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The Battle for North Africa
It may almost be said that before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat. wrote Winston Churchill in The Second World War. The distinguished military historian General Strawson's authoritative book describes how the balance of power in North Africa see-sawed between the Italians, the British and the Germans through the years 1940 to 1943 and how ultimate victory was won by the Allies. In showing how the nature and conduct of battles developed during this three-year desert campaign, John Strawson brings together the strategic considerations, the changing tactics and the impressions of those who did the actual fighting. His exciting narrative is illustrated by numerous contemporary photographs and specially drawn maps, and by eye-witness accounts. The soldiers of many nations - Germans, Italians, Gurkhas, Australians, New Zealanders, British tank crews and Americans - all give their impressions of what the Battle for North Africa was like
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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About the author
John Strawson
35 books2 followersMajor General John Strawson, CBE was a British Army officer, best known for his service during the Second World War in the Middle East and Italy, and afterwards in Germany and Malaya.
Following the amalgamation of the 4th and 8th Hussars as The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, he commanded the Regiment in Malaysia and Germany. For his leadership during the Borneo campaign he was invested O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire).
Later he commanded at brigade level and was Chief of Staff, United Kingdom Land Forces. For this latter service he was advanced to C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire). He had previously been awarded the US Bronze Star for his leadership during the Italian campaign of 1944-45. In civilian life he became a prolific author, especially on military matters.
After retiring from the Army, Strawson wrote a number of books of military history and biography, including studies of the British Army. He collaborated with General Sir John Hackett and others in writing the two volumes of "The Third World War". His later books include "The Duke and the Emperor; Wellington and Napoleon" (1994) and "Churchill and Hitler: In Victory and Defeat" (1997).
Following the amalgamation of the 4th and 8th Hussars as The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, he commanded the Regiment in Malaysia and Germany. For his leadership during the Borneo campaign he was invested O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire).
Later he commanded at brigade level and was Chief of Staff, United Kingdom Land Forces. For this latter service he was advanced to C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire). He had previously been awarded the US Bronze Star for his leadership during the Italian campaign of 1944-45. In civilian life he became a prolific author, especially on military matters.
After retiring from the Army, Strawson wrote a number of books of military history and biography, including studies of the British Army. He collaborated with General Sir John Hackett and others in writing the two volumes of "The Third World War". His later books include "The Duke and the Emperor; Wellington and Napoleon" (1994) and "Churchill and Hitler: In Victory and Defeat" (1997).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 7, 2018
A fine general history of the World War II North African Campaign (1940-1943). General Strawson did not break into any new territory in this account of the Desert War. His work relies on secondary sources and functions more as an academic analysis of the entire campaign. Particular attention is given to the fact that it was in North Africa that the British (and the Allies by default) learned the importance of combined arms operations. Stawson was classically educated and his writing style is that uniquely British style of formality and informality (I know it's vague, but it's the only description I can come up with). There are frequent references to classical sources (such as several Roman writers) as well as exerts from memoirs written by participants from both sides.
As a young officer in the British Army he participated in the campaign and,no doubt, had many similar experience to those that are given page space in his book. Interestingly he only mentions one incident ,in which he was directly involved, and it was a crash between his tank and another (British) tank. At times I felt that I was reading a British travelogue - only with tanks and airplanes thrown in. If you are mildly curious about the North African Campaign Strawson's book would serve an a good introductory piece. He never gets bogged down in pages of minute tactical accounts of one battalion fighting another battalion and he keeps it interesting by including first hand accounts to give it a sense of intimacy.
It gives me reason to speculate that the first chapter of The Third World War: August 1985 ,which consists of first hand accounts, was one of his contributions to that work. Strawson does an excellent job in showing, that while some might consider the North African campaign to have been a diversion for the Allied war effort rather than going directly at Germany, it was the only ground war that they could fight ,and win, at the time. He also shows that if the allies (in particular the British) had failed in North Africa Germany might very well have won the whole shooting match. The Brits held the line for the first few years of the war and many of my fellow-countrymen (United States) don't give credit where credit is due.
