Together We Stand
2006Europe, history, 20th centuryWorld war, 1939-1945, europeCampaignsWorld War, 1939-1945Military History
4.0
Open LibraryAbout this book
Vigorous account of the war in the North African desert, in which, perhaps improbably, the Allies emerged victorious. For the first two years of the conflict, Commonwealth and Free French forces fought against Rommel’s Afrika Korps alone. In almost every way, they were the lesser force. As British historian Holland (Fortress Malta, not reviewed) writes, the differences came mostly in military organization. German soldiers were trained, for instance, to act independently, and the lowliest private was expected to be able to take command as the situation required; British soldiers, by contrast, were required to wait for orders on high before taking action. Rommel’s forces were highly mobile and highly coordinated, while the British divisions tended to be unwieldy. And German arms, such as the 88mm cannon and the Mark IV tank, were superior to their British counterparts (“one looks solid, strong and formidable,” Holland writes, “the other lightweight and ineffective”). The American arrival in the African theater roughly coincided with a massive British reorganization of forces with an eye to solving institutional problems; the fall of Tobruk and the German threat to Cairo did much to overcome inertia, as old generals were sacked and new ones such as Bernard Montgomery came on board. At the same time, Sherman tanks and 105mm howitzers began to pour in, finally giving the Allied forces the wherewithal to meet Rommel on equivalent terms and, late in 1942, leading to victory at the Battle of El Alamein, when “Churchill had his victory at last” and the tide began to turn against…
Themes & subjects
Europe, history, 20th centuryWorld war, 1939-1945, europeCampaignsWorld War, 1939-1945Military HistoryWorld war, 1939-1945, campaigns, africa
First published 2006Setting
North Africa
About the author
James Holland
27 June 1970
James Holland is a historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of the best-selling historical novels, he has also written nine works of historical fiction. He regularly appears on television and radio, and has written and presented the BAFTA-shortlisted documentaries. Co-founder and Programme Director of the Chalke Valley History Festival, he has his own collection at the Imperial War Museum, and is Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of a number of best-selling histories includingFortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, Battle of Britain, Dam Busters, and most recently, The War in th…
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