I have always considered myself to posses more than a passing familiarity with the history of WWII, but with one glaring exception -- the Africa Theater. Aside from the names Rommel, Montgomery, and Patton, I knew almost nothing about this part of the war except from the tidbits that I was given from Patton's War as I knew it. An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson changed that. Drawing from diaries, letters, interviews, official unit histories, and more, Atkinson creates a comprehensive chronicle of the War in Africa from when the United States entered the war in 1941 through Armin's surrender in Tunisia in 1943 and manages to do it while not only examining the war from the overall strategic view but all the way down to the tortured consciences of commanders sending their troops off to their death and green American Privates trying in their foxholes trying to survive another day.
My first impression with the book was the sheer amount of detail packed into each page, while my second impression was that it was amazing that the Allies were even able to win the war. Aside from inexperience, the Americans, and to a lesser extent the British, were faced with incompetence, logistical problems, poor communications, and politics. Always the politics. Atkinson pulls no punches in illustrating the political problems with Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander and American, and the British and French governments and generals.
Following disastrous landings and lost battles in 1942, the Americans not only gained experience but also "learned to hate", a quality that Atkinson maintains is vital for victory. But why? Later on, Atkinson states that "...one definition of military morale is a will to fight that is stronger than the will to live.." and I suppose in that context that hate of the enemy is a major motivator for morale.
Once the Allies controlled the skies over the Mediterranean Sea and essentially all supply routes from Italy to North Africa eliminated, the North Africa Theater became a was of attrition and of eventual Allied victory.
The book also serves as a reminder that WWII wasn't won in the battles where 5,000 were killed, but rather the battles where deaths number in the hundreds and the enemy was slowly worn down and forced back town by town and hill by hill.
Some people criticize the style of the writing as being not cohesive, but instead a collection of short stories. While that may be true, I think that is one of the merits of the book in that such a style pulls the reader into the book and makes the history that more tangible.
My only complaint was the minimal amount of time spent on the theater before the Americans landed in 1943.
All in all, it's a fantastic book, Rick Atkinson won the Pulitzer Prize for it, and belongs on the shelf of any follower of WWII or 20th Century history.
My first impression with the book was the sheer amount of detail packed into each page, while my second impression was that it was amazing that the Allies were even able to win the war. Aside from inexperience, the Americans, and to a lesser extent the British, were faced with incompetence, logistical problems, poor communications, and politics. Always the politics. Atkinson pulls no punches in illustrating the political problems with Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander and American, and the British and French governments and generals.
Following disastrous landings and lost battles in 1942, the Americans not only gained experience but also "learned to hate", a quality that Atkinson maintains is vital for victory. But why? Later on, Atkinson states that "...one definition of military morale is a will to fight that is stronger than the will to live.." and I suppose in that context that hate of the enemy is a major motivator for morale.
Once the Allies controlled the skies over the Mediterranean Sea and essentially all supply routes from Italy to North Africa eliminated, the North Africa Theater became a was of attrition and of eventual Allied victory.
The book also serves as a reminder that WWII wasn't won in the battles where 5,000 were killed, but rather the battles where deaths number in the hundreds and the enemy was slowly worn down and forced back town by town and hill by hill.
Some people criticize the style of the writing as being not cohesive, but instead a collection of short stories. While that may be true, I think that is one of the merits of the book in that such a style pulls the reader into the book and makes the history that more tangible.
My only complaint was the minimal amount of time spent on the theater before the Americans landed in 1943.
All in all, it's a fantastic book, Rick Atkinson won the Pulitzer Prize for it, and belongs on the shelf of any follower of WWII or 20th Century history.
