Eighth Army: the Triumphant Desert Army That Held the Axis at Bay from North Africa to the Alps, 1939-45 - Hardcover

Eighth Army is a masterful epic of military history in which acclaimed historian Robin Neillands thrillingly chronicles the defeats and triumphs of the Eighth Army, considered by many to be the most remarkable fighting force of WWII. Using firsthand source material including personal accounts and interviews with veterans, Neillands diags deep into the strategies, conflicts, controversies, and politically motivated decisions that plagued, stymied, and glavanized this remarkable group of men. In the desperate days between June 1940 and October 1942, Eighth Army--a British force representing the Free World and comprising some of the great fighting divisions of the War--was the only Western army left to face the growing Axis powers. Though ultimately triumphant, these men faced defeat. They had to surmount obsolete equipment and indifferent command, as well as the enemy--not forgetting their most dangerous foe, Rommel, who met his match in Eighth Army's General Sir Bernard Montgomery. From the battles fought at Sidi Rezegh, Alamein, Sicily, and Cassino--this riveting narrative reverberates with the unstoppable spirit of the men whose strength carried them on a 3,000-mile march to victory.