Foxes of the Desert [Hardcover]

Paul Carell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1994

Here for the first time from the German viewpoint and with a great deal of hitherto unpublished material is the complete story of one of the most bitterly fought, exciting campaigns in modern warfare. Foxes of the Desert is the definitive work on the Afri

Product Details

• Hardcover: 370 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887406599
• ISBN-13: 978-0887406591
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent saga of the Desert War - from the Axis perspective, April 4, 2000

By 

Nilanjan Ray (India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Foxes of the Desert (Hardcover)

Unlike most other books about the North African war, this book is a superb account from the German perspective. One wonders what might have been if Hitler hadn't been so stubborn, or if Malta had fallen. It gives the insider view of the famed Afrika Korps, and is a gripping tale ( just like a war thriller ) of the campaign. This is a must read for all enthusiasts of military non-fiction. One would also do well to reread The Destert Fox after reading this book - it would definately lend a new perspective to Rommel's biography.

Unfortunately the copy I have is old, and has started coming to pieces. The price of the hardcover edition is rather high. It would be good if a cheaper, softcover edition is available.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A qualified 5 stars, May 10, 2001

By 

Scot L. Heminger "Franziskaner lieber" (Southern Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Foxes of the Desert (Hardcover)

I must say that after reading several very dry battle and war Histories ('Assault on Moscow', by Werner Haupt comes to mind)this book was very appreciated. Whereas the current (ie. the last ten or fifteen years) trend is to throw in a few personal accounts of a battle by someone who was there in order to make the book a bit more interesting, Mr. Carell worked/works from these accounts much more heavily. Because of this, his story of the African campaign is much more readable than the vast majority out there. I must say though that the book is somewhat dated and perhaps also a bit jaded in some aspects. For instance he gives only slight credit to the French resistance of the American landings in Algieria in Nov.42 when in reality the French in this case were generally loyal to their German allies and fought as tenaciously as humanly possible. Finally there is the question of Carells sympathies. The simple fact is that Paul Carell was known as Paul Karl Schmitt during WWII and was a writer for Joseph Goebbels, even covering a 'Jewish action' in Hungary towards the end of the war. which can be verified quite easily with a working knowledge of German and just about any search engine. Overall, even with Carell's quite unsavory background admitted, I must say that I very much enjoyed this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of the North African Campaign, August 26, 2009

By 

Dave Schranck "Dave" (Anaheim Ca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Foxes of the Desert (Hardcover)

Mr Carell always writes an engaging story and this one begins in late 1940 when the British during their offensive inflict a series of major defeats on the Italians. This forces Hitler, in order to keep Mussolini in the war, to come to his aid by sending Rommel and the Africa Korp to Africa beginning in Feb 1941. The coverage continues with the major events of the war up to the Axis surrender in May 1943.
With Churchill over confident with the African victories in Africa, he sends forces from Africa to Crete and Greece and dilutes the British strength. Rommel is determine to attack the British while the British are weak and in so doing, garners a number of victories for the Axis. Further coverage of Sollum, Malta, Benghazi, Bir Hacheim, Tobruk several times, Alam Halfa, Alamein, Operation Torch and Medenine which is Rommel's last battle before going back to Germany. Back in Berlin, Rommel tries to persuade Hitler to leave North Africa but was unsuccessful. And the book closes with Arnim's surrender only two months later. Hitler loses 250,000 men for a worthless piece of property. With those men stationed in Sicily and Italy, the Allies would have had a much harder time with the invasions.
The book only has a few simple maps. The photos, though not many, are good. There is a decent Index to help you locate people and places.
Its not comprehensive but as an overview, its very good. If you're a casual reader, it may be all you need to read of the North Africa campaign. If you're an enthusaist, it will help point you to the key events or people for your further research.