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The Battle for North Africa
- El Alamein and the Turning Point for World War II (Twentieth-Century Battles)
- Narrated by: Douglas R. Pratt
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
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The Battle for North Africa
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Summary
In the early years of World War II, Germany shocked the world with a devastating blitzkrieg, rapidly conquered most of Europe, and pushed into North Africa. As the Allies scrambled to counter the Axis armies, the British Eighth Army confronted the experienced Afrika Corps, led by German field marshal Erwin Rommel, in three battles at El Alamein. In the first battle, the Eighth Army narrowly halted the advance of the Germans during the summer of 1942. However, the stalemate left Nazi troops within striking distance of the Suez Canal, which would provide a critical tactical advantage to the controlling force. War historian Glyn Harper dives into the story, vividly narrating the events, strategies, and personalities surrounding the battles and paying particular attention to the Second Battle of El Alamein, a crucial turning point in the war that would be described by Winston Churchill as "the end of the beginning." Moving beyond a simple narrative of the conflict, The Battle for North Africa tackles critical themes, such as the problems of coalition warfare, the use of military intelligence, the role of celebrity generals, and the importance of an all-arms approach to modern warfare.
This book is published by Indiana University Press.
"A well-researched and highly readable account of one of World War II's most important 'turning point' battles.... Harper provides a 'fresh look' from an unbiased perspective at this decisive battle..." (Jerry D. Morelock, Senior Editor at HistoryNet.com)
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What listeners say about The Battle for North Africa
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tony Wheatley
- 11-10-24
Author in Monty the Military Messiah camp!
I enjoyed the book especially as it emphasised the role of Australian and New Zealand forces in the battles. I found the narrator difficult to listen, his pronunciation of “Auckinleck” and “Maori” were grating on the ear! I was disappointed by the scope of the book. The author is definitely in Monty the military messiah camp, relegating the Victor of El Alamein, the Auk, to the position of a loser. Pity.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ivan
- 12-05-20
An informative and interesting book
I was looking for a book on the North Africa campaign and was not disappointed by this one.
The only caveat I have is that it’s read by an American, which in its self is not a problem, he’s well spoken and complements this book well. Where he falls down is in the pronunciation of English locations such as Warwickshire etc.
Also there was the odd clanger when describing a German anti tank gun, calling it an 50CMS rather than a 5cm or 50mm anti tank gun. Those with a little military history knowledge will know what I mean.
However, this was overall a very good book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the North Africa campaign.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Philip Sheridan
- 23-02-21
A comprehensive look at a decisive battle
A comprehensive look at a decisive battle but let down by not so comprehensive research on how to pronounce Unit names and some other basic errors.
The research done by the writer to bring extracts from both the Allied and Axis Unit War Diaries as well as personal Officer accounts really brings you into the tactical chess game that was going on. You get a sense of how critical this action was to deliver the British their first major taste of a Victory and turn the tide of the so far one sided war against the seemingly invincible Nazi War Machine. It is a subject I am very interested in so easy for me to get into and its not too jargon filled that non military history buffs could engage with it too.
The American Narrator is very clear and reads well keeping you interested right up until a mispronounced word throws you out of the zone. I found it frustrating for example when things like New Zealand Māori was repeatedly pronounced May-ori and Warwickshire as War-wick-shi-er. It may be a little pedantic but when you know how a word it pronounced its jarring to hear it said incorrectly.
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1 person found this helpful