ALAMEIN

Another book about the Desert War, or the Battle of Alamein which broke power, might seem superfluous, but this is an excellent and possibly definitive work by the British military historian whose Cockleshell Heroes was widely read and praised. Brigadier Phillips tells the story of this confused, vicious fight not from the point of view of the general or the historian, but through the eyes of the officers and men who fought it. With a summary of the war in the dry, hot Libyan decert before July, 1942, the main body of the book begins then as General Montgomery takes over, and attempts to trick Rommel into characteristic counterattacks. From then , it is a vivid, dust-choked tale of individual units charging against the Germans, sometimes winning, sometimes suffering brutal losses in their attempt to stop the Nazi on Alexandria. ""Snipe"" and ""Kidney Ridge"" become familiar battle grounds, and there the corpses pile up by the thousands. Finally Rommel is defeated- and Egypt ....