Description

This book is practically a blow-by-blow account of the air and land battles fought in North Africa between 1941 and 1943. It shows the South African Air Force in action with the famous Desert Air Force of which it was a vital part. Here for the first time the reader will find a narrative of every great land battle of that period – the saga of retreat and advance over a thousand miles of desert – with, for the first time, the part of the air forces related to the total strategy. Here is the final emergence of air power, triumphant over the prejudices of army and navy. From Wavell’s early conquest of Graziani’s timid host the great battles are all recounted – the struggles for Tobruk, the failure of the ‘Crusader’ operations, the retreat to El Alamein, the decisive defeat of Rommel at Alam el Halfa and Alamein, the advance to Tripoli with the battles of Mareth, Medenine and Wadi Agarit to the final ‘Dunkirk’ scene.

Volume IV of the South African Forces World War II series.