It may almost be said that 'Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat' wrote Winston Churchill in The Second World War. The distinguished military historian General Strawson's authoritative book describes how the balance of power in North Africa see-sawed between the Italians, the British and the Germans through the years 1940 to 1943, and how ultimate victory was won by the Allies. In showing how the nature and conduct of battles developed during this three-year desert campaign, John Strawson brings together the strategic considerations, the changing tactics and the impressions of those who did the actual fighting. His exciting narrative is illustrated by numerous contemporary photographs and specially drawn maps, and by eye-witness accounts. The soldiers of many nations - Germans, Italians, Gurkhas, Australians, New Zealanders, British tank crews and Americans - all give their impressions of what the Battle for North Africa was like.