I quiet enjoyed the book and was sorry when I reached the end. Though the book is now almost fifty years old it's still a very good read. I equate it to attending a lecture in which the speaker is very capable and gets (and keeps) your attention.
As a young officer in the British Army he participated in the campaign and,no doubt, had many similar experience to those that are given page space in his book. Interestingly he only mentions one incident ,in which he was directly involved, and it was a crash between his tank and another (British) tank. At times I felt that I was reading a British travelogue - only with tanks and airplanes thrown in. If you are mildly curious about the North African Campaign Strawson's book would serve an a good introductory piece. He never gets bogged down in pages of minute tactical accounts of one battalion fighting another battalion and he keeps it interesting by including first hand accounts to give it a sense of intimacy.
It gives me reason to speculate that the first chapter of The Third World War: August 1985 ,which consists of first hand accounts, was one of his contributions to that work. Strawson does an excellent job in showing, that while some might consider the North African campaign to have been a diversion for the Allied war effort rather than going directly at Germany, it was the only ground war that they could fight ,and win, at the time. He also shows that if the allies (in particular the British) had failed in North Africa Germany might very well have won the whole shooting match. The Brits held the line for the first few years of the war and many of my fellow-countrymen (United States) don't give credit where credit is due.
I quiet enjoyed the book and was sorry when I reached the end. Though the book is now almost fifty years old it's still a very good read. I equate it to attending a lecture in which the speaker is very capable and gets (and keeps) your attention.
March 31, 2013
Dad was in Oran and Casablanca after Operation Torch, serving as a cryptanalyst for the US Army as they were staging for the invasion of Sicily. Consequently I have long been interested in knowing more about the war in North Africa and in Sicily, topics covered by author Strawson in two books, this being the first.
Dad's business there, indeed the entire Torch operation, receives little attention here. Instead most of this book is about motorized warfare in Italian Africa. The treatment is very technical, the author having been an officer himself, undefined acronyms--and British slang terminology--abounding, so I found parts of it difficult to follow for those reasons. I also found it difficult because it was so very detailed, so concentrated with on-the-ground tactics and the ever-altering strategies of field commanders. My objections notwithstanding, however, this is probably just the kind of book that a veteran of the struggles there--or perhaps a student at a military war college--would very much appreciate.
Dad's business there, indeed the entire Torch operation, receives little attention here. Instead most of this book is about motorized warfare in Italian Africa. The treatment is very technical, the author having been an officer himself, undefined acronyms--and British slang terminology--abounding, so I found parts of it difficult to follow for those reasons. I also found it difficult because it was so very detailed, so concentrated with on-the-ground tactics and the ever-altering strategies of field commanders. My objections notwithstanding, however, this is probably just the kind of book that a veteran of the struggles there--or perhaps a student at a military war college--would very much appreciate.
December 17, 2023
A present from friends, this is a good example of a book I probably wouldn't have bought myself but was a very enjoyable read. I have read a lot about the Western Desert Campaign but hadn't previously heard of Maj Gen John Strawson. This is a reissue of a book from 1969 and is a very worthwhile addition to the many volumes already available on this campaign.
One caution, however: it is not the book for anyone fairly new to the subject. Though he discusses the battles, and gives some stirring soldiers' accounts of the fighting, he mostly offers a broad strategic overview of the war in North Africa, and assumes quite a lot of prior knowledge in his readership. My edition also has no maps, which would make it difficult for any reader coming fresh to the campaign.
The writing, especially compared with the "yoof TV presenter" style affected by some modern military historians or the "cut-and-paste unit war diaries" approach of most of the others, is a breath of fresh air - forthright, well-organised, and erudite. I can't recall a previous military history work which concluded with a Latin epigram adapted from Tacitus ! And in addition to well-chosen quotations from Churchill, Rommel, JFC Fuller, Wavell and others, he offers pithy, knowledgeable analysis of his own:
"{Rommel} was always critical of British command arrangements, above all of their not choosing tank specialists as Army commanders in a conflict where the handling of armour was paramount.";
".......the truth was that the battle for North Africa was marked on the British side by strategic vision linked to tactical deficiency, and on the Axis side by tactical brilliance manacled to strategic blundering." (as a retired British general he was considerate enough of his colleagues to say "tactical deficiency" rather than "tactical blundering", which would perhaps have been more accurate - and a neater quote).
