Book Review of
The Battles of El Alamein
The End of the Beginning
Author: Ben Skipper
Pen & Sword Battle Craft Series
ICBN: 9781399007627
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $ 28.95
ICBN: 9781399007627
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $ 28.95
HISTORY:
The early battles of North Africa between the Axis powers and the British Commonwealth and her European allies were among the last clashes of chivalry. At the small town of El Alamein belligerents met and fought on two occasions, for overall control of both Egypt and the Suez in the latter half of 1942.
For the Allies, the battles were also a chance to destroy Axis ambitions in the Western Desert, whilst gaining mastery of the Mediterranean and a foothold in Southern Europe. The two battles, in July, and October to November 1942, were to see men and equipment tested to the very limit of their capabilities.
They were also the first major battles, where Allied intelligence and all arms planning played a key part in defeating an experienced adversary. These battles would cement the two armies and their commanders reputations in perpetuity and sowed the seeds for the steady defeat of the Axis in the West.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a small black and white wartime photo in the upper left corner of British infantry advancing through smoke.
To the right is a color side-view profile of a Bf-109F-2 Trop., from the III Gruppe, JG 27. It is in a camouflage of a base of sand-yellow with dark-green spots. It has a white nose and spinner, white fuselage no. 3 large black German cross outlined in white 1, followed by a wide white fuselage band, black swastika on the rudder sides. This profile is repeated inside the book on page 51.
Below the profile there is another black and white wartime photo of a British 25pdr gun and crew.
At the bottom of the cover there is another color profile of a British Crusader Mk. III tank. It is in a wave pattern camouflage of olive-drab with wide black bands. This profile appears again inside the book on page 38.
The book contains: 111 black and white photos, 101 color ones, 4 maps.
Photos show:
A British Matilda Scorpion flail tank, a memorial to the 9th Australian Division at El Alamein Cemetery, a Kittyhawk fighter, a RAF Lysander, a Hawker Hurricane, jeeps, German tanks in the 21st Panzer Div., Panzer II, Italian Semovente 75/18, British trucks, a knocked-out Italian M12/40, a Valentine tank, 2 photos of Sherman tanks, a Sd.Kfz. 250 German half-track, a British 6 pdr. anti-tank gun, a German Sd.Kfz. 10 mounted with a 20mm FLAK 30 gun, a Priest 105mm SP gun, a 88mm German gun, a Morris truck masquerading as a Crusader Mk. III, “Sunshield” split lorry canvas cover on a British Matilda tank, a captured Italian M13/40, a Grant tank, a destroyed German 20mm AA gun, a German 50mm PAK gun, a Panzer II, an abandoned German Sd.Kfz. 223, a knocked-out Churchill Mk. III, an Italian cannon, Crusader Mk. 1s & IIIs.
Officer photos are of:
British General Bernard Freyberg, Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Coningham, British Major-General Sir Eric Doman-Smith, Winston Churchill driving past troops, German Commander Georg Stumme, German General Von Thoma surrendering, 6 photos of Erwin Rommel, British General Sir Archibald Wavell, British General Sir Claude Auchinleck, British General Richie, British Major-General John “Jack” Campbell, General Sir Howard Alexander and 3 photos of Bernard Montgomery.
Other photos are of:
German POWs, German infantry, British infantry, New Zealand Cavalrymen, a German cemetery, a South African sapper with anti-personnel mines, grave of a German Panzer III crew, Free French troops, a South African engineer with a mine detector, Panzer grenadiers, Italian infantry, a minefield, a British CMP Field Artillery Tractor, a sign outside a British Advanced Blood Bank, a Nuffield Liberty L12 engine, a Panzer III Ausf. J in a museum.
There are color side profiles of a Churchill Mk. II and a Crusader Mk. III and a Bf-109 being camouflaged.
In the kit building section:
Italari's 1/35th scale Crusader Mk. I box art, Border brand 1/35th scale Crusader Mk. III box and build up, Tamiya 1/48th scale Crusader Mk. II build up, Italari's 1/35th scale Crusader Mk. I build up, Rye Field brand 1/35th scale Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. J box art and contents, Tamiya 1/35th scale Panzer III build up.
In the aircraft section of the book there are color profiles of the Bf-109E and P-40.
Kits of aircraft shown are:
Trumpeter’s 1/24th scale Bf-109 box art and contents, their 1/48th scale Bf-109E-4/7 Trop build up, Italari's 148th scale P-40E/K, Trumpeter’s 1/32nd scale P-40B build up.
The last page of the book shows 12 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword books;
Tiger I & Tiger II Tanks, Sherman Tanks, Panther Tanks, Churchill Tanks, Panzer IV, Centurion, another vol. of Sherman Tanks, another vol. of Tiger I & Tiger II Tanks, T-54/55, Tank Destroyer Achilles & M10 and Panzer I & II.
Aimed at the new or returning modeler, featuring easy to copy building, painting, weathering and detailing techniques to help bring a model to life.
This book features technical and historical details, as well as overviews showcasing model builds of iconic vehicles and aircraft that took part; the Crusader, Warhawk and Bf-109F-7 Trop, to mention a few.
