El Alamein: Ultra and The Three Battles (1991) By Alexander McKee
 
This new account of one of the most famous campaigns of World War II. the Desert War is probably one of the first to give hill credit to the vital role played by air and submarine forces in contributing to the success of the eventual land victory. It also highlights the importance of Ultra, the British code-breaking, and decyphering operation, in providing advance information about Rommel's supply ships and troop movements.
 
In a dramatic, fast-moving story the author describes the sorties of Allied submarines and torpedo bombers from their base on the island of Malta. the early setbacks in the desert and the gradual reversal of fortunes as Montgomery moved from a defensive to an offensive position and advanced to victory at Alamein. He looks at the campaign at all levels - from the discussions and orders issuing from the British War Cabinet to the experiences of the fighting forces themselves. Contributions from veterans of the campaign form a major feature of the book - the eye-witness accounts of pilots, submarine commanders, army officers and men, who carried out the sorties and, in the desert, came face to face with the men of the opposing side.
 
British. German, Italian. Australian, New Zealand, and South African ex-servicemen tell their stories, creating a rounded picture of the events and vividly heightening the drama of the action. A wealth of photographs from personal albums, many previously unpublished. gives the book a telling immediacy, and the specially drawn endpaper maps clarify the key elements of the hard-won campaign.
 
Fifty years on. El Alamein is now recognised as an Allied victory that could so easily have gone the other way. This book, with its fresh perspective, adds a new dimension to our understanding of what actually happened.
 
Hard Cover with Dust Jacket
192 pages
In Good Condition