Alamein: The turning point of World War Two

Alamein: The turning point of World War Two
Iain Gale

The superb novelist of men at war moves into the twentieth century and World War Two, telling the story of the eleven days in the sands of North Africa that would change history foreverThere are some battles that change the course of history: Alamein is one of those.In October 1942, Britain and its allies were in real difficulties: Germany and its Axis partners seemed to be triumphant everywhere - in Europe, in Russia, in the Atlantic and were now poised to take the Suez Canal. It was in North Africa that the stand was made, that the tide of World War Two began to turn.It was a battle of strong characters: the famous battle commander Rommel and the relatively untested new British commander, Montgomery, leading men who fought through an extraordinary eleven day battle, in an unforgiving terrain, amid the swirling sandstorms and the desert winds.Iain Gale, author of the outstanding historical novel Four Days in June on the battle of Waterloo, tells the dramatic story through seven characters, almost all based on real people. Drawn from both sides of the conflict, they include a major from a Scottish brigade, the young lieutenant in the thick of the tank battle, the Australian sergeant with the infantry, the tank commander of the Panzer Division and the charismatic Italian commander of a parachute battalion. Through them and others we see the flow of battle, the strategies, the individual actions and skirmishes, the fear, the determination, the extraordinary courage on both sides.

Alamein

Iain Gale

The turning point of World War Two

To my mother, who heard the church bells ring and to Captain Philip Harris, Royal Sussex Regiment who was there

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#u44d8c4ed-0cd7-580e-b352-2d83c14dda72)

Title Page (#u966c8b96-656b-5e39-af08-cb4672899783)

Dedication (#uc12bfe9c-0d09-5fcd-baae-17f4aaa8fc0d)

Maps (#u20182691-c5b1-5dae-9703-05a0faa0e934)

PART ONE Operation Lightfoot (#uafbd581f-3301-572e-849e-607785b2aabf)

Friday 23 October (#ubb349337-6514-571d-b14c-a606cea54825)

Saturday 24 October (#u60754441-db42-5b81-885f-88de6a586ac4)

PART TWO The Dog Fight (#uea66f0ce-98a9-57a5-8c6e-f81c88780e47)

Sunday 25 October (#ucb9c416c-1e63-5acb-b547-b75e116d24c4)

Monday 26 October (#u4a53a350-2a72-593f-b51d-8c1e0fc27f64)

Tuesday 27 October (#ubb6c99b2-359e-53ee-a618-b7a7509d9488)

Wednesday 28 October (#uc99f4c1d-615e-5939-8304-5a43c179190a)

Thursday 29 October (#u0c1bd130-2067-5726-a8aa-0c3cf8c77052)

Friday 30 October (#u8e5a1745-6192-5e8f-907f-c3a09b8c3866)

Saturday 31 October (#udb7627e4-8500-572b-bde7-f4edeb5b6d53)

PART THREE Operation Supercharge (#u3cc1c446-ba3a-58e3-b2b6-4544d378dc0f)

Sunday 1 November (#ub6234f8e-c0d5-508e-b210-590e82858864)

Monday 2 November (#u80980e23-da9c-5099-aa3a-ee7b5b819a0e)

Tuesday 3 November (#ucbff2bd3-4c37-5687-9a73-8c2f294e5343)

Wednesday 4 November (#u5cdb693a-f04c-5fa1-a269-25436743cc01)

Biographical Notes (#ueeb7b5d5-4807-5455-a2f2-edd0c3c5269f)

HISTORICAL NOTE (#ud713c140-7a9d-59f4-8d9a-a778dbc3583b)

AUTHOR’S NOTE (#uba57ab19-58ea-5eb3-a2fe-41792a751399)

By the same author (#u22d68062-9d73-50b1-9412-1cacdac9ecb5)

Copyright (#u0462ea72-963a-5a5a-ad43-1f13c5c97a80)

About the Publisher (#ud34daf3c-067d-5d21-a050-45d36a8aa401)

Maps (#ulink_32d5199a-d322-544b-82cc-a5da8854af7e)

PART ONE Operation Lightfoot (#ulink_98346b74-d102-5f15-ba55-0e651ee42dc2)