The Crucible of War

Vol.3: Montgomery

By Barrie Pitt

2001

First Published

4.33

Average Rating

312

Number of Pages

9H31M

Audio Length

Part of Series

The Crucible of War

Series · 3 books

By Barrie Pitt

The third volume explains how the Allies fared in their early efforts to defend Egypt from the wiles of Field Marshal Rommel and the German Afrika Korps. The series of Allied victories in the North African desert that routed the Italian defenders came to an abrupt end with Rommel's arrival on the scene. In the early clashes with the Afrika Korps, Britain's Field Marshal Richard O'Connor was captured, and Field Marshal Archibald Wavell was replaced as commander-in-chief by Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck. Auchinleck had been an excellent soldier, but his choice of commanders turned out to be a disaster, as they were out-thought and out-fought by Rommel. Ultimately, Auckinleck himself took command and ended Rommel's immediate threat. The third volume explains how the Allies fared in their early efforts to defend Egypt from the wiles of Field Marshal Rommel and the German Afrika Korps. The series of Allied victories in the North African desert that routed the Italian defenders came to an abrupt end with Rommel's arrival on the scene. In the early clashes with the Afrika Korps, Britain's Field Marshal Richard O'Connor was captured, and Field Marshal Archibald Wavell was replaced as commander-in-chief by Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck. Auchinleck had been an excellent soldier, but his choice of commanders turned out to be a disaster, as they were out-thought and out-fought by Rommel. Ultimately, Auckinleck himself took command and ended Rommel's immediate threat.

Avg Rating

4.33

Number of Ratings

110

5 STARS

52%

4 STARS

35%

3 STARS

10%

2 STARS

1 STARS

goodreads

Author

Barrie Pitt

Author · 10 books

Barrie William Edward Pitt was educated at Portsmouth Southern Grammar School before becoming a bank clerk. After service in the Second World War Pitt worked as a surveyor, joined 21 SAS (TA), with whom he rose to the rank of sergeant, and started to write for the magazine Adventure. Pitt also worked for a time as an information officer at the Atomic Energy Authority establishment at Aldermaston, where he demonstrated a talent for turning scientific information into readable prose In 1958, Pitt wrote a novel, The Edge of Battle, and Zeebrugge, an admired account of the First World War raid on the Belgian U-boat base. This led to a long and prolific career as an author and editor of popular histories. Under the overall editorship of Sir Basil Liddell-Hart, he was responsible for the first major part-work, Purnell's History of the Second World War, a 96-instalment mass circulation series which was launched in 1966 at the Imperial War Museum. He also worked as a researcher for the 1960s BBC television series The Great War.