: 9780521509718 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 618 str.

British Columbia) Martin Kitchen (Simon Fraser University

Opis

At the height of his power in January 1941 Hitler made the fateful decision to send troops to North Africa to save the beleaguered Italian army from defeat. Martin Kitchen's masterful history of the Axis campaign provides a fundamental reassessment of the key battles of 1941 3, Rommel's generalship, and the campaign's place within the broader strategic context of the war. He shows that the British were initially helpless against the operational brilliance of Rommel's Panzer divisions. However Rommel's initial successes and refusal to follow orders committed the Axis to a campaign well beyond their means. Without the reinforcements or supplies he needed to deliver a knockout blow, Rommel was forced onto the defensive and Hitler's Mediterranean strategy began to unravel. The result was the loss of an entire army which together with defeat at Stalingrad signalled a decisive shift in the course of the war."

Recenzje

'Thanks to Kitchen's meticulous research, there is now a compelling account of the battles from a German perspective, with a well-rounded and not altogether flattering picture of Rommel. The book gives due weight to both his operational brilliance, especially in retreat, and his poor strategic judgment.' Foreign Affairs

Spis treści

Introduction; 1. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy; 2. Germany intervenes in North Africa; 3. Tobruk: the first round; 4. Counterattack; 5. Withdrawal; 6. On the offensive again; 7. Tobruk; 8. El Alamein: the first round; 9. El Alamein: defeat; 10. Torch; 11. The retreat from Mersa el Brega; 12. Tunisgrad.