After the debacle (for the British) in France, the first real opportunity that they had to fight the Axis was when Italy entered the war and began its North African campaigns. Fighting in the desert was the first time that truly mechanized warfare was fought. No mules, horses or camels were used to haul troops or bring in supplies. Everything was hauled by trucks. Much of this was due to the fast moving pace of the various armies as they fought back and forth across the coast of Egypt, Lybia and Tunisia.

From the beginning, there was a distinct difference in the way that the Axis and Allies (and in this case we mean the British) fought the war. The Germans had been using the combined arms method where infantry, tanks and anti-tank units fought as a whole. The British, however, used their three main sections of the army independently. Tanks were seen as the 'ships of the desert' and were involved in complex movements. Infantry was bereft of much of its tank support except for the very slow and heavily armored 'I-tanks' like the Matilda. Anti- tank guns were in fixed positions awaiting the Germans and Italians to move into range.

Thanks to the poor British tactics and equally poor tanks, the Germans, who were generally outnumbered in all categories, were able to pretty well control the battlefield. It wasn't until late 1942 when the British got a commander that realized that the tactics of the past were not working and started using basically the same ones as the Germans had for the last two years. This and the increasing flood of men and materials to the Allied side turned things around.

Paddy Griffith takes an in-depth look at the situation of desert warfare of the time. He shows how past conceptions of 'how to do things' either hurt or helped the opposing sides. This includes the way that warfare was fought without going into a lot of detail of the various battles. Much success or failure was due to the ability (or lack thereof) of one side to take advantage of situations. This could be due to leadership, communications, equipment or a combination of them all. The book is superbly illustrated by Adam Hook and further enhanced by a raft of period photos that help the reader understand some of the complexities of the situation.

It is a book of a time when both sides were learning what worked and what didn't. A most engrossing read that I am positive you will also enjoy.

March 2008

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