This the the second volume in Casemate's 'Illustrated' series and continues where the previous volume left off, specifically early 1942. Much of the battle for North Africa centered around northeast Libya, with a lot of fighting taking place around Tobruk and around El Alamein on the Egyptian border. Tactically, the Germans had the upper hand in terms of leadership, battle tactics, and to some extent, equipment.

However, the German army was limited in terms of sheer numbers, even when you add in the Italians, who, contrary to what many think, fought very well. The Italians themselves were limited by the quality of their leadership and by the quality of their equipment. The latter was fine for places like Ethiopia and for general duty in the territories, but not against a modern western army like the British and Commonwealth.

So there was back and forth across the North African coast. Each side would make gains until its supply lines became so long that they were unable to properly keep the army going. Fuel was a particular shortfall for the Germans as was everything else as Hitler had decided that North Africa was not a priority to his battles in Russia so everything there had priority. It also did not help that the British were sinking supply ships from Italy. Bad form, really. The British were more easily supplied by ships coming into the Suez, but even that meant long delays as ships had to go around South Africa in order to escape the hazards of the Med.

This is basically a photo book with a history tied into it. The historical section is quite abbreviated from what you'd find in a dedicate tome on the events. This one covers up to December 1942, by which time the British had been able, with the help from US equipment and the US landing in Morocco, to finally push the Germans back from the Egyptian border and chase them back towards Tripoli.

This is a well done history of the events of 1942 that not only includes the battles, but also the events that led up to the ascendency of the British towards the end of the year. These Casemate Illustrated Specials make for a great read and equally welcome reference. Highly recommended to all.

June 2026

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