Author Description

The battle of Alamein was the turning point for the British in their World War II struggle against Nazi Germany and the climax of a campaign waged with an unusual degree of ferocity and humanity on both sides. Around the little railway stop of El Alamein in Egypt's western desert at the end of October 1942, there were virtually no towns or villages to be ruined or terrified refugees to be caught in the crossfire. The twelve-day battle was waged over empty desert terrain. However bitterly fought, though, it was conducted according to accepted notions of "fair play" and the rules of war. Each side treated the enemy prisoners -- especially the wounded -- according to the Geneva Conventions, and a curious camaraderie evolved between the armies doing their best to kill each other. This desert war is remembered by its survivors as a "war without hate." Drawing extensively on years of research, John Bierman and Colin Smith provide a compellingly fresh perspective on the see-saw campaign in which the two sides.