Lines in the Sand: El Alamein, Turning Point of Desert War

A single spent cartridge case, half-buried in the sand, still holds the heat of the North African sun. It is a relic of the battle that saved Egypt and the Suez Canal -- the Battle of El Alamein. In the summer of 1942, Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps had pushed the British Eighth Army back to the last defensible line before Alexandria. There, at a dusty railway halt, the Allies made a stand that would decide the fate of the desert war.This is the story of that stand and the long, grinding retreat that followed. It is a tale of two generals -- Rommel, the audacious Desert Fox, and Montgomery, the methodical Lion -- and of the armies they led. From the thunderous artillery barrage of October 23 to the tank battles of Operation Lightfoot and the breakout of Operation Supercharge, this book charts every phase of the campaign. With 15 detailed maps and diagrams, you can follow the ebb and flow of battle, from the first clash at Alamein to the final race to Tunis. It also goes beyond the front lines to examine the logistics that kept the armies moving and the human cost of the desert war.