Faults ? The lack of maps mainly. But also (ironically given the subject matter) the book gives the impression of being a compromise between the one the author wanted to write and the one his publisher agreed to publish. You get the impression Gen Strawson was asked to "cut" quite a lot to create a shorter book (and save on costs). There were many changes in command in the 8th Army before the arrival of Alexander and Montgomery, and some of these chaps are introduced perfunctorily or not at all, the name just popping up apropos of nothing instead of the previous GOC's. Again, this would be a problem for a reader not already very familiar with Wavell, Auchinleck, O'Connor, Cunningham, Ritchie, Gott.......(cont. p94)
And an author who generally writes so lucidly would probably like to rephrase a few clumsy passages:
".......had Wavell long before not established the logistic foundations which were indispensable.......";
"Hitler's decision to invade Russia and win there the decisive objective which had eluded him in the West - this reorientation of Axis strategy clearly had a major influence on Britain's intentions and capabilities. As was customary with a Minister of Defence who had such a passionate grasp of detail, combined with a determination that British arms should not stand idle whilst an ally was in distress......." Whoooah, Neddy ! We've shifted the subject from Hitler to Churchill without even drawing breath !
In summary, read other accounts of the campaign first. but if you're interested in the 8th Army in WW2, read this one too.
One caution, however: it is not the book for anyone fairly new to the subject. Though he discusses the battles, and gives some stirring soldiers' accounts of the fighting, he mostly offers a broad strategic overview of the war in North Africa, and assumes quite a lot of prior knowledge in his readership. My edition also has no maps, which would make it difficult for any reader coming fresh to the campaign.
The writing, especially compared with the "yoof TV presenter" style affected by some modern military historians or the "cut-and-paste unit war diaries" approach of most of the others, is a breath of fresh air - forthright, well-organised, and erudite. I can't recall a previous military history work which concluded with a Latin epigram adapted from Tacitus ! And in addition to well-chosen quotations from Churchill, Rommel, JFC Fuller, Wavell and others, he offers pithy, knowledgeable analysis of his own:
"{Rommel} was always critical of British command arrangements, above all of their not choosing tank specialists as Army commanders in a conflict where the handling of armour was paramount.";
".......the truth was that the battle for North Africa was marked on the British side by strategic vision linked to tactical deficiency, and on the Axis side by tactical brilliance manacled to strategic blundering." (as a retired British general he was considerate enough of his colleagues to say "tactical deficiency" rather than "tactical blundering", which would perhaps have been more accurate - and a neater quote).
Faults ? The lack of maps mainly. But also (ironically given the subject matter) the book gives the impression of being a compromise between the one the author wanted to write and the one his publisher agreed to publish. You get the impression Gen Strawson was asked to "cut" quite a lot to create a shorter book (and save on costs). There were many changes in command in the 8th Army before the arrival of Alexander and Montgomery, and some of these chaps are introduced perfunctorily or not at all, the name just popping up apropos of nothing instead of the previous GOC's. Again, this would be a problem for a reader not already very familiar with Wavell, Auchinleck, O'Connor, Cunningham, Ritchie, Gott.......(cont. p94)
And an author who generally writes so lucidly would probably like to rephrase a few clumsy passages:
".......had Wavell long before not established the logistic foundations which were indispensable.......";
"Hitler's decision to invade Russia and win there the decisive objective which had eluded him in the West - this reorientation of Axis strategy clearly had a major influence on Britain's intentions and capabilities. As was customary with a Minister of Defence who had such a passionate grasp of detail, combined with a determination that British arms should not stand idle whilst an ally was in distress......." Whoooah, Neddy ! We've shifted the subject from Hitler to Churchill without even drawing breath !
In summary, read other accounts of the campaign first. but if you're interested in the 8th Army in WW2, read this one too.