Modelers as well as military historians will find this book of great interest.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The early battles of North Africa between the Axis powers and the British Commonwealth and her European allies were among the last clashes of chivalry. At the small town of El Alamein belligerents met and fought on two occasions, for overall control of both Egypt and the Suez in the latter half of 1942.
For the Allies, the battles were also a chance to destroy Axis ambitions in the Western Desert, whilst gaining mastery of the Mediterranean and a foothold in Southern Europe. The two battles, in July, and October to November 1942, were to see men and equipment tested to the very limit of their capabilities.
They were also the first major battles, where Allied intelligence and all arms planning played a key part in defeating an experienced adversary. These battles would cement the two armies and their commanders reputations in perpetuity and sowed the seeds for the steady defeat of the Axis in the West.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a small black and white wartime photo in the upper left corner of British infantry advancing through smoke.
To the right is a color side-view profile of a Bf-109F-2 Trop., from the III Gruppe, JG 27. It is in a camouflage of a base of sand-yellow with dark-green spots. It has a white nose and spinner, white fuselage no. 3 large black German cross outlined in white 1, followed by a wide white fuselage band, black swastika on the rudder sides. This profile is repeated inside the book on page 51.
Below the profile there is another black and white wartime photo of a British 25pdr gun and crew.
At the bottom of the cover there is another color profile of a British Crusader Mk. III tank. It is in a wave pattern camouflage of olive-drab with wide black bands. This profile appears again inside the book on page 38.
The book contains: 111 black and white photos, 101 color ones, 4 maps.
Photos show:
A British Matilda Scorpion flail tank, a memorial to the 9th Australian Division at El Alamein Cemetery, a Kittyhawk fighter, a RAF Lysander, a Hawker Hurricane, jeeps, German tanks in the 21st Panzer Div., Panzer II, Italian Semovente 75/18, British trucks, a knocked-out Italian M12/40, a Valentine tank, 2 photos of Sherman tanks, a Sd.Kfz. 250 German half-track, a British 6 pdr. anti-tank gun, a German Sd.Kfz. 10 mounted with a 20mm FLAK 30 gun, a Priest 105mm SP gun, a 88mm German gun, a Morris truck masquerading as a Crusader Mk. III, “Sunshield” split lorry canvas cover on a British Matilda tank, a captured Italian M13/40, a Grant tank, a destroyed German 20mm AA gun, a German 50mm PAK gun, a Panzer II, an abandoned German Sd.Kfz. 223, a knocked-out Churchill Mk. III, an Italian cannon, Crusader Mk. 1s & IIIs.
Officer photos are of:
British General Bernard Freyberg, Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Coningham, British Major-General Sir Eric Doman-Smith, Winston Churchill driving past troops, German Commander Georg Stumme, German General Von Thoma surrendering, 6 photos of Erwin Rommel, British General Sir Archibald Wavell, British General Sir Claude Auchinleck, British General Richie, British Major-General John “Jack” Campbell, General Sir Howard Alexander and 3 photos of Bernard Montgomery.
Other photos are of:
German POWs, German infantry, British infantry, New Zealand Cavalrymen, a German cemetery, a South African sapper with anti-personnel mines, grave of a German Panzer III crew, Free French troops, a South African engineer with a mine detector, Panzer grenadiers, Italian infantry, a minefield, a British CMP Field Artillery Tractor, a sign outside a British Advanced Blood Bank, a Nuffield Liberty L12 engine, a Panzer III Ausf. J in a museum.
There are color side profiles of a Churchill Mk. II and a Crusader Mk. III and a Bf-109 being camouflaged.
In the kit building section:
Italari's 1/35th scale Crusader Mk. I box art, Border brand 1/35th scale Crusader Mk. III box and build up, Tamiya 1/48th scale Crusader Mk. II build up, Italari's 1/35th scale Crusader Mk. I build up, Rye Field brand 1/35th scale Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. J box art and contents, Tamiya 1/35th scale Panzer III build up.
In the aircraft section of the book there are color profiles of the Bf-109E and P-40.
Kits of aircraft shown are:
Trumpeter’s 1/24th scale Bf-109 box art and contents, their 1/48th scale Bf-109E-4/7 Trop build up, Italari's 148th scale P-40E/K, Trumpeter’s 1/32nd scale P-40B build up.
The last page of the book shows 12 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword books;
Tiger I & Tiger II Tanks, Sherman Tanks, Panther Tanks, Churchill Tanks, Panzer IV, Centurion, another vol. of Sherman Tanks, another vol. of Tiger I & Tiger II Tanks, T-54/55, Tank Destroyer Achilles & M10 and Panzer I & II.
Aimed at the new or returning modeler, featuring easy to copy building, painting, weathering and detailing techniques to help bring a model to life.
This book features technical and historical details, as well as overviews showcasing model builds of iconic vehicles and aircraft that took part; the Crusader, Warhawk and Bf-109F-7 Trop, to mention a few.
Modelers as well as military historians will find this book of great interest.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.