War Without Hate: The Desert Campaign of 1940-1943

by Bierman, John (Author); Smith, Colin (Author)

• ISBN13: 9780142003947
• ISBN10: 0142003948
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-01
• Publisher: Penguin Group USA

Summary

The battle of Alamein was the turning point for the British in their World War II struggle against Nazi Germany and the climax of a campaign waged with an unusual degree of ferocity and humanity on both sides. Around the little railway stop of El Alamein in Egypt's western desert at the end of October 1942, there were virtually no towns or villages to be ruined or terrified refugees to be caught in the crossfire. The twelve-day battle was waged over empty desert terrain. However bitterly fought, though, it was conducted according to accepted notions of "fair play" and the rules of war. Each side treated the enemy prisoners -- especially the wounded -- according to the Geneva Conventions, and a curious camaraderie evolved between the armies doing their best to kill each other. This desert war is remembered by its survivors as a "war without hate." Drawing extensively on years of research, John Bierman and Colin Smith provide a compellingly fresh perspective on the see-saw campaign in which the two sides chased each other back and forth across the unforgiving North African landscape. Book jacket.

Author Biography

John Bierman is a former BBC correspondent and documentary filmmaker. Colin Smith covered many wars for the Observer and was its defense, Middle East, Asia, and Washington correspondent. Bierman and Smith have separately published a number of nonfiction books and have collaborated on the widely praised biography of Orde Wingate, Fire in the Night.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. xi
List of Maps	p. xv
Reunion	p. 1
The Italians	p. 9
Enter Rommel	p. 51
Crusader	p. 89
Enter Monty	p. 211
Alamein	p. 251
Endgame	p. 337
Requiem	p. 411
Acknowledgements and Sources	p. 415
Chronology	p. 437
Bibliography	p. 440
Index	p. 447
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