December 27, 2021
The battle for North Africa in the early years of the Second World War involved long and dramatic movements of mass amounts of men and equipment. Given those long distances that the armies moved, in many cases it came down to which side had the most available gasoline. It also featured the only German general that captured the admiration of the west, Erwin Rommel. Popularly known as “The Desert Fox,” he managed to do more with less than any other commander. He was also known for uttering the phrase, “war without hate,” and there is little doubt that the war in North Africa was the cleanest, most chivalrous campaign in World War II.
While this book does present both sides, including excerpts from reports and diaries, there is a slight tilt towards the Allies. The history of the campaign is well done, including what was the decisive factor of the battle, the failure of the Axis forces to take the island of Malta. At one point, Malta was effectively neutralized and down to the last vestiges of their supplies, but the Allies were able to keep it in the fight. Forces based in Malta were then able to attack Axis shipping and severely reduce the supply of war material available to Rommel.
What is made clear is that Rommel was aware of this problem, as were the Allied commanders. If Rommel had received anywhere near the resources available to the Allies, he likely would have taken Egypt before the Americans could effectively intervene. The loss of the Suez canal would have been a serious blow to the Allies, their shipping would have been forced to go all the way around Africa.
North Africa was the only possible place where significant American and Axis forces could have met on the ground in 1942. Therefore, it was the first time in the war that an American army faced off against a German one. While the Americans emerged victorious, it was against a resource starved opponent. It is well stated here that had the Axis high command made North Africa a priority, Malta would have been taken at any cost and the fight to clear the Axis forces from Africa would have been a longer and much bloodier one.
Montgomery is also portrayed as an extremely methodical general, always making sure to build up his forces and deploy them in ways that were designed to maintain pressure and never outrun all of the support structure. He is described as anything but dashing.
Another very positive aspect of this book is how the Italian forces are described. Many books about the Second World War are derisive about the fighting abilities of the Italian soldier, in this one they are often praised for their bravery and effectiveness in the battles. Once they were no longer being led by incompetents.
While this book does present both sides, including excerpts from reports and diaries, there is a slight tilt towards the Allies. The history of the campaign is well done, including what was the decisive factor of the battle, the failure of the Axis forces to take the island of Malta. At one point, Malta was effectively neutralized and down to the last vestiges of their supplies, but the Allies were able to keep it in the fight. Forces based in Malta were then able to attack Axis shipping and severely reduce the supply of war material available to Rommel.
What is made clear is that Rommel was aware of this problem, as were the Allied commanders. If Rommel had received anywhere near the resources available to the Allies, he likely would have taken Egypt before the Americans could effectively intervene. The loss of the Suez canal would have been a serious blow to the Allies, their shipping would have been forced to go all the way around Africa.
North Africa was the only possible place where significant American and Axis forces could have met on the ground in 1942. Therefore, it was the first time in the war that an American army faced off against a German one. While the Americans emerged victorious, it was against a resource starved opponent. It is well stated here that had the Axis high command made North Africa a priority, Malta would have been taken at any cost and the fight to clear the Axis forces from Africa would have been a longer and much bloodier one.
Montgomery is also portrayed as an extremely methodical general, always making sure to build up his forces and deploy them in ways that were designed to maintain pressure and never outrun all of the support structure. He is described as anything but dashing.
Another very positive aspect of this book is how the Italian forces are described. Many books about the Second World War are derisive about the fighting abilities of the Italian soldier, in this one they are often praised for their bravery and effectiveness in the battles. Once they were no longer being led by incompetents.
March 16, 2025
Very readable narrative of the north Africa campaign. Great for a beginner.
March 29, 2017
Maybe 3.5 stars, as sometimes it's a bit obtuse -- or maybe it's a bit too British for my simple mind. Anyway, will think about it and do a more useful review presently.
March 2, 2018
A nice overview of the war in North Africa, from the first Italian attack to the surrender of Panzerarmee Afrika. Best parts are where Strawson focuses on the personal rather than the high-level strategic. Although well written and engaging, it has very little original research - relies almost entirely on other works. This is not entirely bad - unless you consider that I added three books from the bibliography to my already massive ABE want list.
August 5, 2023
An excellent read of the struggle in Africa for Britain alot was going on in the background highly recommended
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews