The Crucible of War: Western Desert 1941 [Hardcover]

Barrie Pitt (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 525 pages
• Publisher: Paragon House (December 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557782326
• ISBN-13: 978-1557782328
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,263,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book on early campaign in desert, October 3, 2010

By 

Timothy K. Borchers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crucible of War: Western Desert 1941 (Hardcover)

This book focuses on the the first part of the desert war through Operation Crusader. It has an excellent account of the opening battles against the Italians, which were harder fought than generally thought. Told primarily from the British view, it does include a well balanced study of the German and Italian leaders and strategies. It touches on the campaigns in Easr Africa, Syria, Iraq and Greece/Crete to put the desert in context. Be warned, the author primarily interviewed the pro-Auchinlek crowd, and although there is little after Crusader, some bias does creep in. This is a very enjoyable book, and as an avid reader of the war's history i feel it to be one of the better accounts of the desert.