Rommel's Desert War: Waging World War II in North Africa, 1941-1943

At the height of his power in January 1941 Hitler made the fateful decision to send troops to North Africa to save the beleaguered Italian army from defeat. Martin Kitchen's masterful history of the Axis campaign provides a fundamental reassessment of the key battles of 1941-3, Rommel's generalship, and the campaign's place within the broader strategic context of the war. He shows that the British were initially helpless against the operational brilliance of Rommel's Panzer divisions. However Rommel's initial successes and refusal to follow orders committed the Axis to a campaign well beyond their means. Without the reinforcements or supplies he needed to deliver a knockout blow, Rommel was forced onto the defensive and Hitler's Mediterranean strategy began to unravel. The result was the loss of an entire army which together with defeat at Stalingrad signalled a decisive shift in the course of the war.

Author: Martin Kitchen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 08/01/2009
Pages: 618
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.41lbs
Size: 9.12h x 6.28w x 1.32d
ISBN: 9780521509718

Review Citation(s):
Chronicle of Higher Education 10/30/2009 pg. 20

About the Author
Kitchen, Martin: - Martin Kitchen is Professor Emeritus in the Department of History, Simon Fraser University. His previous publications include The Third Reich: Charisma and Community (2007), A History of Modern Germany, 1800-2000 (2006) and Europe Between the Wars, 2nd edition (2006).